Based on this interesting thread about dream DACs, I decided to make a similar one for speakers, as I was thinking about this earlier today.
So how would your dream speaker be like?
Since dreaming is still free , my ideal speaker is more like a system which I describe below. Let me know what you would change and why?
Design goals
1. Full range in a single enclosure. As in 20Hz or less up to 40+ kHz all in a single tower speaker.
2. Point source configuration. D'Appolito or coax configurations. I like the idea back-to-back, vibration canceling, side firing woofers of the Vivid Giyas or KEF Blades.
3. Active and digital. With a center control box with the usual digital inputs sending digital audio to both speakers by cable.
4. Time aligned stepped response. Some debate whether this is noticeable, I once heard a Goldmund demo switching on/off and it was clearly noticeable to me.
5. Wide and smooth horizontal dispersion. Some would argue that narrow lateral dispersion is preferable, this is debateable, I still would choose wide.
6. Narrow and smooth vertical dispersion. Contrary to side dispersion, I see no point in wide vertical dispersion, as stereo is supposed to be left and right.
Implementation
Now this is where the fun part begins, as it kind of combines everything we measure and discuss here in ASR.
1, 2, 5: I guess the ideal enclosure would look like a KEF Blade, sealed for better woofer transients, internally sealed for each band. The electronics would be fixed behind, isolated from the driver's air pressure and cabinet vibrations, and designed to be easily user replaceable (screws and plugs, for upgrades or swapping defective modules). Since it is active and digital, the bass response can be extended but with a maximum power limiting to avoid distortion and damage (if I keep turning the volume up it limits the bass addition, and further it is also soft limited to 1% THD per driver factory measured).
3. Control box with USB, Bluetooth, Wifi, SFP cage (for easy choice of ethernet or optical network), AES-EBU and BNC/RCA SPDIF coax inputs. USB input also for external drive in order to play music directly, as well as internet streaming. Mic input and calibrated microphone for digital room correction. Phone app for choosing house curves (4 preset based on the usual ones, or input my custom house curve). Output to speakers by something robust like AES-EBU with 24/192 or more if possible.
Single IEC power input on each speaker with auto-sensing voltage 100-240V. Amplification would be the highest performing class D (Purifi Eigentakt, Hypex NCore) on all drivers, one for each driver. Gain stages optimized for highest SINAD on all volumes (variable gain possibly). The DACs of each frequency band with low noise floor like -150dB and distortion spikes below -120dB FS on 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
4. Time alignment I understand is trivial to implement with digital and active speakers, so just add an on/off or variable alignment on the app for fun.
6. I don't recall how the UniQ coax is on the vertical axis, but maybe combine it with some sort of Dynaudio Confidence waveguide to limit vertical dispersion?
Yes, it would be expensive. Very expensive. Like dozens of thousands of USD. But it would perform like no other.
Maybe another model using a bookshelf enclosure, with similar design goals and implementation, but obviously with lower bass extension and bass SPL (1+1 side woofers). But add 2 pairs of RCA and XLR outputs from the control box for dual subwoofers and add the subwoofer to the room EQ features (cutoff, PEQ, etc).
@jackocleebrown @Bruno Putzeys how about that?
KEF Blade
Dynaudio Confidence waveguide detail
So how would your dream speaker be like?
Since dreaming is still free , my ideal speaker is more like a system which I describe below. Let me know what you would change and why?
Design goals
1. Full range in a single enclosure. As in 20Hz or less up to 40+ kHz all in a single tower speaker.
2. Point source configuration. D'Appolito or coax configurations. I like the idea back-to-back, vibration canceling, side firing woofers of the Vivid Giyas or KEF Blades.
3. Active and digital. With a center control box with the usual digital inputs sending digital audio to both speakers by cable.
4. Time aligned stepped response. Some debate whether this is noticeable, I once heard a Goldmund demo switching on/off and it was clearly noticeable to me.
5. Wide and smooth horizontal dispersion. Some would argue that narrow lateral dispersion is preferable, this is debateable, I still would choose wide.
6. Narrow and smooth vertical dispersion. Contrary to side dispersion, I see no point in wide vertical dispersion, as stereo is supposed to be left and right.
Implementation
Now this is where the fun part begins, as it kind of combines everything we measure and discuss here in ASR.
1, 2, 5: I guess the ideal enclosure would look like a KEF Blade, sealed for better woofer transients, internally sealed for each band. The electronics would be fixed behind, isolated from the driver's air pressure and cabinet vibrations, and designed to be easily user replaceable (screws and plugs, for upgrades or swapping defective modules). Since it is active and digital, the bass response can be extended but with a maximum power limiting to avoid distortion and damage (if I keep turning the volume up it limits the bass addition, and further it is also soft limited to 1% THD per driver factory measured).
3. Control box with USB, Bluetooth, Wifi, SFP cage (for easy choice of ethernet or optical network), AES-EBU and BNC/RCA SPDIF coax inputs. USB input also for external drive in order to play music directly, as well as internet streaming. Mic input and calibrated microphone for digital room correction. Phone app for choosing house curves (4 preset based on the usual ones, or input my custom house curve). Output to speakers by something robust like AES-EBU with 24/192 or more if possible.
Single IEC power input on each speaker with auto-sensing voltage 100-240V. Amplification would be the highest performing class D (Purifi Eigentakt, Hypex NCore) on all drivers, one for each driver. Gain stages optimized for highest SINAD on all volumes (variable gain possibly). The DACs of each frequency band with low noise floor like -150dB and distortion spikes below -120dB FS on 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
4. Time alignment I understand is trivial to implement with digital and active speakers, so just add an on/off or variable alignment on the app for fun.
6. I don't recall how the UniQ coax is on the vertical axis, but maybe combine it with some sort of Dynaudio Confidence waveguide to limit vertical dispersion?
Yes, it would be expensive. Very expensive. Like dozens of thousands of USD. But it would perform like no other.
Maybe another model using a bookshelf enclosure, with similar design goals and implementation, but obviously with lower bass extension and bass SPL (1+1 side woofers). But add 2 pairs of RCA and XLR outputs from the control box for dual subwoofers and add the subwoofer to the room EQ features (cutoff, PEQ, etc).
@jackocleebrown @Bruno Putzeys how about that?
KEF Blade
Dynaudio Confidence waveguide detail
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