Laurence Dickie (Vivid Audio) Video Interview

[Deleted member 14468]

Hello,

Since this site is heavily focused on engineering-focused audio designs, I'd like to call your attention to one such company that doesn't often get the credit for that aspect that we believe that they deserve. Laurence Dickie is one of the world's most technically astute designers, which is in evidence in this interview. When at B&W, in the 1980s through 1990s, he also invented a number of technologies -- and even a speaker (the groundbreaking Nautilus) -- still at play at there today.

Enjoy!

Doug Schneider
SoundStage!

 

[Ron Texas]

I have never even seen a pair of Vivid speakers. Just me, but I'm not comfortable with the aesthetics. I'm afraid they walk around at night.

 

[tuga]

Intelligent and entertaining interview, I really enjoyed it. Thanks.

 

[jd3]

I had a pair of Vivid 1.5's on loan from a dealer about 12 years ago. My wife wouldn't even consider letting me keep them as she and the kids called them 'alien pods'. I did think they sounded pretty good though.

 

[LDKTA]

Excellent video. Thanks for sharing. Till this day, the Vivid Audio G1s is of the best loudspeakers I've heard to date. Right up there with the JBL M2, Revel Salon2, BeoLab 90, and Genelec 1236A.

 

[Deleted member 14468]

I appreciate the feedback! I was very happy to conduct this interview as I've long found Laurence to be a fascinating designer.

Doug Schneider
SoundStage!

 

[Deleted member 14468]

I have never even seen a pair of Vivid speakers. Just me, but I'm not comfortable with the aesthetics. I'm afraid they walk around at night.

Laurence addresses those aesthetics -- there's method to what people think is madness!

Doug Schneider
SoundStage!

 

[Thomas savage]

I appreciate the feedback! I was very happy to conduct this interview as I've long found Laurence to be a fascinating designer.

Doug Schneider
SoundStage!

He's full of discovery, fascinated and generous

He's probably the best of us in so many ways . I had a hard time with vivid audio but dic remains one of the best human beings iv met in my 40 years .

He didn't mention he nearly burnt down that student house with some dodgy A/B active amp

 

[Ron Texas]

Laurence addresses those aesthetics -- there's method to what people think is madness!

Doug Schneider
SoundStage!

I have no doubt that form follows function here. Sometimes my LS50's look like they are staring at me...

 

[GelbeMusik]

Thanks Doug for sharing. Ja, the design resembles the first wave of organic forms in the 70s, Colani et al. You can't imagine, that it has some gear box inside, let alone a motor. It just flows and so happens to be. Don't know if the extraterrestial lifeform in The Fifth Element, the blue tinted singer was designed after the Nautilus?

Technically I would question the effort, though. Laurence goes into some detail with second grade degradation of "clean". For instance driver/box resonances can be mitigated by easier measures than those shown. There is actually no need to let it go down the tapered tube.

I think his approach originates back when the industry was looking for new fields of improvement, while the driver technology (plastic cones, metal domes) and overall design methods seemed to be all settled. Alas, the problem of missing standardization on the way from production to the consumer wasn't seen yet. How would studio and living room match regarding tonal balance, dynamics? I personally hear from artists, that there is always big debate. Musicians I know dislike what it done to their product, and then the engineer would come back to them and claim technical necessities. I'm talking about "classic" instruments without a bite, go figure.

On topic, I think it makes a lot of sense to mystify the iconic loudspeaker a bit. It should be unforgiving to washed out, bland recordings by sheer presence. A statement, well done. Alas, technical folks would dismiss this quality due to blind testing. I'm afraid the issues Laurence has technically solved aren't such prevalent as to be crucial.

 

[Deleted member 14468]

For instance driver/box resonances can be mitigated by easier measures than those shown. There is actually no need to let it go down the tapered tube.

Hi,

I think, however, that Laurence Dickie doesn't concern himself much with what's easier. As well, the tapered tube is still not only used by Vivid and B&W, but also if you look at what Focal is doing in their Sopra series now, it seems to be similar. I also know from talking to enough designers that they acknowledge that the idea is a good one -- and some don't want to implement only because it would look like copying.

