QSC K.2 Application Installation Guide

K Family

Application Guide

Installed Sound

Contents

Section 1 : The K Family

P.3 Introduction

P.4-5 DMT™ - A Quick Guide

P.6-7 DMT™ - How Far Do They “Throw?”

P.8-11 K Family - Subwoofer Selection

P.12-14 K Family - Rigging

P.15-18 K Family - Wiring

P.19 Other Considerations : Painting | Outdoors

P.20-21

Block Diagrams

Section 2 : Application Suggestions

House of Worship

P. 22 Small Chapel Up to 200 people

P. 23 Medium Church Hall 200-400 people

P. 24 Fan Shaped Auditorium 400-800 people

Performing Arts

P. 25 Playhouse Theatre Up to 200 people

P. 26 Community Theatre 200-400 people

P. 27 Proscenium Theatre 400-800 people

Multi-Purpose

P. 28 Fitness Studio Up to 100 people

P. 29 Gymnatorium 100-400 people

P. 30 School Auditorium 400-800 people

Nightlife

P. 31 Bar Up to 200 people

P. 32 Dance Club 200-400 people

P. 33 Live Music Club 400-800 people

Other

P. 34 Monitor Systems

P. 35 QSC Application Engineering Contacts

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Section 1: The K Family

Introduction

Installing quality sound reinforcement is your business. The QSC K Family of products (with 10 models from which
to choose from) is designed to offer users unparalleled performance in flexible, easy-to-use configurations. Ideal for a
broad range of installation applications, K Family loudspeakers also feature long-term durability and a clean, professional
appearance that is at home in any situation. With K Family loudspeakers in your portfolio, the next time a customer asks,
“Have you got something that will…?” your answer will undoubtedly be YES!

K Series KW Series

QSC’s K Family of products offer
several unique features including
Tilt-Direct™ pole cup mount on
all our two-way loudspeaker
models. With a simple turn of
the dial, the Tilt-Direct engages
a downward tilt (-7.5° on K /
KW models and -9° on KLA12)
focusing the acoustic energy
on the audience and off of
reflective surfaces. This is ideal
for applications where maximum
coverage is desired from a high
stand-mounted loudspeaker.
KW153 includes a standard pole
cup for convenience.

KLA Series

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Section 1: The K Family

DMT™ A Quick Guide

In the history of professional audio, the birth of Directivity Matched Transition (DMT™) has been one of those
light bulb events, that makes us all wonder why nobody ever thought of it sooner.

It’s all quite logical – here’s a quick overview;

■ Smaller woofers beam less at crossover, and therefore need to be matched with much wider waveguides

(90° - 105°). On the other hand larger woofers beam more at crossover, and therefore need to be matched
with much narrower waveguides (60° - 75°).

■ Smaller woofers have lower sensitivity, but guess what - the matching wider waveguides disperse energy

over a wider area, therefore on-axis sensitivity is lower by the same order of magnitude. By comparison,
larger woofers have higher sensitivity, and you guessed it - the matching narrower waveguides also have
higher on-axis sensitivity by the same order of magnitude!

8" Woofer

105°

10" Woofer

90°

12" Woofer

75°

■ When you only match the width of the waveguide to the woofer but not the height of the waveguide, then

the vertical off-axis response will still be gnarly, and affect your overall power response at the listening
position (power response = sum of anechoic frequency response PLUS echoic early reflections). However
when you match BOTH the width & height of your waveguide to the woofer, then you will have far
smoother off-axis response, and therefore optimized power response.

And here’s the real kicker; for short-throw applications (front-fill, delay-fill, console monitors, vocal monitors, etc)
you actually want to be using a small woofer model to keep the footprint down, AND you want to be using a
wider coverage waveguide, BUT you don’t necessarily want to sacrifice power or headroom. This is why DMT™
has captured so much attention!

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Section 1: The K Family

DMT™ A Quick Guide

The following chart provides a quick-guide to selecting the right K family loudspeaker for the right application, based on
the DMT™ concept:

DMT™ – Application:

Small venue, corporate function, lounge-bar,
distributed front-fill / delay-fill / balcony fill,
DJ monitor, console monitor

All purpose P.A., mid-size venue, mid-throw,
vocal wedge or keyboard wedge, backline
acoustic amp

All purpose P.A., mid-size venue, longer-throw,
drum or keyboard wedge, backline acoustic amp

High SPL, large venue, long-throw, highly
array-able & modular building block,
centre-cluster, drum-fill or side-fill

High SPL, large venue, long-throw, horn-loaded
midrange for increased vocal clarity, or side-fill on
large stage

120° 105° 90° 75° 60° SUB

K8

K10

KW122

2x KW152 KW152

KW153

K12

Band pass sub, maximum bang-for-buck, ideal
for playback music (i.e. DJ or small bar), minimal
footprint, stackable, highly transportable

Direct radiating sub, flattest response,
highly modular building block, ideal for live
reinforcement

Interesting Fact: EVERY K family full-range loudspeaker, from the smallest model to the largest,

FACT

features Intrinsic Correction™ EQ, which employs FIR linear phase filters, more commonly found
on high-end DSP processors.

