Most beautiful speakers in the world ?

[Tovarich007]

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I didn't know speakers were made back in 1772. That's great news, history of technics revisited

As for the speakers, I totally dislike the biggest- it looks definitely terrible to my taste- but I'm not sure of my own feeling for the little egg shaped one : do I find it awful or cute ? awfully cute or cutely awful ? that's a dilemma...
But I admit the flowers are nice. I guess they also calm down the nerves when listening heavy metal at high volume.

What is this brand ?

 

[Count Arthur]

There are many beautiful DIY speakers. Here is one with instructions: https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...r-speaker-builds.352063/page-105#post-7246658

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In my town is a retired woodworker who makes spheres from scrap wood

It took me a while, but I knew that looked familiar:

Dark Star (1974) ⭐ 6.1 | Comedy, Sci-Fi

1h 23m | G

www.imdb.com

 

[Salt]

Attempted to find the speaker by sonus faber that was shaped like an oud but can't find within the web ... any suggestions?
IIRC it had a very pleasant presentation.

 

[Pearljam5000]

Attempted to find the speaker by sonus faber that was shaped like an oud but can't find within the web ... any suggestions?
IIRC it had a very pleasant presentation.

This one?

 

[Salt]

No, it's 2 way and formed like a violine (more like an oud for the volume needed).

 

[Pearljam5000]

 

[Duke]

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Ingenious way of getting more port length in a stand-mount speaker than the enclosure could accommodate in the horizontal plane. And I like the veritable plethora of non-parallel internal surfaces.

 

[The_Fall]

A ray of sun tracing the horn curve of my La Scalas...

 

[smygolf]

These are diy speakers, and probally not that fit to ASR standards, but they look beautifull. The driver is a Lowther DX4, an oldskool (and very coloured) fullrange driver. These types of backloaded horns are ment to be used with SET amps and reley on the low damping factor of those to get low response. Very niche, but a beautifull looking speaker if you ask me.

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Looks as a brother to Hedlund horn

 

[Audionaut]

 

[Lekha]

LG, everything on different planes – mid/bass speaker in a tube, protruding, tweeter – horn, waveguide, two rather short horn-like openings below, bass reflex (?). Everything in the moulded baffle. Very nice sound.

 

[thewas]

Sometimes I wonder if tastes really vary that wide or if some of the posts of here are not just sarcasm or trolling, like for example posting ugly cheap plastic mini karaoke system loudspeakers...

 

[Lekha]

like for example posting ugly cheap plastic mini karaoke system loudspeakers...

The funny part is the "ugly cheap plastic mini karaoke system," was not posted, but only the speakers. And, they actually sound quite well with other (Japanese) amplifiers. The speakers have frequency response: 20 Hz - 20 kHz. As there are only very short horn like openings at the bottom, one might consider cardioid action with the back wave. True enough, they are somewhat ugly, but they can be placed up-firing, and some nice vases in front of them.

By the way, I collect such "ugly" speakers, not the system. LG spends about 500 million on R&D.

 

[thewas]

The speakers have frequency response: 20 Hz - 20 kHz.

20 Hz - 20 kHz is just a typical useless statement of such systems as its without boundaries, I am sure at 20 Hz its anechoic response has dropped more than -10 dB.

As there are only very short horn like openings at the bottom, one might consider cardioid action with the back wave.

Of course not, almost half of the loudspeakers have the ports at the front, it takes much more to make a cardioid.

By the way, I collect such "ugly" speakers, not the system.

Then get a cheap mic and do some measurements, rarely some decent exceptions exist even in those categories, although don't expect wonders as you will be disappointed.

LG spends about 500 million on R&D.

Yes, but not on such budget mini karaoke systems. In audio they make though some decent soundbars.

 

[Lekha]

rarely some decent exceptions exist even in those categories, although don't expect wonders as you will be disappointed.

You see, so-called hi-fi speakers are often the result of DIY work by one person or a small group. Yet, they demand an astounding amount of money for such speakers. Strangely enough, companies like LG, Sony, and Philips—or even smaller but well-established firms like Tonsil of Poland (founded in 1945)—have entire departments dedicated to research and development. Companies such as LG and Sony manufacture hundreds of thousands of speakers of the same type, allowing them to be sold at a much lower price. They would not compromise their reputation by producing poor-quality products.

