dBTechnologies B.Hype portable live speaker: “Aggressive” yet “accurate”?
dB debut new entry-level speaker and wedge system
dBTechnologies have been very busy recently launching three new series of products. There’s the new flagship VIO line array system and the professional PA 10″, 12″ and 15″ Opera ‘top boxes’. We thought we’d take a look at their new entry-level portable speakers and wedges aimed at smaller live sound environments. The B.Hype looks like a standard upgrade for any modern speaker manufacturer, but we feel they’re sending a mixed message about their performance. Can this solution square the circle of offering both loudness and fidelity?
dBTechnologies B.Hype Loudspeakers
If it wasn’t for the name and the pedigree that is associated with this long-time pro audio manufacturer, I think we’d be raising some serious questions here. I assume these are probably great little boxes that deserve to serve as the next generation for dBTechnologies, but their marketing is a little disjointed. They seem to be playing the loudness card a lot with phrases such as “aggressive sound pressure levels“. This is then balanced against phrases such as “delivering the most accurate sound reproduction“. This leaves little clue to how they will actually perform.
What we can deduce from the information currently available is there are many refinements that look good on paper. Don’t expect the next breakthrough DSP technology or driver design here, but a more natural progression of refinement that I suspect is well in-line with other ‘top boxes’ of today. There’s a new asymmetrical horn which they promise improves coverage and throw.
In fact, the amplifiers installed in these units don’t appear to be all that powerful on paper when you compare them to the likes of Mackie and QSC’s lightweight portable options. However, with the stress dB Technologies are putting on loudness, I assume there’s a lot of DSP processing at play. There’s also a ‘BOOST’ EQ button for enhancing the loudness, probably at a cost to how ‘flat’ they sound. This type of technology has worked for some other players in the market, but sometimes this leaves a system not sounding particularly natural. We will see – I can’t wait to hear a pair!
More Information
I’m afraid I can’t find any recommended prices at the moment, but will come back and update when I have the low-down. Pricing is of course a big factor at this end of the market and there’s some fairly stiff competition. For more information visit the B.Hype webpage on dBTechnologies’ web site.
Video
Here’s dBTechnologies’ promo video for the B.Hype series. There’s not much info available here either, in a video that’s not really playing the professional angle too well.
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One response to “dBTechnologies B.Hype portable live speaker: “Aggressive” yet “accurate”?”
por gentileza me envie o esquema elétrico B Hype 12 DB Technologies