Systems Integration Asia – April-May 2018

NEWS

Community Celebrates 50 Years at 2018

INTERNATIONAL: Even as Community

Professional Loudspeakers celebrated its 50

years of offering innovave loudspeaker

soluons on the plaorm of ISE 2018, what

remained constant through all those years is

what really sets the company apart.

Founded by Bruce Howze in 1968 to develop

concert-worthy loudspeakers that were both

powerful and lightweight, Community is now

a worldwide leader in the design and

manufacture of professional loudspeakers

for installed applicaons. As the company

evolved its market focus from tour sound to

MI and now to install, Howze's technical

leadership has been the one constant

throughout.

About those early days, Howze recalls,

“everyone was making horns from wood,

sheet metal or cast iron. We thought

fiberglass would be an ideal material for

small runs. It was lightweight, strong,

portable and relavely easy to mould to

shape. We could make horns that were far

more accurate to mathemacal equaons,

without the imperfecons of wood, and with

far less weight.”

“At the me, touring systems were mainly

comprised of large folded bass horns,

topped with mulcellular high frequency

horns,” he explains. “There was nothing that

could do 500 Hz well, which le a big hole in

the midrange. Midrange is where voice

intelligibility lives, and to my mind is the

most important aspect of a loudspeaker – to

communicate. We focused on that midrange

right at the outset, and

it connues to be

paramount in

everything we do.” Even

today, performance and

intelligibility connue to

be Community's top

priories. “There's been

a trend among

loudspeaker

manufacturers to

overlook intelligibility in

favor of the 'wow' factor

of big bass,” Howze

observes. “That sort of

misses the point that all

the crical informaon

is in the midrange. If

you don't get that right,

the rest of it doesn't

mean a thing.”

Over the years, Community's developments

in horn designs, enclosures and transducers,

combined with detailed performance

measurement and documentaon, have

achieved an outstanding list of “firsts”,

parcularly in the areas of large-scale

systems, extreme all-weather capability and

soluons for difficult acousc environments.

The company's list of references is equally

impressive, from Elvis Presley touring with

Community's Leviathan in the '70s to public

address for the largest annual gathering of

mankind on earth in Mecca. Whole cies like

Venice rely on Community to provide audio

flood warning and, at countless Olympic and

world-class stadia, millions of people enjoy

their sport with “loud and clear”

communicaon from Community systems.

Steve Johnson joined Community as CEO in

2013. An experienced audio industry
      veteran, Johnson brought substanal sales,
      markeng and commercial experse to the
      company. In 2014, Community unveiled an
      updated corporate brand identy. The

design of the new symbol and logotype

suggests precision and elegance, two

important aributes of their products and

engineering.

In 2015, Audioprof Group Internaonal

acquired a majority share in Community,

strengthening the brand and ensuring its

future. Audioprof is a holding company

established to develop and build strong

audio companies with a focus on specific

niches in the audio industry. Through the

acquision, Community became a member

of their installed audio porolio along with

European-based Apart Audio.

What's up in 2018: Community begins 2018

with the European launch of its new IV

Modular Vercal Array system at ISE. The

newest member of the highly successful I

SERIES family, IV6 is aesthecally designed

for installed indoor or outdoor applicaons.

Incorporang physical- and acousc-shaping

tools that allow designers to tailor an array

to the needs of any venue, the IV6 Modular

Vercal Array system provides uniform

coverage in short- or long-throw

applicaons. Community's exclusive Passive

Acousc Opmizaon module within EASE®

Focus 3 quickly calculates the ideal passive

array parameters for each loudspeaker,

resulng in unmatched SPL and frequency

response consistency throughout a listening

area without requiring addional amplifiers

or DSP channels.

“As we aspire to exceed the industry's

expectaons and provide exceponal

customer service, we will

connue to innovate with

new products like the IV6,”

said Johnson. “Community

was founded by Bruce Howze

all those years ago because

he believed there had to be a

beer way to make

loudspeakers. I see the IV

with its unique array shaping

tools as proof that innovaon

is alive and well at

Community and will connue

to define Community long

into the future.”

http://www.communitypro.com

SI A