KSUB

KW181

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Section 1: The K Family

DMT™ - How Far Do They “Throw?”

The term “throw” is perhaps the
biggest misnomer in the professional
audio industry, and is commonly used
to describe the relative distance at
which a loudspeaker can produce an
intelligible signal at a volume level
sufficient for the application.

The reality is that sound does not
throw, but rather sound “propagates”
through the air, and will simply
attenuate by 6 decibels with every
doubling of distance (inverse square
law). Other factors such as air
absorption can additionally &
progressively attenuate the higher
frequencies, however the distance
over which the sound propagates
and still remains intelligible basically
depends on the ratio of signal-to­noise at the listener’s location.

Because the audio industry has widely adopted the term “throw” we will continue to employ the same terminology for
the purposes of this guide:

Short-throw loudspeakers tend to have very wide dispersion, and are typically operated at low to medium SPL levels

simply due to the audience proximity, therefore woofers tend to be smaller. These speakers typically have very flat
frequency response over a wide bandwidth, and wide horizontal dispersion is necessary in order to cover the audience
seated within a close arc of the loudspeaker. Air absorption is seldom a problem here as the distances are so short.
Examples of QSC short-throw speakers include the K8 & K10 loudspeakers.

Medium-throw loudspeakers exhibit moderate narrowing in horizontal and vertical dispersion. Due to the slightly

greater distance needing to be covered, a higher Maximum SPL is required, and this is typically achieved by increasing
the woofer cone size to 12" or 15", thereby increasing the loudspeakers sensitivity. Examples of QSC medium-throw
speakers include the K12 and KW122 loudspeakers.

Long-throw loudspeakers have a very narrow dispersion (60º or less) – the narrower horn pattern increases on-axis

sensitivity and this in turn is matched by the higher sensitivity of a larger woofer cone – the net result is more acoustic
output within the coverage pattern. When used on their own, these are great for covering large distances, however one
of the major benefits of these narrow dispersion loudspeakers is that they array extremely well - with minimal overlap
& comb-filtering. This makes them the perfect modular “building block” for creating arrays of varying sizes. Examples of
QSC long-throw speakers include the KW152, KW153 and KLA12 loudspeakers.

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Section 1: The K Family

DMT™ - How Far Do They “Throw?”

Figure 2. Horizontal
Array of 2x KW152s

There are basically two methods for horizontally arraying enclosures; (as shown in figure 2 and 3)
Figure 1.
Vertical Array of
4x KLA12s

TIP

The chart below illustrates the nominal Sound Pressure Level (C-weighted) at four arbitrary distances (4m, 8m, 16m,
32m) which have been calculated from the 1m Long-term or Continuous Maximum SPL for each K-family loudspeaker or
array. Please note this does not factor in any losses which may result from air absorption of the upper high frequencies.

the “planar” array where the two boxes are hard-packed against each other and aimed down as a

single object, or the “spherical” array where the loudspeakers are independently aimed outwards

& downwards. The spherical method is far more desirable as you get improved coverage to the

audience areas, and you are also able to de-couple the HF waveguides to minimize comb filtering.

There are a couple of 3rd party rigging solutions for 2-box Spherical arrays;

1. The Polar Focus “XY Grid” system http://www.polarfocus.com/clusters.html

2. The Adaptech “Steerables” system http://www.atmflyware.com/Two-Way-Array.html

Figure 3. Horizontal
Array of 2x KW153s

Model: Coverage 1m (3ft) 2m (6ft) 4m (13ft) 8m (26ft) 16m (53ft) 32m (105ft)

