SPEAKEASYv3a - 9 Volt Battery-Powered Speaker

Part#: SPKEZV3AWMP

The SPEAKEASYv3a is a self-contained, compact, high quality, battery-powered speaker with tons of versatility. Give this little guy two 9-volt batteries and you're good for a full production day or more of high-fidelity audio monitoring and/or set communication assistance.

The SPEAKEASYv3a advances the series to a new level of performance, delivering much more volume than earlier models. Its newly designed 12-Watt amplifier is loud - with more than enough volume for typical remote broadcast production, film/video production sound carts, video assist carts, and portable editing systems.

The SPEAKEASYv3a has two inputs (Line & Mic) on the rear and a master volume control/power switch conveniently located on the front. Solidly made with a cast aluminum enclosure, the SPEAKEASYv3a is small enough to hide on the set and rugged enough to pack in a case with the rest of your gear. The SPEAKEASY's drivers are magnetically shielded allowing operation near video monitors without distorting the picture.

Typical Uses

Use on your sound cart to listen without headphones
Ideal for video assist carts
Plug them into your computer for remote editing
Program monitoring for remote radio and television broadcasts
Plant it in an antique radio prop so the actors have actual audio to react to
Plant it in a car during tow scenes so the director can talk to the actors (when interfaced with the Remote Audio push-to-talk BoomBox)
Plant it inside a piano with a wireless receiver for realistic track playback
Place it anywhere in studio or on set for cueing and stage announce.
After wrap, back in your room, a stereo cable turns a pair of SPEAKEASYs into a great personal iPod stereo system.
The REMOTE AUDIO SPEAKEASYv3a will operate on two 9V batteries for a full day of typical intermittent use. It will also operate from an external 9-18VDC power source on its coaxial power connector (center pin positive). The internal battery is switched out of circuit when external power is plugged in, so there is no need to remove the battery when using external power.

Line level input:
The line level input accepts a range of -10dB to +4dB. The line input is balanced, though unbalanced signals can also be used. With a +4dB signal, the SPEAKEASYv3a's maximum loudness before clipping is achieved with the volume control at the "12 o'clock" position. With a -10db signal, maximum loudness may still be achieved with the volume control. An XLR / 1/4" TRS combo jack is provided for convenience, and is wired in the standard balanced configuration of Pin 1/Sleeve: Ground, Pin 2/ Tip: Audio +, Pin 3/Ring: Audio -.

Mic level input:
The XLR mic level input will accept a common balanced mic level signal and will directly accommodate a dynamic microphone. (Direct powering of condenser mics is not available.) One use for this input would be as a small push-to-talk cueing system. The microphone input has its own gain control on the rear panel with a small flat-bladed screwdriver slot.

Instrument level input: (New in the v3a)
The SPEAKEASYv3a will accomodate an unbalanced instrument-level signal on a 1/4" TS connector. The impedance of this input is 1Mohm--suitable for use with passive electric guitar pickups or active guitar preamp systems without "loading down" the pickups and causing high frequency roll-off. Instruments with very hot outputs (such as electric guitars with overwound humbucker pickups) may cause distortion. In that case, the guitar's volume control should be adjusted to minimize distortion.

All audio inputs are isolated from each other, and therefore may all be used at the same time. For example, a line level input can be used for music playback, while the mic input is used for cueing.

Auto-Sleep:
To conserve battery life, the SPEAKEASYv3a features an automatic "sleep" mode. If no signal is present at either input for approximately 10 minutes, the amplifier circuitry is put into a low-power mode. This yields an 85% drop in idle power consumption. When signal is applied again, the SPEAKEASY will automatically "wake up".

*Note: It can take up to half a second for the SPEAKEASY to wake up when signal is applied. For time-critical cueing and monitoring purposes, the auto-sleep feature may be disabled to prevent initial signal transients from being cutoff.

When used as an accessory with our BoomBox talkback system, the SPEAKEASY is ideal for communication between the director and actors. For example, during car towing scenes, the Director can wear the BoomBox belt pack while the SPEAKEASY is hidden in the picture car with the actors. When the director presses the PTT button, he is heard via SPEAKEASY in the car. In this case, program monitoring for the director is fed in the same way it normally is to the boom operator.

Actual battery life will depend on how much and how loudly the SPEAKEASY is used, but typical intermittent use will yield a full production day.

Specifications:

XLR/1/4" Line input for balanced +4dB signals (unbalanced ok also)
XLR Mic input for common balanced mic level signals (dynamic mics-yes/condenser mics-no)
Recessed Mic Gain control accessible via small flat-blade screwdriver
Internal Power: Two 9V batteries
External Power: 9 - 18VDC power source on its coaxial power connector (center positive)
Dimensions: 4.6x4.5x7.3 inches.
Weight: 4.4 pounds.
Idle power drain: ~70mA (10mA when sleeping)
Amplifier Power: 12W @ 8 Ohm nominal speaker impedance
Maximum SPL: 98dB (1kHz @ 1m)
Battery life: More than a full production day of typical intermittent use