If the JBL CBT series passive speaker columns were around back when CB4 were coming to fame, you can bet that M.C. Gusto would have had at least a pair of these proudly protruding from the top of his hoopdie.

CBT stands for Constant Beamwidth Technology, which is JBL's fancy way of saying they've figured out how to combat the a number of the drawbacks of traditional passive column design, which would most commonly result in inconsistent coverage. CBT circuitry -- while not discussed in detail in the press release -- apparently makes these speaker columns behave more like finely-tuned line arrays, though with the simple implementation of plug-and-play PA systems. As part of the CBT functionality, these speakers include a switch that selects either long-throw or mid-throw dispersion patterns. Also standard for the series are "music" and "voice" settings (the latter featuring a vocal-presence boost) and "Dynamic SonicGuard" overload protection circuitry, which combats distortion issues.

The JBL CBT series was introduced at Infocomm09 with four models.

The CBT 50LA and CBT 100 LAare compact columns, the former measuring 50cm with a straight line of eight 2" drivers, with the latter measuring 100 cm high and utilizing 16 2” drivers. The 100LA handles up to 325 watts RMS, and both columns contain low-saturation transformers for use on 70V/100V distributed speaker lines or as low impedance speakers.

The CBT 70J is a 70cm-tall, J-shaped, 2-way coaxial "line array" utilizing sixteen tweeters and four 5" woofers. The parabolic curve of the CBT 70J mimics that of a multi-component line-array, helping the enclosure achieve the desired asymmetrical dispersion of complex concert sound systems. expensive line arrays commonly used in concert systems, i.e., the column’s top half projects highly concentrated sound toward the back of the venue, while the bottom half down-fills a broader, less concentrated sound to the front of the venue. A "pattern control" switch selects between 45° and 25° vertical coverage. The CBT 70JE is an extension cabinet for the 70J. By doubling the height of the column, the 70JE extends the system's frequency response even lower, and ups it's RMS power handling from 500 to 1000 watts.

These versatile CBT speakers are suitable for a wide array (as it were) of situations, including (as JBL suggests) "performance spaces, transit centers, lecture halls, multi-purpose rooms, board/meeting rooms, retail stores, courtrooms, theme parks, houses of worship, fellowship halls, movie theater lobbies, cinema surround, audio supporting video, race tracks, and many others."

No word yet on pricing and / or availability.