K8 105° 121 dB 115 dB 109 dB 103 dB 97 dB 91 dB

K10 90° 123 dB 117 dB 111 dB 105 dB 99 dB 93 dB

K12 75° 125 dB 119 dB 113 dB 107 dB 101 dB 95 dB

KW122 75° 125 dB 119 dB 113 dB 107 dB 101 dB 95 dB

KW153 75° 128 dB 122dB 116 dB 110 dB 104 dB 98 dB

KW153 x2 75 x 150° 131 dB 125dB 119 dB 113 dB 107 dB 101 dB

KW152 x1 60° 127 dB 121dB 115 dB 109 dB 103 dB 97 dB

KW152 x2 60 x 120° 130 dB 124 dB 118 dB 112 dB 106 dB 100 dB

KLA12 x1 90 x 18° 125 dB 119 dB 113 dB 107 dB 101 dB 95 dB

KLA12 x2 90 x 36° 128 dB 122 dB 116 dB 110 dB 104 dB 98 dB

KLA12 x4 90 x 72° 131 dB 125 dB 119 dB 113 dB 107 dB 101 dB

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Section 1: The K Family

Subwoofer Selection

Choosing the Appropriate Sub

There are three options for Subwoofers when utilizing full-range enclosures from QSC’s K Family catalog;

1. The first option is the KSub. The KSub is a double 12" band-pass sub enclosure. It is only 14" (355.6mm) wide by

26" (660.4mm) tall, so it fits into some very tight spaces – especially when laid on its side and slid under a riser
platform stage.

2. The second option is the KW181 subwoofer. The KW181 is a single 18" front-loaded / dual ported sub enclosure. Its

larger enclosure and bigger woofer gives a deeper bass response than the KSub (39Hz vs. 44Hz). The size, weight
and lower center-of-gravity also makes for a more stable base when pole mounting the larger and heavier KW or KLA
full-range models on top of it.

3. The third option is the KLA181 subwoofer. The KLA181 is also a single 18" front-loaded enclosure but with four

ports/vents and a slightly larger enclosure. It contains integral rigging hardware that specifically allows it to hang at
the top of a KLA12 line array. The larger box volume and quad port design gives a slightly additional bass extension
over the KW181 (33Hz vs. 39Hz).

All three sub models share these same attributes:

A Class D 1,000 watt internal power module with DSP

■

■ Internal 100Hz cross-over (Low Pass Filter)

■ A threaded M20 pole mount receptacle for “sub/sat” deployments

■ The KSub and KW181 both ship with a threaded 35mm pole (optional for KLA181)

KSub

KW181

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KLA181

Section 1: The K Family

Subwoofer Selection

So, How Many Subs Will I Need?

To anyone in the industry this is like asking “how big is a fish.”

The number of subs required for any given system deployment depends on many of the same considerations made
when choosing which DMT™ top box to use. For example:

■ Content – Live Sound Reinforcement or Play-back (recorded) music?

■ Space constraints – limited room for deployment?

■ Desired bass extension and SPL (Sound Pressure Level)?

■ Budget constraints?

Other considerations include (but are not limited to):

■ Will the subs be flown, ground-stacked or combination?

■ Type of content – rock; jazz; rap; reggae, etc?

■ Stereo Left-Right deployment or mono block in center?

■ Indoor or outdoor?

Until these questions are answered, a proper “top to sub” ratio cannot be accurately predicted by a “one size fits all”
formula. There are, however some basic rule-of-thumb combinations to keep in mind when planning a system that
requires full-range performance down into the low 40Hz region and below:

As you can see in the application suggestions on the following page, a safe top-to-sub ratio with K family products
is typically 1:1. For outdoor applications where no wall or ceiling boundaries exist, it is recommended to double the
subwoofer quantity and use a 1:2 ratio.

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Section 1: The K Family

Subwoofer Selection Subwoofer Selection

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Section 1: The K Family

Subwoofer Selection

Ground-Stacked vs. Flown Subwoofers

With KLA series you have the choice of using ground-stacked subwoofers (KW181/KLA181) or flown Subwoofers
(KLA181 only). Both subwoofer models have similar performance however the KLA model offers the extra ability to be
flown as part of an array as well as ground-stacked. Here are some reasons why you might choose one configuration
over the other for certain applications;

Ground-Stacked Subwoofers: (KW181 or KLA181). This is the simplest

KLA12

configuration to set up and deploy. The obvious benefit of any ground-stacked
system is the ground-plane coupling which occurs, providing an additional 3dB
of “free” bass. Setup and load-out times are also greatly reduced. Wiring is also
simplified – audio loop thru from the subs to tops can be employed and easily
adjusted to suit.

The only real downside to ground-stacked subwoofers is that the SPL in the front
of the audience will be much greater than the SPL in the rear of the audience, but
sound-engineers have been living with this compromise for decades.

KW181

KLA181

KLA12

Flown Subwoofers: (KLA181 only). This is obviously a more complex configuration

to set up and deploy, however the known benefits can certainly make for a
rewarding experience, both to you and your client. A flown subwoofer array offers
the major benefit of uniform SPL across the audience area (front to back). In
addition, flown subwoofers just seem to “hook up” better with the rest of the system.

