Testing the Hybrid DSP24 Speaker Management Processor

Hybrid covers a range of products sold in South Africa through Viva Africa, concentrating on the professional audio industry for the African market. 

Viva Afrika represents and distributes Numark, Real Sound, Audiocenter, RAM Audio, db Technologies and Beyma as well as their exclusive brands Hybrid and Hybrid+.

Most of the professional audio dealers in South Africa promote Hybrid and Hybrid+ranges and a very important factor here has been around the reliability factor as well as the technical support.

Loudspeakers – passive and active crossovers.

The below circuit is that of a very simple passive cross over network for a two speaker system, that of a woofer and tweeter. Link: Elliott Sound Products Passive Design Crossover Tables

Although the above circuit is the most basic one will use, crossover networks are very complex devices.  The loudspeaker components, because of their mostly inductive nature are electric motors,  so besides a rather complex inductive reactance we also mechanical resonance and back e.m.f. (electromotive force) – the voltage that is fed back to the input.  The downside to this is that crossover components need to be set up according to the specification of the driver. 

Passive crossover systems have two other major drawbacks, lower efficiency and power handling.  Audiophiles also complain of distortion.   The first time I actually heard distortion through my Eltax Millenium 500 speaker system was when the inductor feeding the midrange speaker could not take the punch.

Eltax Millenium Burnt Crossover

Eltax Millennium 500 – burnt crossover -3 way system.

Sansui 2 way crossover

When setting up a speaker system many avid young DJs or just the average tinkerer wants to manipulate the crossovers and output drive to multiple speaker systems.  When doing a live show it’s not only critical that the audio crossovers be balanced to near perfection,  sound engineers need to hear what it sounds like as they make changes through their tablet or phone.

As a test a while back I purchased an entry level,  sub-  low- and high- analog crossover from one of the DJ thrift stores in South Africa. To say I was underwhelmed is an overstatement.  But at R1200.00 what could one expect.  The Hybrid DSP24 at R800.00 more from BC Electronics in Cape Town was definitely streets ahead. Of course you can opt for the dbx Driverrack 480 for nearly 12 times the price and be (in my case) way out of your depth for a small setup.  The Hybrid works well, is very easy to set up and is just great value.

The Hybrid DSP24 in a small setup

The positives or pros to having an active speaker management system is ease of use and flexibility.

The DSP24 is designed to be used with the Hybrid amplifier SKUs B1200, B2400 and B4000 with a permutation of speaker systems, 10″ to 18″ bass drivers.

In my setup I have 2 x Alto TS412s and a bunch of Hybrid 15H600 bass drivers in home made cabinets.   Where I had issues before with setting up either passive crossover systems for the 15″ drivers and then an entry, entry level active crossover the entry level HSP24 does a very good job.  I have no experience whatsoever in using high end active crossovers but I felt that the DSP24 has now finally given me the sound quality I have been looking forward to.

Features
• Linked left and right inputs
• 4 x input PEQs, each with selectable filters (high-shelf, low-shelf, notch, high-pass and low-pass)
• Outputs 1 and 2 as well as outputs 3 and 4 linked by default
• HPF or LPF with 6, 12, 18 and 24 dB/oct slopes
• Crossover types include Linkwitz-Riley, Butterworth or Bessel filters
• Linked outputs 1 and 2 as well as Linked outputs 3 and 4 can switch between PEQ and 30-band graphic EQ
• 8 × PEQs for linked outputs 1 and 2 as well as outputs 3 and 4, each with selectable filters (high-shelf, low-shelf, notch, high-pass and low-pass)
• Time-alignment up to 15 ms on linked outputs 1 and 2 and linked outputs 3 and 4
• Linked outputs 1 and 2 as well as linked outputs 3 and 4 have a limiter with attack, release and threshold
• Independent phase invert for all outputs
• Independent mute function for all outputs
• Electronic Earth-lift
• Utilities menu allows you to load the preset from a smart device, save the preset to a smart device, write the preset to the DSP24, change and save the password, upgrade the firmware
and change the LED logo’s colour and intensity

Technical Specifications
Analogue inputs (A and B): Electronically balanced XLR
Analogue outputs (1, 2, 3 and 4): Electronically balanced XLR
Maximum RMS input level: +20 dBu
Input impedance: 20 kΩ @ 1 kHz
Dynamic range: 100 Db
Resolution: 24-bit Delta-Sigma
Maximum RMS output level: +20 dBu
Dynamic range: 104 dB typ.
Output impedance: 100 Ω @ 1 kHz
Frequency response: 10 Hz to 35 kHz (±3 dB)
Overall dynamic range: 102 dB
THD + noise ratio: 0,005% @ 0 dBu
Mains voltage: 100–240 VAC 50–60 Hz
Fuse rating: 250 mA
Power consumption: <10 W
Mains connector: Standard IEC receptacle
Net dimensions (H×D×W): 45 mm × 127 mm × 483 mm
Shipping dimensions (H×D×W): 70 mm × 85 mm × 560 mm
Net weight: 1.6 kg
Shipping weight: 2 kg

In conclusion, whereas before, with passive crossovers and the cheap arsed active crossover the low frequency range of the 15″ drivers were way underutilised, the DSP makes these low frequency enclosures kick arse.  

Note also, as an aside, the speaker boxes I made from specification given by subbox.pro.  I decided not to go with ported or reflex designs because of the size and the limitation I have in the den.  Before when driving these bass units I never realised the full potential of the enclosures, thinking that I should never have gone with sealed boxes.  This changed my mind.

Hybrid 15H600 with homemade loudspeaker enclosures – amplifier B2400

Some links from Elliott Sound Products.

2-Way electronic Crossover Network

3-Way Active Crossover

2023-VA-Hybrid-DSP24-Manual-V4-28-Nov