Meyer Sound has announced the release of the self-powered UPJunior^TM ultracompact VariO^TM loudspeaker, the latest addition to the company's famed UltraSeries product group. The UPJunior brings the sonic signature, flexible mounting and rigging options, and extraordinary power-to-size ratio of the award-winning UPJ-1P to a very small package. The UPJunior is suitable for an extremely broad range of applications, including A/V presentations and small- to medium-sized main sound reinforcement systems, as well as in fill, delay, effects, under-balcony coverage, stage monitoring, and distributed systems.

The UPJunior combines the advantages of self-powered systems with the placement and arraying flexibility afforded by a rotatable 80-degree by 50-degree VariO horn. The horn's constant-Q design provides uniform response throughout the coverage area.

Though a mere 19 inches (483 mm) in its longest dimension, and remarkably lightweight at 28 pounds (12.7 kg), the UPJunior delivers a robust peak power output of 126 dB SPL at 1 meter, making it suitable for use either as a single, primary loudspeaker or within multicabinet horizontal and vertical arrays.

"The UPJunior was developed based on the success and popularity of UPJ-1P," says CEO, John Meyer. "By putting the same powerful technology into a smaller package, we're giving our customers another tool that can be used in many different applications where its smaller profile will keep it from obstructing sightlines and allow it to fit into very tight spaces."

The UPJunior's drivers are designed and manufactured by Meyer Sound at its Berkeley, Calif. headquarters to meet stringent performance specifications and rigorous quality controls. The low-mid frequency section features an 8-inch neodymium magnet cone driver, while the high-frequency section utilizes an efficient 0.75-inch exit, 2-inch diaphragm compression driver.

As a self-powered Meyer Sound loudspeaker, the UPJunior offers all of the benefits of the company's 28 years of manufacturing controller-assisted loudspeakers and 12 years making self-powered systems, including carrying integral amplification, complex crossover, driver protection, and frequency and phase correction circuitry onboard. As with all Meyer Sound systems, the UPJunior exhibits flat frequency and phase response across its wide operating range of 65 Hz to 20 kHz.

The UPJunior's cabinet incorporates aluminum end plates that provide unprecedented mounting, flying, and arraying flexibility. Strategically placed metric M8 threaded points allow simple mounting using either eyebolts or third-party pole assemblies.

QuickFly® rigging options including the MAAM-UPJunior array adapter (also used when laying the cabinet horizontally for use as a stage monitor), MUB-UPJunior U-bracket, and the MYA-UPJunior mounting yoke assembly. Other options include weather protection and custom color finishes for applications requiring specific cosmetics.