The first disadvantage to flown subwoofers is the obvious deployment time and
effort required. However the results can certainly make the effort worthwhile. The
second disadvantage to flown subwoofers is the loss of a substantial surface (floor or
wall) with which to plane couple, although in some instances the ceiling will serve as
a boundary.

NOTE

In some applications (i.e. balcony auditoriums or theatres) it is common to employ BOTH flown
& stacked configurations , however careful DSP alignment is required.

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Section 1: The K Family

Rigging & Suspension

The K Family of loudspeakers offer several methods for permanently suspending or flying in an installation;
K Series - There are two methods for suspending each full-range model (K8, K10 & K12). Integrated threaded M10
points on the top, back and side facilitate both vertical (HF on top) and horizontal suspension. Use only rated,
forged-shoulder eyebolts. For your convenience, these are available from QSC in a pack of three eyebolts – P/N “K Series
M10 Kit”.

Each full-range model also offers an optional “Yoke” system that can mount either to the sides of the cabinet or to the
top and bottom. These yokes allow for rigid mounting to structures and flexible rotation of the speaker system.

Figure 1. Wall mounted

Figure 1 illustrates how the K Series may be permanently fixed to a
wall using the Yoke bracket, to achieve either Pan or Tilt.

Figure 2 illustrates how the K Series may be permanently fixed to
the ceiling, with the horn either inside or outside (when oriented
horizontally), and the horn top or bottom (when oriented vertically).

Figure 2. Ceiling mounted

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Section 1: The K Family



Rigging & Suspension

KW Series

The KW122 has the following installation M10 suspension points:

■ Two on the top (vertical orientation)

■ Two on each side (horizontal orientation)

■ One on the rear (pullback)

The KW122 can be suspended vertically via the top M10 pick points with the rear M10 point available as a pullback for
proper accurate angling. The KW122 can also be suspended horizontally using the optional KW122 Suspension Kit. This
kit includes two M10 forged eyebolts and a pull-back “bar”. When suspending horizontally, the eyebolts may be fitted to
either side allowing you to orient the HF waveguide to the inside or outside.

The KW152 and KW153 both feature the same installation M10 suspension points:

■ Two on the top (vertical orientation – horn up)

■ Two on the bottom (vertical orientation – horn down)

■ Two on each side (horizontal orientation)

■ Three on the rear (including a center pick point for horizontal orientation)

Figure 1. KW152 or KW153 oriented vertically

When suspending a loudspeaker near a hard reflective surface such as a plaster ceiling, it is
recommended to invert the enclosure so that the high frequency waveguide is at the bottom, as

TIP

shown above in Figure 1. This has two major benefits – firstly it helps to better couple the woofer
to the ceiling to increase bass output, and secondly it helps to place some “distance” between the
reflective ceiling and the high frequency driver, where the reflected energy from the ceiling will
usually create comb-filtering throughout the critical vocal range, often resulting in “smeared” speech
intelligibility. Ideally the distance between the ceiling and the high frequency driver should be two
feet or greater.

Figure 2. KW152 or KW153 oriented horizontally

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Section 1: The K Family

Rigging & Suspension

KLA Series

The KLA series line array modules offer one of the industry’s fastest and
simplest systems to rig together and suspend. KLA’s unique self-contained
SOLO™ (Single-Operator Logistics) Rigging System enables users to quickly
assemble (and disassemble) the line array in a fraction of the time without the
need for special tools or external hardware.

For suspending the array, KLA offers two solutions. For permanent installations
each element has four threaded M10 points on the top of the cabinet, and one
in the bottom center of the rear of the cabinet for aiming.

For installed applications where the array frequently comes down, the “KLA AF12” array frame provides speed and
flexibility to the rigging process. The array frame can either mount to the top of a KLA12 full-range cabinet, or to the top
of a KLA181 subwoofer when hanging subs on top of the array. The array frame can be mounted with its pick bar facing
forward or backward to give the maximum flexibility in vertical focus and use of center of gravity.

5 x Box KLA12 Array

Warning

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3 x Box KLA12 under 2 x KLA181

SUSPENSION AND MOUNTING OF LOUDSPEAKERS REPRESENTS A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD.
QSC HAS NO KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE ACTUAL STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE FACILITY IN
WHICH THESE PRODUCTS ARE TO BE USED. THE SYSTEM USER AND/OR INSTALLER HAS SOLE
RESPONSIBILITY FOR PROPERLY INSTALLING THE EQUIPMENT AND COMPLYING WITH ALL
APPLICABLE STANDARDS AND REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS. ANY RIGGING OR SUSPENSION
OF EQUIPMENT SHOULD ONLY BE PERFORMED BY CERTIFIED AND LICENSED RIGGING
TECHNICIANS.

