[witchdoctor]

I have a home theater in the mancave and needed to install height channels. Atmos has different configurations and you don't have to cut holes in your ceiling. I went with front and rear height channels mounted high on the wall near the ceiling. Rather than choosing traditional bookshelf speakers I chose the JBL Control CRV which is sold in their professional line. The speaker is shaped on a curve  and has two 4 inch drivers with a titanium tweeter in the middle. Talk about "immersion", it is the most natural sounding setup. It is like sitting in a fish bowl of sound, you are compelety immersed. Knowing what I know now I would have installed these speakers for all 9.1 channels, not just height channels. You can install them on the wall, in corners, from the ceiling, etc. Just amazing! Here is a link to a video review and a pic. They are about $200 each on Amazon and often pop up for less on ebay. If you buy a used set make sure it includes the mounting brackets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33oFEmncEKg

[dburna]

Pretty cool layout, WD. Scanned the video but couldn't tell, but I assume these are passive, no? And also assume they are not wireless. So you still need to cut a hole in the ceiling to route wires, correct? Just wondering.

This looks like a great solution for A/V applications but probably less good for a main stereo rig. Or conversely, they would be great to augment a main rig if it was pulling dual stereo-A/V duty, in which case I would probably turn these JBL's off when just listening to music. Bet they are great for movies and such, however.

Regards, -dGB

P.S. Would you please comment on their sound quality relative to other immersive or surround speakers? How do they sound relative to their competitors in the $200-400 price range?

[poseidonsvoice]

WD,

Correct me if I am wrong, but I do know JBL builds a range of CBT speaker designs (licensed from Don Keele), and your post reminds me of that.

CBT is no joke from what people tell me.

Best,
Anand.

[dburna]

WD,

Correct me if I am wrong, but I do know JBL builds a range of CBT speaker designs (licensed from Don Keele), and your post reminds me of that.

CBT is no joke from what people tell me.

Best,
Anand.

CBT.......isn't that what people use as a sleep aid and to help them cope with anxiety?   

-dGB

[witchdoctor]

Pretty cool layout, WD. Scanned the video but couldn't tell, but I assume these are passive, no? And also assume they are not wireless. So you still need to cut a hole in the ceiling to route wires, correct? Just wondering.

This looks like a great solution for A/V applications but probably less good for a main stereo rig. Or conversely, they would be great to augment a main rig if it was pulling dual stereo-A/V duty, in which case I would probably turn these JBL's off when just listening to music. Bet they are great for movies and such, however.

Regards, -dGB

P.S. Would you please comment on their sound quality relative to other immersive or surround speakers? How do they sound relative to their competitors in the $200-400 price range?

Yes, these are passive speakers. The mancave is in the basement and much smaller than my media room where I use active speakers. I ran the wires up near where the wall meets the ceiling even though the basement uses a drop ceiling. Before I installed them I set them up on my desktop rig in stereo and did not want to take them out because they sound good in stereo too. They take the meaning of speakers "disappearing" almost literally. You cannot localize the drivers at all.
Here is a review from Home Theater review in a 5.1 configuration and he says about two channel performance:

But the even coverage that the design achieved gave plain old two-channel the spaciousness and evenness that I associate with well-executed surround. It was slightly harder to localize the speakers with stereo than with surround. That’s the first time that’s ever happened to me.

https://www.soundandvision.com/compactspeakers/jbl_control_now_aw_speaker_system

[witchdoctor]

As for how they sound compared to competitors in the $200-$400 price range I can compare to the JBL Studio 230 bookshelf which are $400 a pair that I use as the front L-R bed channels. As for imaging these speakers in stereo sound unique, sound just emanates from everywhere. I can't compare it to anything else I have heard. However the 230's have a LOT more bass. These only extend down to about 80 hz so a sub is a must. For a high end two channel stereo setup I would probably go with a speaker that has more bass. In a 2.1,5.1 or 9.1 setup I wouldn't hesitate to choose these. Here is an episode of mancaves where they use these speakers. Check out the configuration around the flat screen TV and high on the wall for surrounds. In a tight space wall mounting is SUCH a nice alternative to using stands and the shape of these speakers spreads the sound all around so you don't have the typical wekness of a setup of having to fight for the sweet spot:

https://youtu.be/_1TlOmkRrKk

[witchdoctor]

WD,

Correct me if I am wrong, but I do know JBL builds a range of CBT speaker designs (licensed from Don Keele), and your post reminds me of that.

CBT is no joke from what people tell me.

Best,
Anand.

Hi Anand, You are well informed. The CBT series are line arrays with the same goal of dispersing sound in a wide area but use a different technology. I am connected to a JBL engineer via social media and he spoke very highly of the CBT design for this HT/Atmos application:

https://youtu.be/_1TlOmkRrKk

[WC]

WD,

I have a drop ceiling also. Looking at the mounting bracket when mounting to a ceiling/wall interface the instructions show putting screws into the ceiling and the wall. With a drop ceiling putting the screws into the ceiling is a problem. How did it work for you?

[witchdoctor]

WD,

I have a drop ceiling also. Looking at the mounting bracket when mounting to a ceiling/wall interface the instructions show putting screws into the ceiling and the wall. With a drop ceiling putting the screws into the ceiling is a problem. How did it work for you?

Each side of the bracket has holes for 4 screws. I just attached the bracket to the wall with 4 screws and it was enough to hold the speaker. I think another 4 screws to attach to the ceiling for a total of 8 are unnecessary.