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Reviews For: ClearSpeech Speaker CSS-1

Category: Speakers for communications

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Review Summary For : ClearSpeech Speaker CSS-1
Reviews: 36MSRP: 179.95
Description:
Powered Speaker with integral DSP noise reduction
Product is in production
More Info:
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00364.6
WB8VLC Rating: 2023-03-22
excellent dsp for new and older radios Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I Picked mine up from HRO in the used listings for just 50 dollars and it is rotated around between my 3 main HF radios which are:
A Motorola Maxtrac for 10 meter FM where it pulls FM dx out of the noise making even signals at .3 uv sound excellent.

On my Elecraft K3S it is used to enhance the already excellent K3S dsp even more so on SSB and AM phone but where it really makes the Elecraft shine is on 10 and 6 meters FM where the Elecraft doesn't have any DSP noise reduction for FM modes and with the clearspeech it makes FM receive on the K3S sound like broadcast quality.

Finally on my 30 year old Kenwood TS690S this unit makes the TS690S sound as good as the other radios and makes the Kenwood a pleasure to use side by side with the other 2 radios listed above on all phone modes.

W4KVW Rating: 2013-10-07
AWESOME STUFF! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
AWESOME addition to my ICOM 756 PROII.It makes an IF DSP rig even better & better is a good thing.I also now have the ClearSpeech Base unit on my ICOM 746 PRO.These products are keepers & as soon as I find another one of either model at a VERY reasonable price I will add it to my mobile & ICOM 7000.These units are AMAZING & make listening easy & a pleasure & makes those weak signals workable by doing away with most all of the white noise & they do just what they are suppose to do. {:>)
N2SUB Rating: 2013-02-25
Unbelieveable Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought mine in 1999, and have used it on ever rig I have owned since. In my opinion, this little gem makes even the lowest quality radio sound like a top notch receiver. It completely knocks out the noise floor and give you arm-chair copy nearly 100% of the time. I continually find myself flipping it to compare the barefoot signal to the processed signal....and I ALWAYS flip it back on, happy that I grabbed one of these before they stopped making them :(
W2NSF Rating: 2011-08-14
Don't make 'em like this anymore Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I put my CSS-1 in the same class as my Astron power supply...it works so well and so reliably, I forget it's there. I got a new one when they first came out and I, too was using a 706MkIIIG, and it made it into a very pleasant rig to listen to. Now, I've graduated to a 756ProIII and I still use the CSS-1, it's that good. Recommend finding one of these beauties if you can, they really make listening to the HF bands (SSB, CW) easy. Most of the hiss just falls away, leaving the signals behind...it's a nice little DSP device, and the speaker sounds pretty good, too. It's also great to hear this thing perform when it encounters tone-type QRN, as it takes about a second to compute the noise, and then it squelches it.
WZ3O Rating: 2011-08-13
Have two..... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Needed a noise solution for running my IC-706MKiiG mobile. Found a "like new" one, bought it, set it up in the vehicle, am very happy. My 706 became a pleasure to listen to, making contacts I couldn't have heard before ClearSpeech.

I bought a second one recently for the shack & given band conditions, intermittent noise issues, it helps even the DSP rigs to sound that much better.
N5GLR Rating: 2004-01-13
OUTSTANDING Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Having had the pleasure of owning and using two of these speakers/DSP units for about a year, I can say they work like majic in removing band noise, ignition noise, carriers, and just about every other nasty noise heard on HF. I own one of the newer models, mounted mobile with my DX70T, and one of the older models, mounted in the shack, and, althought not cheap, they were worth the price. Someone else has called it a marriage saver and I couldn't agree more. My operating desk is back to back with my wife's computer desk and about 5 feet apart. She no longer complains about the "noise" from the HF rig. The Clearspeech makes listening to HF almost as easy as listening to FM.
HF mobile is very comfortable listening using my Clearspeech II. I find the Clearspeech II is an improvement over the standard model. It attacks the noise a little quicker than the original and does a better job of quieting more of the noise. If either of my speakers die, I'm under orders from the XYL to replace it right away.