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3 x Box KLA12 with eyebolts

Section 1: The K Family

Wiring

The entire K Family of loudspeakers are ACTIVE, with internal power amplification. There are many compelling reasons
why to use an active loudspeaker for your installation, and one of these is Insertion Loss, which is the loss of signal
power resulting from the insertion of extra cable length and/or thinner cable gauge between your amplifier and
loudspeaker. With an active loudspeaker the insertion loss is virtually eliminated, since the amplifiers are located right
alongside the loudspeaker transducers within the enclosure;

Custom combination cables can be obtained from a number of 3rd party suppliers such as Whirlwind (pre-assembled
MT-AC-FFE-MME cables available in 10, 15, 25, or 50ft lengths), and Proel (bulk HPC501 cable).

These custom length cables combine “no hum” AC power (IEC or powerCON®) with a separate XLR to XLR audio channel
into one jacketed cable. Please note – the cable shielding does very little to cancel the hum, but rather the tight twists
in the pair of conductors combined with the high performance CMR (Common Mode Rejection) circuit inside each K
product’s input is why these combination cables work so well with no hum.

All of the K & KW Series loudspeakers ship with a 10 foot (3 meter) detachable locking IEC power cable. The KLA Series
however, utilizes both an input and output Neutrik powerCON
comes with a 12 foot (3.6 meter) main power cable; a 2 foot (1/2 meter) AC jumper; and a 2 foot XLR to XLR line
jumper. The KLA181 subwoofer comes with a 12 foot (3.6 meter) main power cable; a 3 foot (1 meter) AC jumper; and
a 3 foot XLR to XLR jumper.

®

AC connection on each cabinet. Each KLA12 cabinet

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Section 1: The K Family

Wiring

All models of loudspeaker in the K Family lineup share the same 1,000 watt (continuous),
Class D power amp module.

This power amp design is extremely efficient when it comes to AC current draw or
consumption. For example, any one K family active loudspeaker when operating at 1/8
power (which is fairly loud with an occasional clip light flashing), will only draw 2.01 amps
at 120V AC or 1.13 amp at 230V AC. That means you can run up to five active loudspeakers
(any combination or K, KW or KLA including subwoofers) off a single 15 amp 120V AC
circuit, and up to eight off a single 20amp 120V AC circuit (or 10amp 230V AC circuit)!

To put this into perspective, you can actually power an 8000 watt stereo 4-way sound
system consisting of two full-range top enclosures per side (KW153), plus two subwoofers
per side (KW181), all running off one single dedicated 20 amp 120V AC wall outlet (or
10amp 230V AC wall outlet overseas) as illustrated below. No need for a specialized (and
very expensive) AC power distribution to run your PA.

Green Power

Not only are the K Family power modules efficient during use, but also when not in use. If the loudspeaker sits idle (no
signal detected) for over five minutes, it will automatically enter standby mode – is shutting down the amplifier. Once
signal is detected again, the DSP’s unique “look-ahead” feature will immediately power-up the amplifier, without any
noticeable delay.

This not only saves energy, but also saves cost in installations where remote controlled AC relay switches (On & Off)
are required.

1/8 power, sine wave

Mains

Voltage

Amps BTU/h kcal/h Amps BTU/h kcal/h Amps BTU/h kcal/h Amps BTU/h kcal/h

100VAC 2.30 7.85 31.13 4.60 15.71 62.26 9.20 31.41 124.52 13.80 47.12 186.78

120VAC 2.01 6.86 27.20 4.02 13.73 54.41 8.04 27.45 108.82 12.06 41.18 163.23

240VAC 1.13 3.86 15.29 2.26 7.72 30.59 4.52 15.43 61.18 6.78 23.15 91.77

Heat losses are the thermal emissions from an amplifier while it is operating; i.e. real AC power “in” minus audio power “out”.

1 box 2 box 4 box 6 box

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Section 1: The K Family

Wiring

The entire K Family of active loudspeakers include a feature which is every
installers dream, that is the ability to use an external pot (potentiometer) as a
remote volume control for individual or ganged loudspeakers. This is extremely
useful for applications where you have mounted the speakers to a wall or
ceiling, making it difficult to access and adjust the gain knobs on the rear of
the loudspeakers, or where you need to control separate zones or loudspeaker
groups. You can simply mount the remote pot on a wall plate in a convenient
location and wire it to the supplied Euro-style connector on the rear of each K
Family loudspeaker(s).

