We build audio systems for people that are not interested in distortion or compression as being a part of their listening experience.

All of our designs are the shape and finish they are in the pursuit of one thing; High Performance Audio. 

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Here are some common questions and answers.

 

Harbottle - Funk, what is that?

We are two separate companies that share an engineering method.

We are not beholden to each other, we just get along and collaborate on design work when needed. 

We are also very good friends with a high amount of respect and regard for each others skills and abilities. 

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Where is your stuff made?

In Sechelt BC and Fort St John BC.

Harbottle and Funk share manufacturing space.

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Do you actually build your drivers and products yourself?

Yes. Our social media accounts are full of photos of things being built, and of the list of 6 parts that we do not make ourselves, we use the best manufacturers in the world to ODM these parts for us, and then we test and inspect each part for full use before we even think about using it.

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LDLC? What is that?

This is the way we talk about our gear. We hate distortion and compression because the result is product that is made to a budget and not to a performance standard. 

We design, engineer, and build to a performance standard and LDLC is the language of that standard.

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So are the Harbottle subs the same as the Funk subs?

Not entirely. We actually only share 3 drivers total out of all the subwoofers we make, and considering that the enclosures we build are vastly different, those subwoofer drivers that do cross over, sound different. 

Funk and Harbottle have a very different ways of executing LDLC. In terms of the industry standard, we are splitting hairs. But in LDLC terms, our subwoofers are quite different. 

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Carbon fiber?

The carbon enclosure is the composite. It's not made from composite materials, its made into a composite enclosure consisting of Baltic Birch and Carbon Fiber, that's it, that's all.  Composite Enclosure vs Made from composite materials. Big difference. 

The carbon is not a veneer or finish, it's an actual structural member of the enclosure. We apply it in such a way so that it compresses, damps, and stiffens the whole box. This has a very big impact on how much energy is transferred to the air and how much resonance the box contributes to the sound coming from the speaker. In other words, it kills off that nasty and unwanted contribution and gives you more pure audio. 

Question for you: Do you want your subwoofer to color the sound of your speakers? I didn't think so. Ultimately, people only want the subwoofer to fill in the low end of music, and provide the immersive and impactful low end for movies and HT. In this case, a neutral subwoofer is the order of the day.

If you want your main speakers sonic signature (the way they sound) to be left alone, the carbon subs are for you.

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L3?

That is a trussed carbon box. We essentially truss the inside of the box with carbon fiber and make it act like a solid block of birch ply in the size of the enclosure, no air space for drivers or amps.

This character is very similar to the billet aluminum speakers that some other high-end manufacturers are making.

For our loudspeakers, it is the trussed enclosure and a Duelund Coherent Audio crossover network. 

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Dual XLR input?

They are for people who want to run a summed (mono) subwoofer signal from a dedicated 2.0 channel stereo system and do no have a LFE or subwoofer output on their preamp. 

This allows you to run a very nice subwoofer on any 2 channel system by simply splitting the output left and right at the preamp stage and running left and right direct into the subwoofer. The amp is set to auto sum the two signals so you get an optimized bass experience without the draw backs of frequency cancelations by running stereo subwoofers. 

XLR signals can be split about 4 times with no losses in a domestic setting. So you can run dual subs (summed, mono) in a dedicated 2 channel set up without the need for a subwoofer output. 

If this confuses you, contact us. I will help you.

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Can I contact Harbottle Audio for Funk Audio support?

No. We maintain our own customers as our designs and principals that govern the designs are very different, this directly affects the manufacturer warranty and customer experience. 

In fact, Funk and Harbottle have to formally request to work on each others equipment. This is done in writing with a outline of work to be done and specific boundaries set in place. 

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It seems complicated.

It isn't. It's actually a very productive business system where we get to tap into a pool of collective knowledge with over 75 years of industry experience without the bloat of a large company that would normally accompany that experience. 

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What makes you a professional?

Nathan Funk and I created LDLC by inventing the science. We saw that the industry was in a stalemate with it's own standard and each new standard ultimately ends up being a different way of explaining the same thing with very little progress in actually catering to the way our ears work. We stepped back and critically analyzed audio and found that the fundamentals haven't changed since the 1950's. With too much focus on the minutiae of feature filled gimmicks and not enough focus on a product quality and developing a performance standard that holds manufacturers accountable, the industry standard really isn't for us. We like performance in LDLC terms more. It is clearly defined and does not allow for tomfoolery.

We were disappointed with the selection of off the shelf drivers available, so we set a new goal, developed the science, created LDLC, and abandoned the accepted method of designing, engineering, and even building audio. If that doesn't make us professionals, it definitely makes us brave inventors. 

 

So, how to I do business with you?

You can order the product online through our product pages or you can contact us directly and we will help you.