Anyone living with HSU CCB-8s in a HT configuration across the Front? Please advise your thoughts

[-Jim-]

Hi Gents,

Anyone out there living with HSU CCB-8s in a HT configuration across the Front? Please advise your thoughts as I'm seriously thinking of buying them (as a 3.0 set) for my revamped Games Room HT setup.

I know the reviews were stellar everywhere I've seen, and Gene made them a 2017 Product of the Year, but I'd like to hear what a Buyer has to say after living with them for a while.

Thanks for your input.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Imho these would sound awesome, but don't take my word on it. Let's ask someone who actually put them through the paces - calling @shadyJ

 

[shadyJ]

Imho these would sound awesome, but don't take my word on it. Let's ask someone who actually put them through the paces - calling @shadyJ

Not an owner but I really enjoyed these speakers when i had them. I definitely wouldn't mind getting a set of my own sometime. They would work very nicely for games or HT. To the OP I would read the Audioholics review to get an understanding of how they behave. If you like a forward detailed sound, aim them directly at the listening position. If you like broader spacious sound, aim them straight ahead so that they are facing forward in a parallel direction. If you like a mellower sound with pinpoint imaging, toe them inward so that they are aiming at intersecting vectors crossing a few feet in front of your listening position.

 

[-Jim-]

Thanks for the comments so far Gents. I've read lots of reviews including those here, and most talk about the aiming of the L&R speakers.

I would hope that other hear on the Forum who bought them will chime in with their experiences now they've lived with them for a while.

 

[theJman]

I haven't owned them, but I did live with them for a while. Aiming is key to getting the best out of the CCB 8's, but so is a subwoofer. 3.1 will be much better than 3.0, so you should really consider adding a sub.

 

[-Jim-]

Thanks for the comment Jim (Great name by the way...) .

These CCB-8s will just replace my current fronts in a 11.1 (or 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos) HT setup. I have a single Sub in this system, but may add a second after I buy a new Receiver as my present Denon is only a 7.2 unit.

 

[-Jim-]

Anyone else have HSU CCB-8? Seems strange no one bought them when they were a product of the year for 2017.

 

[-Jim-]

Hi Gents,

As I mentioned above: "These CCB-8s will just replace my current fronts in a 11.1 (or 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos) HT setup. I have a single Sub in this system, but may add a second after I buy a new Receiver as my present Denon is only a 7.2 unit. "

Well even though it's not the best Sub on the planet (not even close) I came across a smoking deal on another Klipsch SW-112B to match the existing for only $100 CAD => about $75 USD. It only goes down to about 26 Hz but it'll do for now... I wonder if The CCB-8s will go on some sort of special for July 4th?

 

[-Jim-]

The new system is coming into form. Today I bought a Denon AVR-X4400H, and all that remains are the 3 new Front Speakers. See Stuck in a Denon X6400H / X4400H Dilemma

I'm still very interested in hearing any comments on HSU CCB-8s. Please chime in if you can add anything - positive or negative. I'm thinking of pulling the trigger July 4th if they have any extra incentive. (Yes I'm always looking for a deal.)

 

[snakeeyes]

If you read the review here by James, you have to angle the left and right a lot to get the best results. That may or may not matter to you. I’m wondering how wide the sweet spot is in terms of people at different listening positions in the room. Of course you can get your own chair the sweet spot. Maybe double check with James about that.

 

[-Jim-]

Thanks snakeeyes. I have read every review I can find, here and at any reputable site on the web. They all say these are fabulous speakers, and a bargain at this price.

But I really want Owner input on these CCB-8s after they've lived with them a while. I'm not accustomed to buying my electronics (receivers, speakers, etc.) without auditioning them (usually many times) at a Retailer. The Web has meant the death of these types of stores (at least in Vancouver, Canada where I live),so I'm forced to make web based purchases (like I just did on the Denon AVR-X4400H yesterday) sight unseen.