N5GLR
Garry
WC4V Rating: 2003-08-31
Works great, better with external speaker Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I found out about the CSS-1 from KGØDK who raved about it and after hearing it bought one. Installed in 96 GMC Jimmy with FT100. Made HF ham radio possible. Previous experience with Alinco DX70TH and Timewave 59+. DX70TH totally useless due to ignition noise and Jimmy. 59+ was no help.
Enter FT100 and CSS-1. Totally different experience. FT100 noise blanker superb, CSS-1 takes care of the rest. Only complaint (other than having to install my own power switch) was low audio output. Reading reviews this afternoon led to my plugging Motorola Micor mobile speaker into CSS-1 external speaker jack. WOW - live actual hearable audio. You can find Micor speakers at every hamfest. The last ones I bought at Orlando were $5.00! Fabulous speakers with great audio, almost impossible to overdrive. Now the CSS-1 will really deliver the sound needed to overcome road noise.
VA3BJD Rating: 2003-04-30
Best thing since sliced bread Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is a fantastic piece of Amateur Gear. I have hooked up to a 706 remotely mounted and it works wonders! This works better than the DSP that comes with the 706. The plastic mounting bracket is a let down but I don't use it. Over all a good buy!
W4PIG Rating: 2003-04-29
SAVE YOU MONEY!!!!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
FIRST YOU WOULD THINK FOR THE PRICE YOU PAY FOR THAT SPEAKER IT WOULD BE OF GOOD QUAILITY THINK AGAIN!! THE MOUNTING BRACKET IS MADE OF PLASTIC EVEN THE CHEAP RADIO SHACK SPEAKERS GIVE YOU A METAL MOUNTING BRACKET. I HOOKED IT UP WITH MY YAESU FT-100D I HAD BAD RF PROBLEMS WITH IT THE AUDIO SOUNDED GARBLED. I CALLED FOR TEC SUPPORT THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD PROBLEMS WITH THEM ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WITH HF RIGS THAT HAS THE HEAD SEPERATION KIT. HE TOLD ME TO GET SOME TORIDS AND PUT ONE HERE AND THERE. YOU WOULD THINK THEY WOULD WORK THESE PROBLEMS OUT FOR THE PRICE OF THE SPEAKER . THIS PIECE OF JUNK WILL BE SHIPPED BACK TOMMORROW FIRST THING. THE ONLY GOOD THING IS THERE GURANTEE IF THEY HONOR IT. WILL LET YOU KNOW IF THEY HONOR THERE GURANTEE.
DG2IAQ Rating: 2002-09-23
Modifications for 5+/5 Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I own 4 ClearSpeech Speakers since I was satisfied with my first one. In Germany they're called "Midland DCSS48" or "Alan DCSS48".

But I did some modifications for even better audio, especially for car use:

- Remove R11 (8,2 Ohms/5watts)
- C26 (100n) -> 2,2µ pluspole toward Pin5/U4
- C40 (100n) -> 4,7µ pluspole toward Pin1/U4
- R9 (820) -> 2,2k
- 22µ parallel to speaker
- fill out speaker box with audio foam
(used in audio speakers)

This gives much more heights, loudness and clearance. The af volume of the receiver now can be reduced for the equal af output on CSS-1. This reduces disortions of the internal receiver af amp.

The problem on mobile use is that in the original state you have to give a high af input to get a readable af output on the CSS-1 while driving. But then the DSP processor is overdriven and can't work as good as it could. So for mobile use you have to reduce the af input by reducing the rigs volume. Then you can hear the difference of DSP on/off ! With the modified R9 I raised the output (!!) level of the DSP to give a higher af output to the speaker.
C29 opens the af lowpass filter for less darkness and better clearance.
But the af signal always sounds a little bit like a robotic speech, but that's the work of the DSP.

I put a piece of speaker foam into the CSS-1 speaker box. This reduces the dark, hollow sound drastically and gives a much better clearance, even without the above electronic mods. The foam is a must ! Cause the box is plastic and no wood like in good, big audio speaker boxes.

With the above configuration I never had any problems on my mobile VHF/UHF Yaesu FT-90. And for sure the CSS-1 works even better on shortwave AM/SSB, its main appointment.

On my first impressions I gave the CSS-1 a 5/5. Now I would give him a 5+/5 !

Maybe in a few weeks, when I've got the time, I'll publish the mods with some images on my homepage

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dg2iaq/


Best regards.
Jochen, DG2IAQ