NAMM was both better and worse than I thought

NAMM this year seemed even smaller than last year. Many regular companies didn't attend (e.g. Roland, Gibson) and those that used to have a huge presence reduced their foot print down to near nothing. I mostly go to see old friends and there really seemed to be an emphasis on the "old" part. There was a lot more gray and several are retiring and sadly I'll probably not see them again. I didn't get a lot of time to search for new products but did find a few. I did notice a lot of speaker vendors had passive alternatives to column arrays. These were skinny two-way point source speakers pole mounted over small flat subwoofers under 9" tall. They were low enough that no one would put their drink on one. Many vendors had such in their exhibits but few were demonstrating them. I could see these being used as a possible ceremony option but I really don't think the DJ market will pay much attention to these. Here are a few items our market might be interested in...

Shure-GLXD+
This is a new mid-level product line with table-top, rack mount, and guitar pedal style receivers. The key feature of the Plus version is dual band 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz operation and it will automatically switch between the two as needed. You can get handhelds with SM58, Beta 58 and Beta87 capsules. The capsules are not interchangeable as with their higher end models. The table top starts at $449 and the rack mount at $549. The rack mount has removable antennae and optional directional paddles (<$300 for a pair). You can daisy chain three receivers without a separate splitter. The system supports up to 16 simultaneous channels. https://www.shure.com/en-US/products/wireless-systems/glx-d_plus?variant=GLX-D+


Acue Lighting - Focus 1
This is a wireless DMXable pin spot with a flexible neck. It is focusable and could be used as thin-beamed uplight. It comes in a 4 pack with soft-sided case and charger for $899. This may have been on the market previously but I had never seen it. I was mostly impressed with the portability. Also, the unit has magnets and a 1/4-20 thread on the bottom to give some extra mounting options.


Pioneer - Opus Quad
This is an absolutely huge controller with triple displays. My gut impression is that the size was not very conducive to mobile use. A protective case would be massive and heavy. The unit seemed a bit fragile. The booth was mobbed so I didn't get more than a few seconds up close. One thing I noticed was a lack of large colorful effects buttons that contemporary controllers seem to have. Some may like the simpler layout. Others may not.


DAS - Altea Duo Series
These are column speakers aimed squarely at EVs Evolve 30 and 50. The Alteas arrays have only 4 or 2 mid drivers but they are 3-way speakers with a high frequency horn. This is to give better horizontal dispersion of the upper frequencies. I only got a brief demo and they seemed more than adequate. The Altea Duo 10 is priced slightly below the Evolve 30 while the Altea Duo 20 is priced the same as the Evolve 50.


QSC L-Class
This series is a step above the KLA series and is meant for both small touring and installs. It consists of two different mid-high boxes and a sub. The most impressive thing was the rigging ease that requires no tools or parts that can rattle or be lost. When they demonstrated changing the angle on six boxes all at once the entire demo room applauded. You can fly the sub or put it on the ground and pole mount the array boxes above it. This system is not for a typical DJ but if you do PA work for outdoor gigs, it may be nice.


Ashly Audio - IS Series column system
This speaker is really aimed more at the install market as there is no built-in amp. There are two sub models and two different column models each with 8 drivers. You can configure the columns with up to 4 sections of speakers. It gives the ability to start small and add later. Imagine expanding a Bose compact to a pro 32 as needed. Pricing with an amp puts you into the Bose product range though without the convenience or panache of the Bose brand.


American Recorder Technologies - Y-Sert
This is a nifty little series of adapters that can cut down on how many spare cables you need to carry. The basic part is a what looks like a 3.5mm TRS Y cable. However, there is a little switch in the middle that lets you convert it from a Y configuration to an insert configuration. They use screw locking 3.5 mm connectors and have a series of adapters to XLR, RCA and 1/4" connectors letting you set up to the exact configuration you need.


Cable Wrangler
This is an interesting method of cable sorting, at least for longer cords. They have been out for a few years but this is the first time I had seen them. They are about $35 but I would recommend getting a bag to go with it.


Peavey - LN Series
I stopped by their exhibit room but all my friends there have retired or quit. I was surprised to see a line of column speakers. Perhaps these have been out a while and I didn't notice them. The pricing is pretty reasonable. I didn't get to hear them.


Proto Hologram - The Epic
Things don't get much more attention grabbing than this. It is a system for filming and displaying life sized "holograms". This is really a digital signage solution but I could see using this at higher end events to grab people's attention. I didn't get pricing but I don't expect it to be very cheap. Check out their video online.