The gap between consumer audio and professional audio can be rather daunting. Large speakers require large amplifiers and large mixing desks and all sorts of convoluted patching bays. Another inescapable side effect of these professional systems is that they also require large, sweaty men to haul everything around, and some know-it-all engineer to make it all work. Not quite what you want at your backyard barbecue. Samson Audio’s Expedition series are all-in-one, inclusive sound systems aimed at bridging that gap, and this year brings in two new contestants.
The specs for the XP40iw and XP510i are in the very nice chart below. But the large changes are that the XP40iw contains an integrated wireless microphone system, and the XP510i actually breaks apart into dual 2-way speaker cabinets and a 10-channel mixer. All three units have iPod docks built right in.
Now from the schematics below, I’ve determined that the naming scheme for these, while a bit unimaginative, is the number of watts the system can handle + the size of the woofer. So the XP510i can pump out 500 watts out of a 10-in speaker. But the case doesn’t hold true for the XP40iw. Strange.
You’ll be able to find the two new units out in the wild come April.
