M I C R O L I N E A R R AY

NOW WITH SCALABLE RESOLUTION

T O TA M E A N Y S PA C E

Unite Your Audience

The Martin Audio Experience
 O-Line is an award-winning, aesthetically pleasing, modular
micro line array designed for a wide variety of architectural
applications – from houses of worship to transport terminals.
It combines innovative acoustic design with powerful
optimisation software to achieve optimum coverage with
unprecedented accuracy over a pre-defined area.

In many applications an O-Line array can be driven using only

one amplifier channel, with simple EQ and limiting the only
processing required.

It can now also be taken into a new dimension of coverage

consistency and control when used with an iK81 amplifier, or
combination of VIA2004 amplifier and DX4.0 controller, to
independently control and power each individual enclosure or
groups of enclosures. This unlocks the full potential of O-Line
— further refining coverage consistency and increasing the
ability to ‘dial-out’ the influence of the room by accessing
DISPLAY’s ‘hard avoid’ capability and electronically adjustable
coverage.

Unlike many DSP ‘steered’ columns, an O-Line array does not

produce unwanted vertical sidelobes in the audio band. This is
critical in reverberant environments as sidelobes firing above
and below the array simply adds to the reverberant energy,
impacting on intelligibility. O-Line’s ability to reproduce
very high frequencies without sidelobes makes it the ideal
solution for both full-range speech and music reproduction in
reverberant spaces.

An O-Line array is finished in a neutral light grey that blends

into the background of most architectural spaces, with modular
design in multiples of four cabinets. Sonically, it is very clean
and musical, and capable of surprisingly high output levels for
its very small size with 16 cabinets capable of an astonishing
134dB [peak] and a throw distance of up to 40 metres.
2
FEATURES
• Modular micro line array for maximum deployment flexibility
• Software optimised array configuration for focused sound energy
• Additional DSP optimised functionality for increased coverage
consistency and control.
• Sidelobe-free vertical dispersion from the high frequency section
• Ideal for high-quality music reproduction as well as speech
• Architecturally sympathetic design for discreet deployment

APPLICATIONS
• Houses of worship
• Museums
• Conference centres, auditoria and lecture theatres
• Transport terminals, shopping malls and sports venues
• Bars and restaurants

3
 DISPLAY™ OPTIMISATION,
AMPLIFICATION AND CONTROL
In its standard set up with uniform amplification, it is the
articulation of individual array modules that delivers the
consistent sound coverage over a defined area. The array
configuration for a specific area is determined by industry
leading DISPLAY optimisation software which makes intelligent
judgements about how well the array performs against objective Step 1: Venue entry Step 2: Set coverage parameters
target functions. This enables focused sound energy to be
delivered precisely where needed and kept away from reflective
surfaces and ceilings — reducing the detrimental influence of
the room and increasing clarity and intelligibility in challenging
acoustic environments.
This can now be taken further with DSP optimisation delivered
via DISPLAY 2.3 and use of an iK81 amplifier, or combination
of VIA2004 amplifier and DX4.0 controller, to independently
control and power each individual enclosure, or groups of
enclosures. This unlocks the full potential of O-Line — further Step 3: Calculate splay angles Step 4: Optimisation and upload
refining coverage consistency and increasing the ability to ‘dial-
out’ the influence of the room by accessing DISPLAY’s ‘hard
avoid’ capability and electronically adjustable coverage.
Operating Mode Benefits
This can also offer additional practical benefits to any installation.
Individual enclosure drive Ultimate front-to-rear coverage consistency.
More often than not, many installations can suffer from height
with iK81 or combination of
restrictions, and the combination of both mechanical and ‘Hard- avoid’ capability to further reduce room
VIA2004 and DX4.0
DSP optimisation can address this challenge. Similarly, some influence.
installations require a flatter array for aesthetic reasons and Electronically adjustable coverage if changes
additional DSP optimisation can compensate for the resultant are required.
reduction in mechanical optimisation available. There is also
Compensation for lack of ideal array height.
the scenario that following an installation something changes
in the venue. In this situation, rather than having to de-rig and Compensation for lack of mechanical
re-rig, electronic optimisation alone can provide a useful level articulation (flat array).
of coverage change. Similarly, it may be that the venue is multi-
Uniform drive with single Highly consistent front-to-rear coverage.
purpose with changing sizes of audience. By using DISPLAY
amplifier channel.
with VU-NET control in this case, it’s possible to have different Reduced room influence.
pre-sets to cater for these coverage changes.