Setup / toeing in the speakers just ahead of the seating shouldn't be an issue. I won't be permanently be sticking them 2.5 7 (as per the manual!) feet out from the wall however, as that makes the room cluttered (the old WAF raises up again ) but with the new receiver and App, I'm hoping to save a few setup profiles with one where I optimise speaker placement for different configurations. That way, I'll leave enough slack in the cables to move the Front left & rights out from the wall when the mood strikes me (once I get some stands).

The downside to buying the CCB-8s direct from HSU in California, is if I don't like them, it will be a hassle to return as they are in the USA, with no known Canadian distribution. The Border, at least with the recent political upheavals, isn't as stable as some of us are used to, and who knows how things may change in the near term...

It's a risk I'd like to mitigate as much as possible by doing my due diligence.

 

[shadyJ]

Thanks snakeeyes. I have read every review I can find, here and at any reputable site on the web. They all say these are fabulous speakers, and a bargain at this price.

But I really want Owner input on these CCB-8s after they've lived with them a while. I'm not accustomed to buying my electronics (receivers, speakers, etc.) without auditioning them (usually many times) at a Retailer. The Web has meant the death of these types of stores (at least in Vancouver, Canada where I live),so I'm forced to make web based purchases (like I just did on the Denon AVR-X4400H yesterday) sight unseen.

Setup / toeing in the speakers just ahead of the seating shouldn't be an issue. I won't be permanently be sticking them 2.5 7 (as per the manual!) feet out from the wall however, as that makes the room cluttered (the old WAF raises up again ) but with the new receiver and App, I'm hoping to save a few setup profiles with one where I optimise speaker placement for different configurations. That way, I'll leave enough slack in the cables to move the Front left & rights out from the wall when the mood strikes me (once I get some stands).

The downside to buying the CCB-8s direct from HSU in California, is if I don't like them, it will be a hassle to return as they are in the USA, with no known Canadian distribution. The Border, at least with the recent political upheavals, isn't as stable as some of us are used to, and who knows how things may change in the near term...

It's a risk I'd like to mitigate as much as possible by doing my due diligence.

The CCB-8s are good examples of their type- that is is narrow controlled directivity. There are lots of good choices available to you at that price point, but most conventional bookshelf speakers will be wide dispersion speakers. These are like a 1" dome tweeter on a baffle with a shallow waveguide along with a 6" woofer or something like that. These can sound great as well, but they will sound different. They will induce more room reflections in the end sound, but this is not necessarily a bad thing, its just a bit different sound. Both narrow controlled directivity and wide dispersion sound good to me (when done right). What I like about narrow directivity is you can adjust the sound depending on what angle that you are listening at moreso than wide directivity. Also, with a hard toe-in, narrow directivity like the CCB-8s can actually maintain a center image over a very broad area, whereas with wide dispersion, you can only really have that center image when you listen at the 'sweet spot' at equal distances from both speakers, or else the soundstage can collapse to either the left or right speaker (although this is not a problem on sound mixes that use the center channel).

I don't think a lot of people are rushing out to buy the CCB-8s, because of their peculiar appearance. That's a shame in my opinion. This are killer speakers, and I wish I still had them. My brother did get one for use as a center channel speaker in his system and he seems to enjoy it. I think what he really appreciates is the metal grille has a strong attachement on the front baffle, and this protects that driver from his 3 year old who would undoubtedly have destroyed it by now otherwise.

 

[-Jim-]

Thanks for the post Shady J.

I'm still looking to purchase the CCB-8s especially after what most are saying in regards to a single CCB-8 as a center channel speaker. It's almost like there is no equal at almost triple the price. And unlike a conventional bookshelf unit, it simply rotates on its side to get under the TV with no ill effect.

Even though I've put together this HT setup with up to 13 speakers (in a 7.2.4 configuration if a use an external Amp), I'll say 90% of the time will be just me, and the rest with a son, or once in a blue moon - my wife.

