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Our biggest launch in 10 years: Meyer Sound unleashes PANTHER line array system

US pro audio giant Meyer Sound has launched its brand new flagship linear line array system, PANTHER, which has been hailed by company president and CEO John Meyer as the company’s “most significant loudspeaker introduction in over a decade”.

With the ever-more complex and visually-focused demands of today’s live events industry in mind, Meyer Sounds PANTHER offers an acoustic output that is closer to the much larger and heavier LEO line array, yet matches the more compact measurement of the LYON loudspeaker. While built to deliver in stadium-sized shows, it weighs only 150 lb (68 kg) and offers savings on current draw from the previous generation flagship line array loudspeaker. Its dual analog/Milan AVB network input module facilitates flexible signal distribution options and each cabinet comes standard with an IP55 weather protection rating.

“This is our most significant loudspeaker introduction in more than a decade,” said John Meyer “PANTHER advances my commitment to making loudspeakers with linear response, predictable coverage, and extended headroom for dynamic, uncompressed music reproduction — transient peaks in particular. Essentially, PANTHER produces nearly the same power and headroom as LEO in the footprint of LYON. I’m proud of how our engineers achieved ambitious performance benchmarks while reducing weight and increasing energy efficiency.”

The electronics module in PANTHER is a new, lightweight design featuring a four-channel Class D amplifier coupled to an ‘innovative power supply’. The new amplifier package delivers higher peak current to the loudspeakers while presenting a stable load to the AC line. It also features new, longer-excursion 12-inch low-frequency cone drivers and new three-inch compression drivers. These incorporate advanced magnet structures using new materials for higher flux density despite substantial weight reduction. Combined with a new LF port design, PANTHER has a maximum peak output of over 150 dB SPL.

We excelled with a full system design approach. Katie Murphy, engineering director, acoustical and mechanical, Meyer Sound

“With PANTHER, we excelled with a full system design approach,” explained Meyer Sound engineering director, acoustical and mechanical, Katie Murphy. “We had the electrical and mechanical engineers working in a coordinated effort, which meant we could leverage reduced amplifier and transducer weight with new cabinet designs and materials to further reduce weight. Everybody was in sync at every step to achieve our goals.”

The reduced weight means that more PANTHER loudspeakers can be flown on a single motor, and larger arrays can share the same truss and hang points with extensive video and lighting gear. Furthermore, larger and longer arrays can be flown outdoors while complying with new safety regulations related to wind events.

The PANTHER range is comprised of three cabinets with different horizontal coverage patterns. PANTHER-M and PANTHER-W are 95 and 110 degrees, respectively, and will be familiar to existing Meyer Sound owners. Meanwhile, PANTHER-L features an all-new long throw horn with a tightly defined 80-degree horizontal pattern. Three options allow system designers to precisely tailor coverage in any size venue with uniform response and enable deployment of fewer arrays or shorter arrays in certain applications, such as in-the-round configurations.

Meyer Sound’s PANTHER will go into production and ship in February 2022. UK-based rental company Major Tom, one of the product’s initial launch partners, will deploy it on Ed Sheeran’s 2022 + - = ÷ x (“Mathematics”) tour.

“Everybody on the team really came together and put their hearts and souls into this project,” commented Murphy. “We went all out to create a loudspeaker that would define line array technology for years to come.”

“We see PANTHER as more than just a new product, but as something that adds a new dimension to what we are doing as a company,” concluded John Meyer. “It has the potential to change the path we are on in the sound industry. I’m excited to see how industry professionals — and, more importantly, audiences — respond to it.”