4
 VIA 2004
iKON iK81

The iK81 is an advanced eight-channel amplifier

which combines very high power density with superb DX4.0
audio performance. It features onboard IIR and FIR One Box Resolution
filtering to control the amplitude, phase and EQ simultaneously optimise the direct field where sound 1 Top Box to 1 Amp Channel
of each O-Line module individually, with the filter is required, keep the sound away from reflective
parameters calculated and uploaded by DISPLAY. surfaces and minimise reverberant sound power to an
The iK81 also employs comprehensive protection extent not previously possible from a commercially
functions to maintain safe operating conditions of available system of such high sound quality, small size
both the amplifier and the O-Line. and aesthetic appeal.

Alternative a system can be optimised with a Ethernet is used for system remote control and
combination of VIA2004 and DX4.0. The VIA 2004 is monitoring via Martin Audio’s VU-NET software
an advanced 4-channel power amplifier which delivers application, while a user-friendly front panel interface
superb audio performance in a lightweight, cost- allows full local control of all features. Dante digital
effective package. DX4.0 is an advanced loudspeaker audio network inputs are also provided for digital audio
controller and system matrix with four input and eight distribution and control.
output channels. Class-leading sonic performance Two Box Resolution
is achieved by state-of-the-art audio converters and 2 Top Boxes to 1 Amp Channel
DSP algorithms, with a 96kHz sampling frequency
delivering a nominally flat response beyond 40kHz. It
features FIR filtering to support O-Line optimisation.
The level of coverage, consistency and control is
further refined by the level of resolution of the array in
terms of the number of enclosures to amp channels.
The higher the resolution, so too the improvement in
coverage and consistency of frequency response and
SPLs throughout the venue within a tight window
specified by the user.
In the ultimate one enclosure to one amplifier
channel mode [One Box Resolution] it is possible to Four Box Resolution
4 Top Boxes to 1 Amp Channel
5
 M I C R O L I N E A R R AY
NOW WITH SCALABLE RESOLUTION
T O TA M E A N Y S PA C E

“ O-Line has proved ideal for

awkward, multi-purpose spaces with
difficult acoustics, where a discreet
solution is required
Colin Hasted, Pure AV

6
SCALABLE RESOLUTION – THE IMPACT ON COVERAGE CONSISTENCY AND CONTROL
O-Line with iK81 amplifiers – or combination of VIA2004 amplifiers and DX4.0 controllers - provides scalable resolution from 8 box to 1 box resolution.
As resolution increases so too does the level of coverage consistency and control that can be achieved.

O-Line -16 box hang – 8 box resolution O-Line -16 box hang – 1 box resolution

Rejection behind Front Row Mix Position Back row

speaker

7
 SIDELOBE-FREE HF
O-Line uses a line of five custom-designed HF dome tweeters,
with a spacing of only 0.83” (21mm) between each device.
Such small spacing relegates high frequency vertical sidelobes
to outside the audio band.

MODULAR DESIGN
Compare this to using off-the-shelf 1” (25mm) dome tweeters.
Each O-Line array is constructed by connecting together multiple array modules.
Sidelobes as loud as the main (red) lobe appear at frequencies
Up to 24 modules can be connected where both high output and vertical focusing
as low as 8kHz; well within the audio band!
down to low/mid frequencies are required. Smaller numbers of modules (down to 4)
can be used for shorter-throw applications, where vertical focussing of the low/mid
frequencies is less important. This scalability means that O-Line can be used in an
extremely wide variety of applications – from bars and restaurants to sports venues,
churches and railway concourses.

