Blue Microphones is a new brand to be seen under the wing of Electro-Voice. The retro appearance of the Cardinal and Raven mics is deceptive; these are derivatives of Blue's experience in producing high quality studio mics, but are aimed at live (but not high sound level) applications. A dual swivel on the yoke mount makes them especially attractive to singers sat at pianos or similar instruments. The Cardinal claims a good proximity effect - i.e. you don't have to sing right up against it, which indicates the sensitivity of the mic, but a very tight pattern allows its use in a stage environment.
Also from EV, the RE97TX an almost microscopic head-worn microphone on an extremely flexible stalk - tested to oblivion and found capable of being re-shaped thousands of times. The mic capsule is claimed to have a very flat frequency response. In the more familiar area of speakers, EV adds the ZX1 to the existing ZX series. Designed precisely for install, the speakers come complete with a neatly engineered mounting bracket that will please installers.
In the EV X-Line range, a new flown sub was also on show. The 215 is, as its name suggests, a twin 15" bass radiator designed to fit into the X-Line C range of line array cabinets - it comes complete with adaptor grid allowing for simple integration into the flown system.
The X82 from Dynacord is a big box PA system in a very complete package. A three-box stack - low, mid and high - is powered by a single Xa4000 amp, making this an ideal portable, large club or disco PA. In a similar vein, the D-lite system comprises a D12 pole-mounted on a 315 self-powered sub box. The 315 is capable of powering two D12s and another (passive) sub to make this a simple plug-and-play PA.
