At the ISE 2015 show in Amsterdam, Harman’s JBL Professional has introduced the Control HST, an indoor/outdoor loudspeaker equipped with patent-pending HST Hemispherical Soundfield Technology that provides wide horizontal coverage approaching 180 degrees, using the wall it’s mounted on to its advantage.
“Our new Control HST not only overcomes the inherent acoustic reflections that typically occur with wall mounting, but actually makes the wall an integral part of the loudspeaker’s operation,” explains Rick Kamlet, senior manager, Commercial Sound, JBL Professional. “A single JBL Control HST can provide wall-to-wall coverage, which can reduce the number of loudspeakers needed for covering a space, lowering the overall cost for the sound system.”
The JBL Control HST is designed for a variety of applications including retail stores, restaurants, educational facilities, leisure venues, hotels and other music and music/paging uses. It’s IP34 water-resistant rated, enabling its use as an outdoor loudspeaker.
With most on-wall loudspeakers, the baffle of the loudspeaker is some distance from the wall, and it’s the nature of low- and low-mid-frequency sound waves to wrap around the loudspeaker, where they reflect back out from the wall and recombine with the original sound. Some of these are in phase with the output from the drivers and some are out of phase, causing reinforcement and cancellation and peaks and dips in the loudspeaker’s frequency response.
By employing a wall-facing woofer, two horizontally splayed tweeters, a bracket that spaces the loudspeaker at the required distance from the wall and a tapered cabinet that provides proper loading and dispersion of the sound, the Control HST is intended to reduce these inconsistencies to deliver a flatter frequency response and a more even sonic character throughout the room.
The 5.25-inch woofer is constructed from CMMD Ceramic Metal Matrix Diaphragm material, which bonds a ceramic material outer surface to an aluminum core for a lightweight yet rigid and durable cone that delivers clarity and detail. In addition, the CMMD material provides moisture resistance.
The loudspeaker’s dual 1-inch CMMD tweeters have a neodymium magnet, a polyurethane surround, and ferrofluid cooling to contribute to high output with low distortion. The Control HST is capable of handling up to 100 watts and is equipped with a 4-pin phoenix-type removable locking connector that includes loop-through terminals for parallel connection to another loudspeaker. In addition, the Control HST provides a 60-watt 70-volt/100-volt multi-tap transformer for use in distributed audio applications.
Measuring approximately 14 inches wide by 10 inches tall and 7.25 inches deep, the JBL Control HST comes with a heavy-duty, weather-resistant powder-coated U-bracket with four M6 mounting points.
The loudspeaker must be installed using the bracket to ensure correct spacing from the wall and proper acoustic performance. The loudspeaker should not be mounted in a corner or on a pole.
The Control HST’s sealed, fiberglass-reinforced ABS enclosure, painted aluminum grille and weather-resistant drivers are designed to foster reliable operation even under harsh environmental conditions. The Control HST is available in black or white finish and can be painted.