Which models had a cardioid or similar controlled dispersion?
I question the supposedly universal value of cardioid dispersion achieved through passive design elements. Especially for near-field studio monitors. If you believe this is a unique and novel idea, please go to your nearest electronics store and look at the myriad of cylinder-shaped portable bluetooth speakers with passive radiators on their left and right sides.
I understand benefits of finely-controlled dispersion achieved via active design elements. Especially in the context of home stereo. I haven't heard
https://www.bang-olufsen.com/en/speakers/beolab-90, yet its reviews make perfect sense to me, as they corroborate precisely the type of behavior I'd expect, given the design.
Reviews claiming the superiority of 8C over everything don't make sense to me, sorry. The right way to convince guys like me is to use something like REW to match the 8C measured frequency response curve on a well-known pair of low-distorting active speakers with same or wider frequency range, carefully match the levels, and then run a blind test.
Imo, there's no specific market for speakers like D&D.
Unfortunately, in this case there may be no specific profits for the company either. A new product has to prove that it is better than the incumbent products. Unless the new product is vastly and universally superior on virtually all characteristics, it has to find a market niche where the vendor can unambiguously prove its superiority.
I dig the benefits of using more of the speaker surfaces for placing its transducers and ports. I dig the benefits of wider dispersion in the context of smaller rooms with hard surfaces. And, believe it or not, I dig the clear and minimalistic design, as well as the marketing materials involving green open spaces and "clean underwear"
.
However, if you want meaningful global sales, I believe the marketing message needs to be tightened, and markets narrowed down. For instance, you could advertise C8 as an "urban-oriented" system, which, while providing full-range sound, is less likely to disturb apartment neighbors than a system with subwoofer placed on a floor.
Correspondingly, if you want to sell in the USA, your photos better include smallish apartments with views to Central Park in New York, Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco etc. Also, you can emphasize the "all in one" nature of 8C, and how even an audio-technology-novice young professional woman can achieve great sound in her cute yet not too spacious apartment.