Back in 2021, in the midst of the pandemic, Martin Audio unveiled their first constant curvature loudspeaker array, TORUS, featuring two variants T1215 and T1230. The products went on to be a stellar success, outstripping the company’s initial projections by 400%. It is perhaps no surprise, therefore, that via an online special event and at ISE 2023 in Barcelona, Martin Audio unveiled a smaller addition to the series, TORUS 8 (or T820 as the individual model is known).
T820 is a passive, two-way loudspeaker engineered for small to medium-scale applications which do not call for the longer throw capabilities of a line array. With exceptional ease-of-use, scalability and deployment flexibility, it is primarily used as an array element in vertical constant curvature arrays as well as being used singly as a point-source loudspeaker. In venues with short throws, yet high ceilings —as is the case in some theatres—a horizontal centre cluster may also be a practical solution.
T820 combines impressive output capability, superb sonic performance and a defined 100° by 20° coverage pattern, all from a very compact enclosure that weighs just 14kg. Its small size and portability extend its range of applications from live sound and permanent installations to corporate events, gigging musicians and DJ’s.
A phase plug is mounted in front of an 8” neodymium driver to increase mid-band sensitivity while two 1” exit, 1.4” voice coil high-temperature polymer dome neodymium compression drivers ensure sonic performance is not compromised, even when driven at higher SPL. That higher SPL can be as much as 130dB.
TORUS 8 comes in a plywood cabinet, finished in hardwearing PU paint, and incorporates two pocket handles for easy installation and deployment, as well as fixings for pole-mounting. Rigging hardware and accessories are suitable for installation and touring applications and supports up to six cabinets in vertical or horizontal array configurations. It can also be teamed with the newly announced cardioid subwoofer partner, SXCF115, that features a forward-facing 15” driver and a 12” rear facing driver capable of 137dB peak.
TORUS 8 feature two NL4 connectors with passive configuration using pins 1+ 1- or 2+ 2-, selected via a rear-mounted switch, and the systems are powered by Martin Audio iKON amplifiers, which support VU-NET control software and Dante® integration. TORUS 8 also feature a LED indicator that can be illuminated via VU-NET software to identify its location on the network. Finally, systems can be modelled in 3D with optimising filters to deliver consistent and defined coverage, using DISPLAY 3 software.
Commenting on the announcement, managing director, Dom Harter said, “2023 is going to be one of our most prolific years ever for new launches and so we are delighted to announce the first of our new products in TORUS 8 and its cardioid subwoofer partner, SXCF115. The overwhelming success of the existing TORUS 12 and subwoofer partner, SXCF118, gives us great confidence that these latest releases will be snapped up by system integrators and rental partners alike.”
