EAW NTL720 Brochure

Is it really possible to pack 10 pounds of stuff into a 5-pound 

bag? Further, can all of that “stuff” be painstakingly formed 

into a cohesive unit capable of meeting critical challenges and 

professional expectations?

EAW set out to answer these questions in the affirmative – 

and more – with the new NTL720, an extremely compact, 

self-powered line array loudspeaker system. The result is a 

package that integrates fresh and genuinely exciting design 

developments with a lion’s share of the most significant 

technological advances that have been pioneered over the past 

three decades.

Though so small (9.4 x 24 x 14.3 inches) and light in weight (less 

than 50 pounds even with onboard tri-amplification) that we’ve 

nicknamed it the “baby” line array module (BLAM for short), the 

NTL720 is outfitted with a true three-way design that delivers 

full-sized performance. From the outset, EAW committed that 

its new baby would provide maximized vocal clarity via a 

correctly executed three-way design with superior mid-range 

performance – regardless of the miniscule footprint. 

From there, the development team defined a long, detailed list 

of other absolute “musts” to be accomplished for the NTL720 to 

be worthy of exceeding requirements in virtually every medium-

format live and installed sound application. Every item on that 

list has a big check mark next to it, and as noted, all of these 

individual technologies are united as a seamless system easily 

optimized under a user-friendly software interface.

A LOOK INSIDE

Let’s start with a look at the horn and driver components and 

technologies of the NTL720 before moving along to other crucial 

aspects. When the (stainless steel) grille is removed from the 

front of the cabinet, the first thing that stands out is that the 

entire front face of the enclosure is filled by a full-sized mid/high 

horn providing 110-degree (horizontal) by 12-degree (vertical) 

dispersion. The extreme size of this horn – an approach first 

applied to our lauded KF730 and 760 line arrays and KF750 

concert systems – has proven to insure broadband pattern 

control, particularly in the entire MF/HF pass-band. 

High frequencies are produced by six 1-inch dome tweeters, 

configured in two vertical columns (each with three tweeters) 

mounted on a manifold that feeds a single slot in the center of 

the horn. This is highly effective in controlling vertical dispersion, 

and with equivalent output of a 1-inch-exit, 44-millimeter voice 

coil compression driver. The HF section serves the 1.5 kHz to 21 

kHz frequency range.

Flanking the HF section, dual 6-inch cone woofers handle the MF 

range, also loading on to the large horn. A primary design goal 

was to minimize the space between the MF and HF components 

in order to enhance coherency and improve overall off-axis 

response. Further, a symmetric layout of the MF drivers (placed 

on both sides of HF) would promote a symmetric horizontal off-

axis response.

Openings needed to be incorporated in the horn for these 

MF drivers. The easiest approach would have been to provide 

openings the same size as the MF cones, but this creates a large 

void in the HF horn wall, causing HF energy to “escape” into this 

void, reflect off of the MF cone, and arrive later in time than the 

direct energy.

A slot in the horn was another possible approach, reducing the 

void in the horn and somewhat minimizing interference to the 

HF while also decreasing the distance between the acoustic 

centers of the MF drivers. Yet a large percentage of the horn wall 

NTL720 Line Array System

Integrating multiple EAW technologies in a miniscule package