A passive two-way system, each module consists of 2 x 3 ½” (87mm) low/mid

radiators either side of a central strip of 5 x 0.55” (14mm) miniature HF devices
on a 100° horizontal waveguide. The horizontal constant-directivity characteristics
are maintained down through the midband by the very close physical spacing of the
low/mid drivers, whose sculpted, stiff and ultra-light cones follow the contours of the
waveguide walls – avoiding wall-cavity effects and contributing to the flawless 100°
horizontal constant-directivity pattern.

An internal 2.5kHz passive crossover in each module divides the audio input between
the LF and HF sections.

8
HIGH OUTPUT CAPABILITY
O-Line is capable of surprisingly high output for its size, even
though it uses small, direct radiators rather than compression
drivers to produce high frequencies. High output is possible
because there are five HF devices in each module – resulting in
an effective HF voice coil diameter of 3 inches (75mm) with a
corresponding increase in power handling. This is important, since
it is the HF section in a line array that has the most demanded of
it, due to increased air absorption at high frequencies.

ARRAY CONSTRUCTION
AND DEPLOYMENT
Inter-cabinet angles of 0° to 5° are set in 1° steps via
rear-mounted link plates and link pins. Rear covers
maintain the sleek, unobtrusive appearance required of
an architectural loudspeaker product.

Arrays can be wall mounted or flown via optional

brackets. They are designed to be unobtrusive and
adaptable in order to blend in with their environment. Up
to 16 cabinets can be wall mounted using the optional
brackets. Pan and tilt are easily achievable. Arrays can
be panned left or right and then the bracket locked in
position. Tilt is achieved by setting the length of a wire
rope or chain ‘pull-back’ strap, allowing accurate on-site
adjustment of array aiming. The brackets are designed
as 1st/2nd fix components in accordance with typical
installation methods.

9
 SUMMARY
Award-winning O-Line installations are testament to its ability
to deliver high-quality, full-range sound in challenging acoustic
environments. It can be operated in two modes — uniform drive
or with scalable resolution up to individual enclosure drive,
depending on the specific application requirements. With inter-
cabinet splay angles determined by DISPLAY optimisation software,
and exceptional performance guaranteed by the acoustic design
itself, uniform drive using a single amplifier channel, plus simple
EQ and limiting, will deliver outstanding results. When faced with
the most difficult acoustic spaces, it can be teamed with an iK81
amplifier, or combination of VIA2004 amplifier and DX4.0 controller,
to independently control and power each individual enclosure and
access DISPLAY’s full capabilities to further fine-tune coverage
consistency and keep sound away from reflective surfaces even more.

10
“ O-Line has a very small footprint,
so you hardly know the speakers are there
Ian Fritzsche, South-eastern University
Lakeland, FL, USA

“ I was impressed at how good,

how articulate, and how natural O-Line
sounded in this space
Jim Messinger, Brown Sound
Holy Rosary Church – Syracus, NY, USA

“ O-Line was our first choice simply in terms

of its minimal footprint and aesthetic appeal
Eric Johnson, Audio-Video Group
United Church of Christ – Middletown, MD, USA

11
 “ O-Line amazes every time we use it; it’s an
amazing engineering feat. There is nothing I have ever
worked with that comes close to this product
Glenn Leembruggen, Consultant Acoustic Directions
St Andrew’s Cathedral – Sydney, Australia

“ O-Line is a night and day difference from

what they had before in terms of the coverage
and audio quality “ The results were stunning. With
the control afforded by O-Line, we have
been able to achieve musical clarity and
Lee Buckalew, TSI Global speech intelligibility
Brauer Hall – St Louis, MO, USA
Mark Hanson, Hanson Associates
Temple Beth Israel – Melbourne, Australia

“ The results were jaw dropping!

