Looking to Upgrade L/C/R Speakers

[shadyJ]

The Hsu CCB-8's design definitely peaked my interest. I just don't know if I could properly set them up regarding distance from wall(s) etc.

Narrow directivity speakers will be less affected by nearby surfaces than wide directivity speakers, so stand-off distances from nearby walls are not as critical.

It’s beyond 30 degrees from center that the lobing occurs on MTM centers?

It depends on a few things, like center-to-center spacing of the woofers and the upper end of the crossover frequency. Lobing patterns can definitely set in well inside of 30-degrees from on-axis

Can you propose any rules of thumb about narrow vs wide directivity in the context of how live the reflections in the room are?
I honestly don't know, but generally assume a very reflective room is better matched with narrow directivity, and a less reflective room (lots of carpet and drapes, etc) is better suited to a wide directivity!? What are your thoughts?

Certainly wide directivity will have a greater ratio of reflected sound to direct sound. Due to that, a narrow directivity speaker might be preferable in a highly reflective room. But I don't really have experience here, since I don't listen in a very reflective room. I could only guess that narrow directivity would be better suited for rooms that have a longer RT time.

 

[JengaHit]

The Hsu CCB-8's design definitely peaked my interest. I just don't know if I could properly set them up regarding distance from wall(s) etc.

I have the CCB-8s in a 2.1 config, in a 19.5x15x8 room. It was unclear to me if the room dimensions of your listening space are a partially closed off 15x12 or if that dimension is just an open listening-area section within your larger room. If it's the partially closed 15x12, then placement might be more of a challenge. They do require breathing room; mine are 36" from the rear wall and 44" from the side walls. They sound best when set up close to an equilateral triangle with the listener. The L/R also need to be elevated on 36" stands and toed in extremely, with the L/R axis crossing in front of the main listening spot, or they'll sound bright. They're designed to sound flat at 15° off axis. This is because the off-axis flatness works together with extreme toe-in to create a smooth response and a superwide sweet spot. The acoustic principle at work is time-intensity trading (which works best with constant-directivity speakers like the Hsu's). In my room the sweet spot is about 7-ft wide. So if you have the space, the reward for this careful set-up is a huge soundstage with holographic imaging that is stable over a very wide sweet spot.

 

[JengaHit]

Can you propose any rules of thumb about narrow vs wide directivity in the context of how live the reflections in the room are?
I honestly don't know, but generally assume a very reflective room is better matched with narrow directivity, and a less reflective room (lots of carpet and drapes, etc) is better suited to a wide directivity!? What are your thoughts?

My CCB-8s have no problem with reflectivity in my 19.5x15x8 room. It's an average multi-purpose room with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves (lining rear wall, which are behind this viewpoint),CD shelves, artwork, floor-to-ceiling curtains, hardwood floors, an area rug, 2 sofas and 2 lounge chairs. When listening to music or watching a movie I'll often draw the curtains on the right to provide sound dampening.