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REVIEWED
REVIEWED: LD Systems ANNY® 8
It’s less than 10 years since I bought my first battery PA speakers, a pair of 15” (less than great) speakers which came with a built-in microphone receiver, making them ideal for outdoor use, namely, wedding ceremonies.

10 years feels like a short amount of time, but in PA terms it’s light years. And during this time all the faults my originals had have disappeared, whilst added features mean that, instead of occasional use, my newer battery speakers get used ever more frequently (the old ones having been consigned to the darkest reaches of my storage).

When working on wedding ceremonies I like to have as few wires as possible, resulting in a cleaner look. Who needs wires trailing on the floor in the middle of what is often an expensively assembled set? Happily, the sound quality in this type of PA has improved massively. My originals sounded fine for background, but anything else (like the bridal entrance or a couple’s recessional song) meant I needed to provide a different solution.

I first saw the Anny® 8 at Plasa Show in September of last year. I immediately liked its range of functions and particularly its good looks, and I asked if we could review it. Getting hold of one then became a bit of a problem, as there aren’t loads in the UK due to its phenomenal popularity. And it’s easy to see why.

When I unpacked the box that arrived from LD Systems my eldest son immediately remarked on its good looks. Now, that was Daniel, who – for reasons I’ll never know – doesn’t really pay any attention to speaker systems, or music for that matter. A mystery. Anyway, to be complimented by him was quite the honour.

The version sent to me was in green. I was a little sceptical about a green speaker, but it’s actually a very attractive look. Of course there is a black version, but in addition to these two colour options there is also white (most popular with wedding DJs, though I really do think the green would be even better in these situations) and grey (another really distinctive colour).

The overall look is very pleasing to the eye. Rather than have the grille covering the entire front of the unit, it has a ‘chunkier’ look, and along with its stylish angles it looks unlike much else on the market. Apart from anything else, LD Systems should be applauded for producing something so distinctive and yet very attractive. It’s also compact, weighing in at just 8.8kg (19.4lb) and measuring 249mm wide and deep, and 390mm high.

After admiring the speaker's good looks, I set about finding out how flexible it actually is.
Essentially, what you are getting is a battery-powered Bluetooth speaker capable of true wireless stereo (TWS) when paired with another ANNY®. You get a built-in microphone receiver, a handheld transmitter, a 6-channel mixer with 3-band EQ, and some effects (reverb and delay), as well as microphone ducking and even a charger port for your phone or tablet. Oh, and they even throw in a useful holder for your device.

There are plenty of options for placement, including a standard speaker mount on the bottom. The speaker can be tilted back for use as a monitor and the top houses a carry handle for ease of transport. And speaking of transport, there are three options for protecting your investment (and you will want this speaker to stay in pristine condition!). Firstly, there is a padded protective cover that features water-repellent nylon and comes with an outer pocket for accessories. Secondly, a weather-repellent cover with two outer pockets and flaps, so you can get at the controls and expose the front of the speaker. And finally, you have a three-way backpack with an outer pocket, a roll-up front, and a useful storage compartment built into the top. Decisions, decisions….

Sound is delivered by an 8” woofer and a 1” tweeter. With a peak output of 160w delivering 117 Max SPL, you have a smart, compact speaker that will easily handle key moments for outdoor ceremonies, as well as background music and announcements or speeches. Dispersion is 120° x 50° and the frequency response is 52-20000Hz with a crossover frequency of 1800Hz.

When I first connected the speaker to my phone, I decided to really put it through its paces with a remix of Black Eyed Peas ‘Pump It Louder’ by Tiesto. In music mode, the bass was nothing short of astonishing. Unless you’re doing dramatic moments, or having a proper dance session, I reckon ‘Flat’ sounds easily good enough. Certainly for background music. You also have ‘Live’ and ‘Eco’ modes, as well as ‘Vocal’, which changes the sound perfectly for speech.

Other effects include three different types of reverb (‘Small’, ‘Large’ and ‘Plate’) and also delay. All effects are assignable to different channels. Having a small and easily transportable speaker which features delay is really useful; I’ve lost count of how many times that has helped when doing things like awards in long rooms. Also useful is having the ability to set the microphone to ‘Vocal’ whilst the music is not. There is also a footswitch input, though I’ve yet to find a use for that myself. I’m sure musicians will value it, though.

The sound of the Anny 8® is superb. My original 15” battery speakers would be utterly embarrassed by just one of these. LD Systems talk about the provision of a distortion-free, clean and powerful sound, even at maximum volume, due to what they call their DynX® DSP (Gen.2) system. All I know is that no matter how loud I went, the sound was very good indeed. This is the most incredible part. Speakers now are night and day compared to what we had even just 10 years ago. We’re so lucky to have this much punch for so little outlay and my now 20-year-old, ridiculously expensive home hi-fi speakers could not touch these. Note, the speakers came before the kids. And upset only a few neighbours. But I digress.
Within the menu you can adjust the main volume as well as all low, mid and high EQs. When I first got the speaker, the low EQ was set to maximum, which tells me it’s been used for a lot of demos! I think it sounded absolutely perfect when the levels were flat, but if you really want to have some fun then there is loads of headroom.

For inputs, there are a total of six. One and two are XLR/jack, three is a mini-jack, four is RCA inputs, five is the microphone receiver, and then of course you have Bluetooth for the sixth. I can’t think of anything left out! The Bluetooth also features the aforementioned TWS, but I only had one speaker so I didn’t get to try this.

The provided microphone transmitter feels great; it’s nice and solid and includes a switch. There is also a pocket transmitter in the range, though this does not come as standard. The built-in receiver has a sync button for connecting your transmitter to one of 12 channels, and a little AF light to indicate that a signal is being received. There is also a mute dial that sets noise suppression, which prevents noise from occurring when the transmitter is switched off. You can also set the receiver as ‘priority’ in the menu, which will provide ducking when using the microphone – brilliant for announcements.

Of course, anything with a battery comes with range anxiety. First, you have an LED indicator on the back showing the current charge.
With up to 11 hours of play in ‘Eco’ mode and up to three and a half hours at full pelt in ‘Music’ mode, this shouldn’t be an issue. The battery is changeable and you can buy spares if needed.

A great little feature is the ability to place your phone or tablet on the top of the speaker and charge it from the USB-C port on the rear panel. This will, of course, use more battery, but it’s much better than having your device go flat.

Quite honestly, I’m not sure what else you could need from a battery speaker of this size. I have lots of uses for compact battery speakers like the Anny 8®: background music; something that can quickly and easily be deployed for announcements and speeches; as a delay for people at the back of a long room; and, of course, wedding ceremonies.

One type of dry hire that has really taken off for us is family gatherings, which provides an easy way of getting paid for speakers that would otherwise be in storage. Plus, our Sunday afternoons in the garden are always better with a bit of mood music – it makes that G&T taste so much better (just a few months now until Spring!).

My advice? Buy a couple, then think of different ways to use them. And until they go out, keep them close so you can admire them. They really do look that good.
The full review can be found in Pro Mobile Issue 129, Pages 76-78.
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