B&O's Beolab 90 isit the speaker that could?

[Don Hills]

... Maybe there's a clue there.

Colour me clueless, then.

My point was that they may well sound better (than traditional speakers) in a real room with real ears, but with a recording you lose the vital directional processing performed by your auditory system. Regardless of the radiation pattern, the same total energy is radiated into the room and ends up at the microphone. The improvement the Beolabs provide is less early reflection energy, and what there is has a frequency response better matching the on-axis response.

 

[RayDunzl]

Colour me clueless, then.

I'm sorry, I was referring to the software features that have and have yet to be implemented, with the presumption that in the past (when the recordings were made) there would have been fewer features, like room correction, which is partially implemented in the current release.

 

[Don Hills]

Ah, Ok.
I assumed that they would have implemented the strongest selling points (pattern control, DRC) before demonstrating them...

I am reminded of some experiments a friend and I did about 40 years ago. He lived on a farm. We tried out some speakers in different locations:
- In a living room.
- In a large barn.
- Outside the barn, against one wall.
- In the middle of a field.
The constant was the dimensions of the speakers - listener triangle.
There were no unexpected results, the main difference was the heightened impression of soundstage "depth" in the enclosed locations. The middle of the field sounded particularly flat and dull.

 

[Cosmik]

My point was that they may well sound better (than traditional speakers) in a real room with real ears, but with a recording you lose the vital directional processing performed by your auditory system.

Yes, a recording made with a mic a long way from the source in a room sounds very 'hollow' compared to how it sounds when you're there. This is one of the reasons why recordings are rarely just made with a pair of mics in a concert hall. I wouldn't draw a conclusion on how effective the Beolab is from listening to a single recording made in-room.

Regardless of the radiation pattern, the same total energy is radiated into the room and ends up at the microphone. The improvement the Beolabs provide is less early reflection energy, and what there is has a frequency response better matching the on-axis response.

It is my understanding that more total energy is radiated into the room with the aim that less of it will end up at the microphone, having cancelled out in mid-air. Just as if we face two speakers towards each other with one connected in anti-phase, playing a mono recording. You can turn the volume up as high as you like, but not much energy will reach a nearby mic.

 

[RayDunzl]

.

It is my understanding that more total energy is radiated into the room with the aim that less of it will end up at the microphone, having cancelled out in mid-air.

I wonder if you can play them in reverse, where it cancels the direct sound?

If not, why not?

Meanwhile;
University of Edinburgh engineers finally opened their long-awaited ocean simulator FloWave, with the ability to mimic any point off the coast of Great Britain.

Someday I'll have to put a speaker in the swimming pool and watch the waves...

.

 

[Purité Audio]

Imagine if electrostatics could cancel their rear projected output,stats could then start to sound half decent.
Keith

 

[fas42]

Thanks to Ray's video, I just learnt something new - the special significance of 'Miss Shilling's orifice' ...

 

[NorthSky]

Imagine if electrostatics could cancel their rear projected output,stats could then start to sound half decent.
Keith

But that would counteract/defeat their intended propriety/quality attributes: spaciousness and transparency...a clear window to the real event.

 

[Purité Audio]

Is that what they are meant to do open a clear window to the real event?
Keith

 

[RayDunzl]

Imagine if electrostatics could cancel their rear projected output,stats could then start to sound half decent.

Imagine if Desperate Dealers had to support their salesmanship with some simple measurements.

 

[Purité Audio]

I imagine that electrostatic owners haven't heard any other speakers so believe they are good.
keith

 

[NorthSky]

Is that what they are meant to do open a clear window to the real event?
Keith

Would you like me to provide you with few links?

"A single electrostatic driver is capable of reproducing the entire frequency range where human hearing is most sensitive to the delicacy and richness of sound. This unique technology assures that what you hear is faithful to the original recording by eliminating the need for complex crossovers and multiple driver arrays (which cause distortion)."

• http://www.martinlogan.com/learn/what-are-electrostats.php
_________

"BeoLab 90 features an impressive 360-degree design and a variety of settings to give you mind-blowing sound, regardless of its placement, the room, or your listening position."

♦ https://www.bang-olufsen.com/en/collection/speakers/beolab-90

"Resonances in your room, and boundary effects from your walls, affect the sound you get from your loudspeakers. BeoLab 90 is fitted with Bang & Olufsen’s new Active Room Compensation technology that makes up for the impact of your room, your furniture, the placement of the loudspeakers, and the location of the listening position. This advanced technology guarantees you get a sensational sound experience, exactly where you want it."

"Reflections from your room’s surfaces affect your listening experience by altering both the tonal balance and the precision of the placement of instruments and voices. With Beam Width Control you get the power to ensure that these reflections do not interfere with the experience when you sit in the sweet spot. Invite friends to join you, and you can widen the beam to ensure that everyone shares the same sound. The beam can even be expanded to provide full 360º dispersion, if you are hosting a party. BeoLab 90 delivers the sound where you want it. With loudspeaker drivers placed in various directions, you can use the Beam Direction Control to steer the sound radiation to your favourite listening location. These groundbreaking new Bang & Olufsen technologies will give you an experience you get nowhere else."

 

[RayDunzl]

I imagine that electrostatic owners haven't heard any other speakers so believe they are good.

That would certainly place a severe restriction upon who would own them.

I wouldn't qualify.

 

[Thomas savage]

 

[NorthSky]

It's no hype, it's $80,000 of research and development based on real room acoustics. It comes with the full package, multidude of drivers @ 360°, bunch of amps, DSP chips to crunch the measurement numbers..100% digitized EQuing.
Kal Rubinson will eventually share his experience...I am patiently waiting for his calculated analyses and auditory impressions.

 

[NorthSky]

 

[Thomas savage]

It's no hype, it's $80,000 of research and development based on real room acoustics. It comes with the full package, multidude of drivers @ 360°, bunch of amps, DSP chips to crunch the measurement numbers..100% digitized EQuing.
Kal Rubinson will eventually share his experience...I am patiently waiting for his calculated analyses and auditory impressions.

Don't doubt it but it does not render every other speaker a pile of crap..

 

[Cosmik]

... it does not render every other speaker a pile of crap..

I am open to the idea that it does. In the same way that the Tivo rendered every VCR a pile of crap. Analogising speakers with cars or food is misleading - a speaker has a very specific job to do, and *it* isn't the experience.

 

[NorthSky]

I am very open too; always was and will in this audio science hobby/business.

 

[Purité Audio]

Not crap just out dated.
Keith