Lately, I bought an older pair of Sony speakers featuring three mid drivers arranged at 45-degree angles to each other, with one facing forward. They also have a very short but wide opening at the bottom, only present on the baffle. Admittedly, the baffle is plastic, but it’s certainly not cheap plastic. I’ve seen someone open up this speaker box—of course, on YouTube—which was one of the reasons I searched for them and decided to buy them. There was no insulation on the back panel, which could again suggest the so-called cardioid action of the back wave. And how beautifully they sound!

Then get a cheap mic and do some measurements

II don't need a microphone to measure anything, as my ears are not microphones. I have enough people at home with excellent musical ears. My hearing doesn’t go below 40 Hz, but it’s quite good at 17 kHz and a bit beyond. I buy things based on how they sound, by ear.

And, about how ugly those LG speakers are, have look at this.

 

[thewas]

You see, so-called hi-fi speakers are often the result of DIY work by one person or a small group. Yet, they demand an astounding amount of money for such speakers. Strangely enough, companies like LG, Sony, and Philips—or even smaller but well-established firms like Tonsil of Poland (founded in 1945)—have entire departments dedicated to research and development. Companies such as LG and Sony manufacture hundreds of thousands of speakers of the same type, allowing them to be sold at a much lower price.

I have also an admiration of the engineering of big electronic giants like in the past Philips, Sony, Matsushita, Grundig and few others and nowadays Samsung/Harman which made/make some very well engineered audio products which were affordable to the masses but experience has shown that such plastic boombox/karaoke systems are usually not such but the biggest part of the budget on those is spent on effects, lights and so.

They would not compromise their reputation by producing poor-quality products.

Depends on what you mean with quality. Such brands engineer products according to the need of the corresponding market segment, LG for example puts a very different priority and budget on the audio engineering and sound quality of a 1500$ soundbar than a $150 karaoke/boombox system.

Lately, I bought an older pair of Sony speakers featuring three mid drivers arranged at 45-degree angles to each other, with one facing forward. They also have a very short but wide opening at the bottom, only present on the baffle. Admittedly, the baffle is plastic, but it’s certainly not cheap plastic. I’ve seen someone open up this speaker box—of course, on YouTube—which was one of the reasons I searched for them and decided to buy them. There was no insulation on the back panel, which could again suggest the so-called cardioid action of the back wave. And how beautifully they sound!

Do you have a link or model name of them? Such aren't cardioids though, to get such behaviour some special acoustic elements are needed which change the phase of the rear transmitted sound.

II don't need a microphone to measure anything, as my ears are not microphones. I have enough people at home with excellent musical ears. My hearing doesn’t go below 40 Hz, but it’s quite good at 17 kHz and a bit beyond. I buy things based on how they sound, by ear.

Sorry but such statement disqualifies any serious discussion. Of course you still can write that you like XYZ but to state its objectively great needs much more.

 

[Lekha]

Sorry but such statement disqualifies any serious discussion.

Sure, if you have microphones instead of ears. I don't.

Such aren't cardioids though, to get such behaviour some special acoustic elements are needed which change the phase of the rear transmitted sound.

I know how that works.
Interesting what are those "special acoustic elements?"

 

[Vladimir Filevski]

Well, Ingvar Öhman never stated that, but he also employs the same "technology." One has a rectangular hole in the front, while the other has a smaller square one at the back. M1 is thin, whereas Q10 is thick. Have you ever heard Ingvar Öhman explain how his speakers work? Has anyone?

Yes.
Albert L. Thuras explained that "technology" in full detail in his patent from year 1932:
https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/f5/b7/13/74309571b5f641/US1869178.pdf
Later, in year 1960 Neville Thiele made full mathematical synthesis:
https://diyaudioprojects.com/Technical/Papers/Loudspeakers-in-Vented-Boxes-Part-I.pdf
https://diyaudioprojects.com/Technical/Papers/Loudspeakers-in-Vented-Boxes-Part-II.pdf

By the way, that "rectangular hole" is called "port" or "vent" - essential part of any vented/bass-reflex box.

 

[thewas]

I know how that works.
Interesting what are those "special acoustic elements?"

Obviously not as otherwise you wouldn't have said that those LG loudspeakers could be cardioids just because they have their ports on the fronts or the Sony because they have no insulation material. Usually those elements are special foams which change the effective soundwave propagation speed in them.

Sure, if you have microphones instead of ears. I don't.

You will see here in ASR that the typical "I hear it and don't need measurements" argument is not fruitful for any further discussion so I rest my point here, have a nice day.

 

[Vladimir Filevski]

As there are only very short horn like openings at the bottom, one might consider cardioid action with the back wave.

Nonsense.