POTENTIOMETERS : The value of the external pot is not critical—any pot

with a total resistance of 1 kΩ up to 50 kΩ and a linear taper will be
fine. These are typically quite inexpensive and available from just about any
electronics parts supplier. If you do plan to connect more than 20x loudspeakers
together, we recommend using a lower value potentiometer (less than 5 kΩ).

WALLPLATES : For your convenience, 10k volume pots already pre-mounted on

single gang decora wallplates are available from QSC Audio - P/N “WCP-1“.

WIRING : It is important to note that NO audio is passing through this pot, or its associated wiring - this is merely a

control signal, therefore any convenient three-conductor cable (or two-conductor with a separate shield wire) can be
used for this pot. You may choose to use more expensive shielded twisted pair (STP) microphone cable, or simply
use a low cost unshielded Twisted pair (UTP) phone or data cable such as CAT5e, which is perfectly acceptable for
this function.

NOTE

NOTE —when wiring a group of K family loudspeakers onto a single pot, only the first loudspeaker on
the circuit requires the +5V terminal to be connected requiring 3-conductor cable (see above) . All
subsequent loudspeakers can be “daisy-chained” with simple 2-conductor cable.

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Section 1: The K Family

Wiring

EXAMPLE 1:
Here we are using a common mono audio source to feed a distributed system in a typical venue (i.e. bar, club, fitness
center, etc.), while we simultaneously use two wall-plate potentiometers to independently control the volume of
two zones.

EXAMPLE 2:
Here we are using a common stereo audio source to feed the venue (i.e. Live club, house of worship, etc.), while we
simultaneously use two wall-plate potentiometers to independently control the volume of the Subwoofers relative to the
Main Loudspeakers. Note that remote gains do pass any audio, therefore do not discriminate between left or right, subs
or highs!

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Section 1: The K Family

Other Considerations : Painting | Outdoors

PAINTING — The K Family of ABS & plywood enclosures can in fact be

spray painted to match an existing décor or venue theme, HOWEVER
some hardware components used on the enclosures (such as the tilt­direct plate and the polypropylene handle cups) can prove to be quite
difficult to paint, and would require special “treatment” beforehand from
a qualified painting professional. Special care must also be taken when
painted the perforated grills.
Please contact QSC Technical Services for more advice.

OUTDOOR USE — The K Family of products are NOT designed to be

permanently installed in outdoor environments.
For these applications we would strongly recommend the QSC AD-S
series of loudspeakers.

EASE & CAD FILES — A full complement of EASE files (SPK & GLL) and DXF files (2D & 3D) are available for

download from the QSC Audio website.
Please follow these link: http://www.qscaudio.com/houseofk/resources.php

APPLICATION ENGINEERING TEAM (AET) - QSC Audio has enhanced customer support with a dedicated team of
application specialists worldwide. They are here to assist with the selection and implementation of QSC products into
your project, including EASE, EASE Focus & EASE Address modeling services.

The AET team includes staff with specialized experience to provide guidance for a wide range of projects such as large
to medium scale installations, live performance, concert/production, and public address systems. They have extensive
knowledge of network audio, digital signal processing, power amplification, and loudspeakers. For more information,
please check out the AET services offered at: http://www.qscaudio.com/support/aet/

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Section 1: The K Family

Block Diagrams

Mic/Line In A

Loop Out A

Mic/Line

Phono In B

Line In B

Loop Out B

Mix Out A+B

Vocal Boost / Flat

Ext Sub / Norm / DEEP™

Remote Gain

Mic/Line In A

Loop Out A

Mic/Line

Phono In B

Line In B

Loop Out B

Sum

Sum

Signal Present

Signal Present

Power / Standy / LimitSignal Present

HF

Digital Signal Processing:

Sum

Sum

Intrinsic Correction™

DEEP™

Power / Standy / LimitSignal Present

Digital Signal Processing:

Intrinsic Correction™

DEEP™

GuardRail™

LF

HF

GuardRail™

LF

K8/K10/K12

K8 / K10 / K12

KW122/KW152

KW112 / KW152

Mix Out A+B

Vocal Boost / Flat

Ext Sub / Norm / DEEP™

Remote Gain

Mic/Line In A

Loop Out A

Mic/Line

Phono In B

Line In B

Loop Out B

Mix Out A+B

Vocal Boost / Flat

Ext Sub / Norm / DEEP™

Sum

Signal Present

Power / Standby / LimitSignal Present

Passive

HF

Network

Sum

Digital Signal Processing:

