Paso’s R&D department never rests: the main innovations for audio in PA applications are called PMG1000-V, a new Class D gallium nitride amplifier, and ACNET, an undiscovered “magic box” capable of transferring link over IP making the Connessioni transparent to users, installers and the various equipment components
Paso and innovation rhyme, and not as of today: the Italian company has always excelled in the novelty of its proposals and technologies, and the new amplifiers with GaN (gallium nitride) technology and the ACNET accessory also do not escape the rule, and mark decisive steps forward in audio signal processing, particularly in PA applications.
PMG1000-V amplifiers: high performance and small footprint
Before going into detail about these new amplifiers, a few words about the technology that made them possible: GaN stands for Gallium Nitride, an innovative semiconductor increasingly used in both power supplies and battery chargers in place of traditional silicon. Offering high conductivity combined with greater resistance to high temperatures, it enables the construction of more compact and lightweight products. Also, because GaN-based transistors can work at significantly higher temperatures, they are perfect for power amplifiers, which immediately leads us back to the new Paso PMG1000-V 1000 W GaN technology Class D amplifiers designed for PA audio applications.
What are the main advantages of this technology? First and foremost is the higher speed, hence the ability to work at high voltages, which enables the construction of 300-volt models that work at frequencies of 400 kHz, achieving better performance than equivalent silicon components, which have the limitation of working at lower voltages.
The new Paso amplifiers, moreover, allow for a transformerless 100-volt output line with only one amplifier, and not by resorting to two amplifiers installed “in the bridge,” as is mandatory with silicon devices.
Equipped with dual output circuits with separate control for the realization of redundant line systems, PMG1000-V amplifiers allow testing of correct operation and verification of the integrity of the loudspeaker line, and, as a safety feature, if a short circuit is detected on either output, the line is disconnected to allow the other to operate normally. Inside each unit are four amplifiers capable of delivering 250 W each, for a total of 1000 W. Dip switches on the rear panel allow each unit to be set up with different parallel connections: 4 x 250 W, 500 W + 250 W, 750 W + 250 W, 500 W + 500 W, 1000 W.
Connected directly to the CR8506-V controller via shielded CAT5 cable, the PMG1000-V amplifiers allow for high-power areas and offer a conspicuous number of diagnostic functions, including line impedance measurements, amplifier diagnostics, the aforementioned isolation of shorted loudspeaker lines, as well as ground insulation testing, volume control, input selection, and the possibility of LOW CUT filter insertion on each of the four internal amplifiers.
Finally, all amplifiers can also be controlled via a serial interface.
ACNET: “magic box” for PAW series.
The novelties do not end there, however: Paso also recently unveiled the new optional ACNET accessory, designed to complement the processing of audio in the very popular PAW series of voice evacuation systems. In fact, the PAW4500-VES, PAW5500-VES and PAW51K-VES feature the ability to connect multiple pieces of equipment in order to expand an EN-54 system within all the requirements of the standard.
By connecting via Ethernet, the equipment is able to exchange information through the RS-485 port and through analog audio signals. Now, normally the maximum distance between two elements is about 1,200 meters, according to the TIA/EIA-485-A standard. Precisely to overcome this limitation, Paso thought of launching the ACNET “magic box,” it is able to transfer the link over IP making, at the same time, the connection completely transparent to users, installers, and, of course, to the various equipment components of the system.
It is, in short, a small audio/data adapter, extremely small in size, very easy to install inside the PAW series models and equipped with a dual LINK connection, which allows a point-to-point connection via LAN. Playback of announcements, pre-recorded messages and/or music files, therefore, is nimbly distributed via LINK connection, while special LED beacons and a web interface allow monitoring of system status and real-time detection of any faults.
The world, in short, Paso never stops expanding and improving, even and especially in the details!
https://www.paso.it/prodotto/pmg1000-amplificatori-gan-in-classe-d/
https://www.paso.it/prodotto/cr8506-v-controller/
https://www.paso.it/il-modulo-acnet-presentato-nelle-fiere-di-dubai-e-barcellona/
