For most church techs, especially those from small and medium-sized churches, there may be no better show to attend than the Winter NAMM Show. Held in Anaheim, Calif. each January, what was primarily a musical instrument show several decades ago, has grown into a serious event for dealers and end users in pro audio and professional lighting.
No video at NAMM? Very little. But if you want loudspeakers, microphones, mixing consoles or lighting, you won’t be disappointed by making the trip to sunny southern California.
With attendance in excess of 100,000 from all over the world, it’s a massive, four-day event. And the Church Production appointment calendar was booked solid, with appointments nearly every half hour. We saw hundreds of exciting new products – including at least one that we can’t tell you about yet from a very well-known, but unexpected manufacturer designed specifically for church techs.
Last year, NAMM took a bold new step in adding a pro audio hall; a fantastic new structure adjacent to the main building. It’s just a short walk outside down a lovely corridor lined with Palm Trees, or you can take a walkway bridge.
Other sections of the show floor are devoted entirely to wind and stringed instruments, drums, sheet music and instruments from foreign lands etc. But for the sake of the Church Production audience, we stuck to the pro audio and lighting realms.
As we have for the past few years, the Church Production staff, along with help of several “secret shoppers,” church techs and a few of our writers who were at the show on assignment, helped us to select what we believe to be best new products for churches. The following, in alphabetical order, are the “Top 5 Products for Churches from NAMM 2019.”
Ashly mXa-1502 Mixer/Amp
Ashly floored us on the first day of the show when were shown the new mXa-1502 Mixer Amp. It’s an integrated product that could find a home any and every church, regardless of size. We can’t say that about many products. The new system offers four zones of mixing and DSP, plus 2 x 150W of power and programmable mic preamplifiers – all made compact into a single, rack-mountable unit.
DSP functions are available on all input and output channels and can be accessed and controlled via any browser-enabled device, as well as the network using Ashly software. It also provides multi-zone music distribution, paging, sound-masking and automatic mixing for a wide range of environments including house of worship, education, business and live performance.
Read more about the Ashly mXa-1502 Mixer/Amp
Countryman H7 Headset Microphone
While not exactly a new product, this was the first appearance for the new Countryman H7 Headset Mic at NAMM. We were told that precision cardioid (directional) pick-up pattern, wide dynamic range and enhanced durability --- especially in wet (read sweaty) environments were the goals for the new unit in our demo from Chris Countryman, president of Countryman Associates.
It also appears also to be a fundamentally different mic than the venerable H6 that has been so widely accepted by churches. While still very low-profile --- nearly invisible, in fact --- the headset itself appears to have been redesigned; especially the clamp that holds the headset bracket in place, and there’s a new style, moisture-resistant connector.
Also the microphone element itself is square shaped with the flat side facing the mouth. This helps create the directional pick-up pattern making the H7 a better choice in louder environments, or situations where more isolation is needed versus the smaller, round element of the older H6 headset mic that offers a less-forgiving omnidirectional pattern.
Read more at Countryman H7 Headset Microphone.
DPA d:fine 6066 Subminiature Headset Microphone
If you’re looking for an amazingly small headset mic for your pastor, the d:fine 6066 Subminiature Headset Microphone from DPA should be on your short list. The microphone capsule is just 3mm in diameter; that’s two millimeters less than DPA’s previous miniature microphones.
While we first caught wind of the new d:fine 6066 headset mic last fall, this was the first time the product was shown at NAMM. And while we did get a chance to hear in a loud trade show environment, we look forward to listening in a more forgiving environment soon; in fact our review unit is on its way to us now. So look for the full product review in the May or June time frame.
Read more about the DPA d:fine 6066 Subminiature Headset Microphone
QSC Audio CP Series Loudspeakers
QSC CP Series Powered Loudspeakers
QSC launched the new CP Series Loudspeakers late last year and made sure to get us a pair for review for one and only one purpose: so we could get the review in the NAMM issue.
One word describes the new CP Series: remarkable; remarkably small, remarkably powerful and remarkably affordable (from $399).
These small, two-way powered loudspeakers (CP8 and CP12) are designed for first-time buyers, including small, portable churches, youth ministries, summer camps and smaller bands, although our contact at the company was quick to point out that they are outfitted for yoke mounts for fixed installation, which greatly expands their application to a wide variety of venues.
While the mixer is rather spartan, offering three inputs with just two gain controls, the rotary DSP control allows for a wide range of sounds, including speech, floor monitor, dance and default. They also produce a remarkable amount of bass. Our reviewer says you’ll have people asking where the subwoofer is.
Read more at about the QSC CP Series Loudspeakers
Sennheiser XS Series Digital Wireless Systems
The first thing you’ll notice on the new XS series wireless from Sennheiser is the exciting new form factor. The transmitters and receivers share a similar shape; much like the shaft of a handheld microphone. At first we had trouble telling the transmitters apart from the receivers.
Sennheiser XS Wireless Image
While similar in appearance, the transmitters come in a variety of versions for handheld mics, body packs for lavs or headsets, camera packs, instrument versions and one for podcasters. It’s an exciting new launch for Sennheiser at a remarkable new price point: starting at $299.
Read more about the Sennheiser XS Series Digital Wireless Systems