Jon Perdue, Brigham Young University
Rexburg, ID, USA

12
Shown at Actual Size

13
 ACCESSORIES

ASF20021 — O-LINE 4 MODULE WALL BRACKET ASSEMBLY ASF20022 — 4 TO 16 BOX WALL BRACKET

ASF20023 — O-LINE FLYING BRACKET ASSEMBLY COV00001 — O-LINE BOTTOM PLATE

14
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

O-LINE – ONE MODULE O-LINE – ARRAY

TYPE Two-way micro-line array module NO. OF MODULES 4 8 16
FREQUENCY RESPONSE (5) 85Hz-20kHz ± 3dB SENSITIVITY (6), (2.83V) 96dB 96dB 102dB
-10dB @ 76Hz IMPEDANCE 4 ohms 8 ohms 4 ohms
DRIVERS 2 x 3.5” (87mm)/1” (25mm) voice coil LF drivers POWER HANDLING (WATTS, AES) 200 cont. 400 cont. 800 cont.
5 x 0.55” (14mm) soft dome tweeters 800 peak 1600 peak 3200 peak
RATED POWER (2) 50W AES, 200W peak MAXIMUM SPL (CONT./PEAK) 116dB/122dB 122dB/128dB 128dB/134dB
RECOMMENDED AMPLIFIER iK81 or VIA2004 (with DX4.0 controller) MAX COVERAGE DISTANCE 8-12m 16-25m 25-40m
SENSITIVITY (6) 84dB at LF rising to 92dB at HF ARRAY LENGTH 0.47m 0.94m 1.9m
MAXIMUM SPL (7) 104dB continuous, 110dB peak ARRAY MASS 14.4kg 28.8kg 57.6kg
NOMINAL IMPEDANCE 16 ohms
DISPERSION (-6dB) 100º horizontal, 5º vertical
CROSSOVER 2.5 kHz passive
ENCLOSURE 4 litre ported cabinet, moulded in ABS
FINISH Light grey
PROTECTIVE GRILLE Light grey perforated steel
CONNECTORS 4 pole socket
PIN CONNECTIONS +/- in, +/- link out
FITTINGS Captive inter-connecting bracket assembly
6 x M8 fixings for wall and flying brackets
DIMENSIONS (W) 246mm x (H) 115mm x (D) 198mm
(W) 9.7ins x (H) 4.5ins x (D) 7.8ins
WEIGHT 3.6kg (7.9lbs)

O-LINE
Notes
(1) Measured on-axis in half (2pi) space at 2 metres, then referred to 1 metre.
(2) AES Standard ANSI S4.26-1984.
(3) Measured in half (2pi) space at 2 metres with 1 watt input, using band limited pink noise, then referred to 1 metre.
(4) Measured in half (2pi) space at 2 metres using band limited pink noise, then referred to 1 metre.
(5) Measured on-axis in open (4pi) space at 2 metres, then referred to 1 metre.
(6) Measured in open (4pi) space at 2 metres with 1 watt input, using band limited pink noise, then referred to 1 metre.
(7) Measured in open (4pi) space at 2 metres using band limited pink noise, then referred to 1 metre.
(8) Measured in open (4pi) space at 2 metres with 2.83v input, using band limited pink noise, then referred to 1 metre.
(9) Calculated at 1 metre.
(10) Measured in half (2pi) space at 2 metres with 2.83V input, using band limited pink noise, then referred to 1 metre.

11
15
M I C R O L I N E A R R AY
NOW WITH SCALABLE RESOLUTION

Martin Audio Limited

FOR SALES ENQUIRIES:
Century Point
UK
Halifax Road
Telephone: +44 (0)1494 535312
Cressex Business Park
E-mail: [email protected]
High Wycombe

Buckinghamshire

HP12 3SL NORTH AMERICA

England Telephone: 818 649 7776

www.martin-audio.com Version 2.1

All information is Copyright © 2018 Martin Audio Ltd.

Martin Audio, the Martin Audio logo and Hybrid are registered trademarks of Martin Audio Ltd. in the
United Kingdom, United States and other countries; all other Martin Audio trademarks are the property
of Martin Audio Ltd.

Unite Your Audience

The Martin Audio Experience