Closer Look: d&b audiotechnik E6

It is a very common stereotype in theatre that sound people’s heads are crammed full of model numbers. I can attest to the fact that this stereotype is absolutely true. I have had full-on conversations and even debates using nothing more than numbers and letters. No need for conjunctions, verbs, or prepositions to communicate—just the occasional article. And it seems that, as soon as we commit a model number to our precious long-term memory, it changes. Sennheiser’s HMD-410 now HMD-36. XTA Electronics’ DP226 now DP426. It seems I am getting so long in the tooth in this business that when I go to a manufacturer’s website, I immediately look for the discontinued section.

And when will we hit the limit as sound people? When will our heads be so full of letters and numbers that we just can’t hold another one? Will there come a point when we add one more that causes a memory avalanche of our delicately balanced model numbers? Will we just start spurting out nonsense? Will we look up from the back of the rack one day and say, “Hand me the MHD-426”? This is a cold-sweat nightmare for me.

Well, fear not, but make room for one more letter and number. It is time to crack open your melons and drop in a letter and a number that you are going to start using over and over again. d&b audiotechnik has released the E6 speaker, the refresh of their classic E3, and it is quite a good refresh.

The E3 has been around for almost 10 years, and in that time, it has become a favorite for use as a front-fill, surround, or delay speaker. It has a 6.5” LF and a 1” HF that is a rotatable 60°x90°, and it sounds really good. The company has made some very good improvements on the E3. The E6 is a relatively small high-performance multipurpose loudspeaker employing an integrated coaxial driver. The horn has a 100° x 55° dispersion pattern that can easily be rotated without the use of tools—without the use of tools! The grill is held on by magnets and can easily be popped off, and the horn can be rotated by hand. It can be driven either by d&b’s D6 or D12 dual channel power amplifiers configured for the E6. The speaker is also smaller by a couple inches and lighter (by 5lbs) than the E3 without sacrificing any SPL or coverage.

The E6 loudspeaker will be available starting July 2010, so start chanting with me, “E6…E6…E6…E6.”