Bookshelf-Sized CBT array - Constant Directivity through 5,000hz

Discussion in 'Product Announcements' started by Hook Audio, Feb 2, 2021.

  1. Hook Audio

    Hook Audio MOT: Hook Audio

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    Hi,

    My name is Vadim Gordin. I've started a new speaker company called Hook Audio based in Brooklyn, New York. With the help of Don Keele (formerly of Klipsch, Harman, JBL, Electrovoice, and Crown Amp), I've designed a bookshelf-sized open baffle CBT array called the H1.

    The H1 stands only 15" tall but has constant directivity through 5,000hz as well as the detail retrieval and dynamics that line arrays are known for.

    I've attached photos and measurements to this post. More available at www.hookaudio.co. Cost for the speakers is $925 per pair.

    Happy to answer any questions.

    Thanks!

    -Vadim

    [edit 2/3:

    After a request on another forum, I've added a risk free 60 day in-home audition to our policies.

    Most people have never experienced the clarity and dynamics of music played on a CBT array, and I'm confident that the experience is one that they won't want to go back from. ]

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    Last edited: Feb 3, 2021
  2. Mamba

    Mamba Friend

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    Hello Vadim,
    I have never heard CBT speakers, but these ones caught my eye because of their smaller size and phase accuracy. Better phase accuracy is probably the main reason I enjoy headphones and wide band single driver speakers so much.

    Do you have more pictures of the speakers, including the sides and back?

    What type of room positioning is ideal for these speakers? Is there any advantage / disadvantage to desk positioning, as opposed to monitor stands?

    The CBT design appears to have many advantages. However, the bass extension does not seem to be a strong point. Any type of subwoofer you recommend for these CBT monitors? I am guessing not all subwoofers will play well with open baffle CBT monitors, especially ones that require support up to 150-200hz (if I'm reading the frequency response graphs correctly)

    What type of dynamic capabilities do these speakers have? How loud can they play? How much amp power can they handle?

    Been curious about CBT speakers for a few years now, so I look forward to hearing more about these.

    Matt
     
  3. Hook Audio

    Hook Audio MOT: Hook Audio

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    My recommendation is a sealed sub crossed around 150hz. Stereo subs are better, but not essential.

    In terms of dynamic capabilities, they're a line array, so they can play VERY loud and evenly (3db volume dropoff per doubling of distance rather than 6db per doubling of distance like a conventional speaker).

    At 50 watts its well over 100db. I'll get you a proper sensitivity measurement and photos of the sides and back this evening though.
     
  4. Hook Audio

    Hook Audio MOT: Hook Audio

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    After a request on another forum, I've added a risk free 60 day in-home audition to our policies.

    Most people have never experienced the clarity and dynamics of music played on a CBT array, and I'm confident that the experience is one that they won't want to go back from.
     
  5. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    Neat! Presumably these would actually benefit from the desktop reflections/bounce, no?
     
  6. Hook Audio

    Hook Audio MOT: Hook Audio

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    @yotacowboy Very much so.

    Completely the opposite of how normal nearfield monitors behave. I originally had a section on the website entitled "room reflections judo" but it got cut b/c way too long already.
     
  7. Hook Audio

    Hook Audio MOT: Hook Audio

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    @Mamba , to your question of dynamics, the H1 is 93db efficient and presents a 4 ohm load. It can get very load with very little power.
     
  8. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    Any consideration for a side mounted driver(s) to extend into the lower frequencies? Then the whole body would just be a quarter-circle cabinet sitting on your desk, maybe a handle on the rear, etc. You wouldn't get much slam, but another octave of bass extension goes a long way to selling speakers.
     
  9. Hook Audio

    Hook Audio MOT: Hook Audio

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    I have. To keep with the OB theme, I even had one mocked as a prototype where I incorporated a slot loaded open baffle subwoofer with a 7" driver whose slot was the mouth of the bottom speaker cavity. At the end of the day though, I wasn't going to get around needing a dedicated sub to get into the 30s and that made the addition of a 'helper woofer' problematic and not much help considering the trade-offs.
     
  10. Metro

    Metro Friend

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  11. Hook Audio

    Hook Audio MOT: Hook Audio

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    Very much so. The stereo image will be much broader and more coherent than you're used to with conventional nearfield monitors. Two things work in your favor listening to a CBT close up on a desk.

    1. The excellent off-axis response of a CBT

    2. CBTs have a very well-controlled soundfield starting a few inches from the array and remaining consistent way out into the room. By contrast, conventional speakers have a distinct near-field (messy) and far-field (orderly) radiation pattern. Here's a graphic from Presonus on their pro-audio CBT implementation showing the effect

    [​IMG]

    https://www.presonus.com/learn/technical-articles/Constant-Directivity-a-New-Approach
     
    Last edited: Feb 5, 2021
  12. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    What is the 3D Printed material of the enclosure? I see you offer Gold/Green, but have a photo of a black speckled version - is that color an option?

    Their size seems reasonable enough to maybe do a loaner tour on them. Not sure if anyone else is interested.
     
  13. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    Oh, definitely interested.
     
  14. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    If they can offer better dynamics than my full-size towers - I could be interested in building a system. OB and Horns take up tons of space. The last line-arrays I was looking at was when AV123 was working with Danny Richie on their LS-6/9 or whatever they were called. Probably the closest to point-source in regards to phase?

    One question - can they be placed on bookshelf towers or do they need to be on a flat surface and or ground?
     
  15. Hook Audio

    Hook Audio MOT: Hook Audio

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    A good way to think about CBT is as one vertical slice of a spherical point source. So yes, short of a sphere of drivers or a esoteric emitter array like the $100k+ ones from German Physics, a CBT is the closest you'll get to point source behavior. The fact that I'm using 12 identical drivers and no caps or inductors give you perfect phase coherence.

    Yes, the work well on bookshelf towers.
     
  16. M3NTAL

    M3NTAL Friend

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    I still have a set of towers I could try them out in the computer room - that is good news.

    As a center channel in a 5.1 - can they be ran horizontal / re-designed to work in horizontal orientation or does the radiating pattern not work that way? My TV isn't high enough to place a bookshelf tower in front unfortunately.
     
  17. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    I'm not an expert on CBT arrays, but I believe they'll work fine as a sideways center channel. I don't recall of you still need to add a shading network to get proper beam width to cover all the seats in a home theater/living room. I'm sure Hook can fill in details.
     
  18. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    Shading is vertical, so placing it sideways would probably mess that up unless it's symmetrical and didn't rely on boundary/desk reflections. I'm just guessing though.
     
  19. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    Yeah, somewhere I remember seeing a horizontal center channel for install in a church or something, and IIRC, it was a 150 or 120 degree arc center channel. I think the shading network allows for a wider beam width? I dunno, last time I looked at this stuff was when Parts Express debuted their CBT kit.
     
  20. Hook Audio

    Hook Audio MOT: Hook Audio

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    H1 can be laid on its side as is. Beyond that though, I'm happy to do a custom one with it's aluminum foot in that orientation if you don't plan to ever use it vertically.

    Horizontal is how Monte Kay (brother of Marshall Kay of Audio Artistry) build his CBT implementation.

    http://www.mfk-projects.com/Home_Theatre/center_speaker.html
     
    Last edited: Feb 5, 2021

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