Intrinsic Correction™

DEEP™

GuardRail™

LF

KW153

KW153

20

Remote Gain

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Section 1: The K Family

Block Diagrams

Signal Present

Power / Standy / LimitSignal Present

Line In A

Loop Out A

Line In B

Loop Out B

Polarity

Norm / DEEP™

Remote Gain

Line In A

Loop Out A

Line In B

Loop Out B

Polarity

Norm / DEEP™

Signal Present

Signal Present

Signal Present

Sum

Sum

Digital Signal Processing:

DEEP™

Power / Standy / LimitSignal Present

Digital Signal Processing:

DEEP™

LF

GuardRail™

LF

Sub

GuardRail™

KSUB

KSUB

KW181

KW181

Remote Gain

Line In

Line Out

Ext Sub / Norm / DEEP™

Array Size

Remote Gain

Line In

Line Out

Polarity

Norm / DEEP™

Remote Gain

Power / Standy / LimitSignal Present

Digital Signal Processing:

Intrinsic Correction™

DEEP™

Power / Standy / LimitSignal Present

Digital Signal Processing:

DEEP™

GuardRail™

Sub

GuardRail™

HF

LF

KLA12

KLA12

KLA181

KLA181

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21

Section 2: Application Suggestions

Houses of Worship : Small Chapel

This would be a typical traditional chapel or
temple, with seating capacity up to 200 people.
Typically these rooms have longer reverberant
decays to enforce pipe organ or choral music,
however these longer decay times also adversely
affect the intelligibility of the spoken word, making
these venues one of the more challenging when
designing a sound system.

Another major challenge with this venue is
loudspeaker placement – typically the ideal
location for a loudspeaker happens to be right
in front of a projection screen, or impeding an
architectural feature such as a stained glass
window or a wooden crucifix.

OPTION #1: Stereo distributed system (wide coverage, lower volume)

Approx. up to 200 people

OPTION #2: Mono “center” Line Array system (narrow vertical coverage, higher volume)

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Section 2: Application Suggestions

Houses of Worship : Medium Church Hall

This would be a typical mid-size church hall or temple, with architecture
ranging from very traditional to very modern.

While the spoken word still remains the highest priority, there is typically an
expectation for contemporary music reinforcement and loud multimedia
playback, preferably with subwoofer support.

A praise & worship band will often perform on stage with floor monitoring,
resulting in loud SPL from the stage volume alone. A system must therefore
be designed to reinforce the stage vocalists “above” the energy spilling off
the stage.

OPTION #1: Four-way FOH system (4000watts) with active floor monitors

Approx. 400 - 800 people

OPTION #2: Three-way FOH system (8000watts) with active floor monitors

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23

Section 2: Application Suggestions

Houses of Worship : Fan Shaped

This would be a typical large modern church auditorium, purpose
built with fan-shaped seating and a gently raked floor. Larger
variants of this room design may also include a balcony or even
wrap-around stadium seating for greater capacity.

This shape room will always lend itself to nice acoustics, however
this shape will also create new challenges due to the extra width
of the auditorium.

Often three loudspeaker arrays or clusters are required to achieve
desirable horizontal coverage, and a delay ring may also be
necessary for larger rooms. Although these three arrays are often
labeled “Left/Center/Right”, in reality this configuration is nothing
more than a simple mono distributed system, since the folks seated in the outside zones are actually too far away from
the opposite loudspeaker array (and also too far off axis), to ever hear any true stereo “imaging”.

As with any flown Line-array system, front-fill speakers are always recommended.

Approx. 400 - 800 people

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Section 2: Application Suggestions

Performing Arts : Playhouse Theatre

These venues are typically small local amateur playhouse
or lyric theaters, basically a scaled down version of a
proscenium theater. In some cases the room shape may
be stylized after the modern “black-box” theater, with
seats wrapping around a central stage area.
Although speech does not require too much
reinforcement during dramatic performances, there
is still a requirement for playback of special effects.
Musical theater also requires reinforcement of voice over
the often loud orchestra.

OPTION #1: Basic System with upstage effects channels

Approx. up to 200 people

OPTION #2: Center loudspeaker & Subwoofer added for greater flexibility

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25

Section 2: Application Suggestions

Performing Arts : Community Theatre

These venues are typically a single level theater, used
for community events, meetings, shows or concerts.
Whether a “converted” cinema, or a purpose-built
auditorium, these rooms will often have a “House
PA” primarily for basic speech reinforcement and as
support for moderate level live performances. This
venue will also regularly host a touring PA system, for
higher SPL concerts & shows when required.

With a primary focus on vocal reinforcement, the
ideal system would feature a Left / Center / Right
loudspeaker configuration, with the center channel
dedicated to voice. An ancillary system for the lobby
is often required for making “house calls” before the
show and between breaks.