I've been patiently waiting for these speakers to go on sale at HSU (and even emailed them about it) but no joy. They won't even cover the shipping cost. I've never paid list price for audio equipment before as the world is always about sales => and big discounts.

I'm getting used to the Denon AVR-X4400H more each day, and getting the itch to finally climb onto the CCB-8 wagon. I just wish HSU would cooperate, and through a bone my way, so I'd jump on it.

 

[snakeeyes]

Maybe the margin is slim for them on this model. Just guessing.

 

[theJman]

I've been patiently waiting for these speakers to go on sale at HSU (and even emailed them about it) but no joy. They won't even cover the shipping cost. I've never paid list price for audio equipment before as the world is always about sales => and big discounts.

What if they are already discounted (relative to performance and quality) at the listed price? Internet Direct companies are predicated on the notion of products with little markup, preferring instead to pass along the savings to the customer. Hsu Research is one of the early players in the ID field so they have more experience with pricing than most of the other companies. To be honest, an argument could be made that the CCB-8's are under priced. You're free to make purchase decisions in whatever manner you feel most comfortable with, but don't be surprised if you find out the price goes up instead.

 

[-Jim-]

I just got off the phone with HSU and ordered a 3.0 CCB-8 package to replace my aged front speakers. They are having their "Fall Sale" so I negotiated.

They said: "We can offer $1018 + $115 s/h within the contiguous US for the 3.0

CCB-8 satin black speaker package. He said he'd include a test CD with the speakers. That's not a problem."

I saved a whopping $21 (US no less!) Whoo Hoo!

 

[shadyJ]

Very nice! Make sure you try different toe-in angles, it does change the sound. Read through the Audioholics review. Great speakers, I hope to listen to a set again someday.

 

[JengaHit]

I've had the CCB-8's for about 2.5 months, running in stereo, full-range, with a Hsu VTF-2 mk3 sub--2.1 system. They sit on 29" VTI stands. (They replaced Mirage OMD-15's that fried from an electrical surge.) They have superb imaging and soundstaging--wide beyond speaker boundaries and pretty deep. Images are realistic, esp with acoustic music like orchestral, jazz and piano/chamber. Timbral fidelity and tone colors are excellent. I use them for both movies and music in 2.1. Highs are non-fatiguging in my system (contrary to what some have reported)--but can be bright with incorrect set-up and placement. Midrange is meaty and very present. Bass is good down to 50hz and, run full-range, blends well with my sub. They have jump factor with rock and pop music. Sweet spot is very wide, giving listeners stable stereo imaging even when sitting up to 3-4 ft off axis, on the far side of a big couch. But you must set them up with extreme toe-in per Hsu's instructions (the acoustic effect is called time-intensity trading). It took me a couple of weeks of tweaking until I found the optimal placement. Overall, quite satisfied; outstanding value.

Room size: 15'W x 19.5'L x 8'H
Assoc equipment:
- Bryston 4B ST amp
- PS Audio PCA-2 Pre-amp
- Sony NS999ES disc player as CD transport/SACD player
- CEntrance DACminiCX (for music)
- Sony BDP6500 blu-ray player
- MSB Tech LinkDAC III, Half-Nelson, w/upgrade power supply
- Audioquest, Virtue Audio, and Kimber cabling

 

[-Jim-]

Great to hear that another member has bought some CCB-8s. Mine are working great on a pair of Rockville RHTSB 36 Inch Bookshelf Speaker Stands that I bought off their eBay store. I bought those as HSU recommends a 36 inch stand. They fit right in with the CCB-8s.

We had 2 other couples over for a dinner party and I told one of the men that I had these setup if he wanted a short demo. The next thing I new it became play me some tunes night with all of us in there. The Misses wasn't really thrilled with that outcome, but we had a few drinks and all enjoyed the sound of the CCB-8s. They went home saying that was the best sound they've ever heard!

It didn't hurt that I was playing FLAC files direct via my Denon AVRX-4400H receiver.