As he said in the video, when I asked him about the B1, which I really liked -- he hadn't gotten all that serious with all the resonances with that design, until he got to the Giya series.

Doug Schneider
SoundStage!

 

[Kal Rubinson]

I have never even seen a pair of Vivid speakers. Just me, but I'm not comfortable with the aesthetics. I'm afraid they walk around at night.

But they're friendly.

 

[GelbeMusik]

I think, however, that Laurence Dickie doesn't concern himself much with what's easier.

As I said, it's iconic. So much that I mentioned the possibility of the blue tinted singer in that famous movie to be a copy. I acknowlegde the idea pretty well. What I would do with it may look like the first prototype, maybe even exactly as shown. That's my perspective .

Add.: The Vivid B1 has some feature I was thinking of myself, namely two ports facing each other in the inside. Works damn good. The stereophile ( https://www.stereophile.com/content/vivid-audio-b1-loudspeaker-measurements ) doesn't give it justice, because, obviously in the "complex sum" they didn't correct for the time the backwave needs to travel front. Despite they discuss the prob honestly. ( Kind of "cardioid?! )Vertical dispersion seems to be as good as it gets. Horizontal leaves, again, nothing to be desired. Well, well ...

 

[Deleted member 14468]

Hi,

There were some issues with the B1 that were fixed with the B1 Decade. We measured both.

There was a distortion issue, which was a result of motor system at the time, and there was the overlap between the rear woofer and the front woofer and midrange. Basically, the rear woofer was rolled off much more slowly in the original B1 than in the B1 Decade. That overlap in the B1 causes the cancellation seen in the measurements.

Original B1:
https://www.soundstagenetwork.com/i...vid-audio-b1-loudspeakers&catid=77&Itemid=153

B1 Decade:
https://www.soundstagenetwork.com/i...&catid=77:loudspeaker-measurements&Itemid=153

Doug

 

[GelbeMusik]

There were some issues with the B1 that were fixed with the B1 Decade. We measured both.

O/k, thanks for clarifying this. On the other hand, there was a somewhat heated discussion lately, which tried to address the interference of a speaker with its wall behind. One might argue, that the design took such into account. Whatever, these speakers are ambitious in appearence and not the least in their prohibitive pricing. I think it is over the top. A glider plane is usually sold in hundreds. If sales reach 1k, that is winning the lottery, unexpected success. Develoment? You name it, airworthiness, life depends on it etc, certification etc., years of a full time for tens of engineers. Then the construction needs literally weeks of hand-polishing the complicated formed wings, weights 350kg for 15m span of mixed composites like kevlar, carbon, glas, hexasheets, aluminium, steel, cost all in all about 100k, all tax included. Does it compare?

I think, as my personal take on these, and other high-end exclusives, it just can't be. I like these speakers, I acknowledge their design, technically and asthetically, but, as I said, bring it to the public. Otherwise as I feel it, as an engineering minded individual, it actually doesn't succeed.

 

[Deleted member 14468]

I can't really speak to the point about price, but as far as I know, the woofer placements weren't about dealing with the wall behind the speaker. Instead, it was about creating a force-cancelling configuration so that their resonances don't travel into the cabinet.

Doug
SoundStage!

 

[Juhazi]

More about Vivid B1 and it's bass peculiarities https://www.stereophile.com/content/vivid-audio-b1-loudspeaker-measurements

Still, averaged in-room responses were acceptable looking

 

[Matias]

Great interview! Must be fun to talk to him for hours.

 

[Ilkless]

The measurements inevitably show excellently smooth response with very wide and smooth directivity, low driver distortion and lack of cabinet colouration. One of the ultra-high-end brands pushing the envelope, though one does wish an active option was more readily-available.

 

[napilopez]

Haven't watched all of this yet, but thank you for sharing. I've always been impressed with Dickie's designs. Unique aesthetics aren't for everyone, but you can't deny they are designed with purpose, and have the measurements to back it up.