Approx. 200 - 400 people

26

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Section 2: Application Suggestions

Performing Arts : Proscenium Theater

This is a traditional proscenium arched theater, with lower
stalls, a middle “dress circle”, and sometimes even a third
level referred to as the gallery or “the gods”. VIP boxes are
also located to either side of the stage, but many times these
are re-purposed for follow-spots or fill loudspeakers.

Most existing proscenium theaters have acoustics better
suited to operatic, orchestral or choral styles, however
newer construction versions may have more of a fan-shape
and less reverberant decay better suited for contemporary
music theater.

Approx. 400 - 800 people

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27

Section 2: Application Suggestions

Multi-Purpose : Fitness Studio

These multi-purpose rooms are typically part of a larger health
club or fitness centre, and can be used throughout the day for
anything from Step classes, Spin classes, Pilates classes, Zumba
classes, or even general dance classes.

The brief for this room is to have bass-heavy “nightclub” style
music at moderate to high volumes however, the use of an
instructor’s headset microphone, and the subsequently low gain­before-feedback achieved, will often determine just how “loud”
the system can actually be played.

Approx. up to 100 people

28

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Section 2: Application Suggestions

Multi-Purpose : Gymnatorium

This is a typical high school, university or community
gymnasium, often with retractable stadium “bleachers”
facing each other down either length of the room. These
gymnasiums are multi-purpose venues, and can be used
for various events ranging from sports, assemblies, awards
ceremonies, proms etc .

Due to the highly reverberant nature of these gymnatoriums,
it is preferable to employ a distributed system above the
bleachers consisting of wide coverage loudspeakers such
as the K8. The ability to turn down (or mute) one bleacher
zone is also desirable for applications where one set of
bleachers are retracted, and a stage is setup firing across to
the far set of bleachers.

Approx. 100 - 400 people

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Section 2: Application Suggestions

Multi-Purpose : School Auditorium

This is typically a purpose-built auditorium for
assemblies, music recitals and dramatic performances.
The room shape can vary with older retrofit designs,
but most new constructions will usually have a
generous stage, a gently raking floor, a balcony, and
reasonable acoustics.

Due to the wide use of lavalier, headset or gooseneck
microphones on stage, a system with excellent
gain-before-feedback is required. The KLA is an
obvious choice with its extremely tight vertical
coverage pattern.

Approx. 400 - 800 people

30

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Section 2: Application Suggestions

Nightlife : Bar

This is a typical bar venue, with moderate background
music playing during dining hours, and loud foreground
music playing during the evening. Other varieties include
Sports bars (ESPN), themed restaurants (Hard Rock Cafe),
Irish pubs, micro-breweries and taverns.

Many bars will have multiple zones such as the main
bar, the dining area, the outdoor deck, the lounge area,
the restrooms, and often even a small dance-floor. The
ability to independently control zone volumes and sources
is important.

OPTION #1: Basic low cost system for small Bar/Restaurant.

Approx. up to 200 people

OPTION #2: Multi-zoned system for large Bar/Restaurant.‘

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31

Section 2: Application Suggestions

Nightlife : Dance Club

This is a purpose built dance-club with a main dance-floor
system capable of delivering high SPL and chest-thumping bass.

Typically the main system will consist of four loudspeaker arrays
or clusters located in each corner of the dance-floor. Opposite
facing loudspeakers will share a common stereo feed, ensuring
that stereo imaging is experienced throughout most of the
dance-floor.

Other zones may include the entrance for queuing, a VIP
section, a lounge area and restrooms.

Approx. 200 - 400 people

32

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Section 2: Application Suggestions

Nightlife : Live Music Club

This is live performance venue where local and regional artists
will perform. Often part of a promoters “circuit”, this venue will
often have a different artist performing every single night.

The recommended system for this venue must be loud, reliable,
and able to handle a wide variety of artists, music styles, and
sound engineers that come through those revolving doors.

Floor monitoring must be equally as robust.

Approx. 400 - 800 people

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33

Section 2: Application Suggestions

Monitor Systems & Backline

Small Monitor Rig

TIP

Large Monitor Rig

Remember, you can power up to FIVE K-family products (any mix of model) from a single 15Amp
circuit (120V) or 7.5Amp circuit (230V)

34

www.qscaudio.com •

1-800-854-4079

Section 2: Application Engineering Contacts

Address

QSC Audio Products., LLC.
1675 MacArthur Boulevard
Costa Mesa, CA 92626-1468
USA

Main Switchboard

Tel: [phone]
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-Mail: [e-mail]

Application Engineering & Technical Services

Tel. [phone]
Tel. [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-Mail: [e-mail]

35

www.qscaudio.com • 1-800-854-4079