Most beautiful speakers in the world ?

[Wolf]

Mine I bought over 20 years ago.

Raven tweeters used to be about the only ribbons available. Don't know if I've ever heard a set.

 

[Lekha]

Since the advent of cone speakers, there has also been the issue of managing the back wave. To address this, they were placed in a box to eliminate it, only to discover that the box would resonate or produce a booming sound. A hole in the box somewhat mitigated the problem, but it required a massive enclosure, long tubes, and various other components. This led to the development of an entire science around it, yet without a genuine solution, other than exorbitant prices. Some decided they did not want boxes, giving rise to the open-baffle purists in the DIY community. Even some individuals or companies began attaching drivers to a baffle and charging a significant amount of money, despite the fact that anyone could do that themselves. The open-bowl concept demonstrates that one need not fear the "back wave," but rather utilise it for the benefit of the listener, and not to worry so much about the wall behind it. The brain will take care of the listening aspect in time — it always does!

 

[Purité Audio]

Quoting from manufacturer’s flim flam!
Keith

 

[Audionaut]

This led to the development of an entire science around it, yet without a genuine solution, other than exorbitant prices ... not fear the "back wave," but rather utilise it for the benefit of the listener

This is not correct, because every vented enclosure uses the rear sound of the cone Membrane and they are good and practicable solutions.

Vented loudspeaker enclosures are designs in which the rear of the loudspeaker chassis is not completely closed, but is deliberately in contact with the surroundings. The aim is to improve bass reproduction and increase efficiency.

A bass reflex enclosure, for example, is a form of ventilated loudspeaker enclosure that is connected to the outside world through one or more openings ("reflex tube" or "bass reflex port"). The aim is to increase the efficiency in the bass range by using the rear sound energy of the loudspeaker in a targeted manner instead of simply absorbing it, as is the case with a closed enclosure.

The speaker generates the same amount of sound at the rear as at the front, but out of phase. In a closed enclosure, this rear sound is absorbed by damping material or enclosure mass. In a bass reflex enclosure, however, part of this rear sound energy is emitted again out of phase via a precisely calculated reflex tube. The length and cross-section of the bass reflex duct, together with the volume of the enclosure, determine the tuning frequency. This tuning frequency corresponds to the frequency at which the airflow in the reflex tube resonates with the loudspeaker enclosure - where the rear sound component is radiated particularly effectively, resulting in a significant bass gain.

Transmission line (TL) enclosures are equipped with long, often folded channels that run behind the speaker. These channels are tuned to a specific wavelength so that sound waves emitted from the rear can exit the front in a phase-coherent manner (i.e. at the right time) or are specifically absorbed. Depending on the design, this results in particularly deep, controlled bass with reduced cabinet vibrations.

TML variants such as TQWT (Tapered Quarter Wave Tube) or horn enclosures are also vented systems. While the horn achieves acoustic impedance matching via a widening sound guide and thus achieves very high levels of efficiency, the TQWT works with a tapered channel that offers a mixture of transmission line and resonance principles.

What all these designs have in common is the use of the rear sound energy for bass reinforcement. However, they differ in the way in which this energy is controlled in terms of time and frequency.

You see, Lekha, the rear sound of a cone has been used for a long time and open baffle designs are not the only solutions.
As always, positive results depend on the respective implementation.

 

[Lekha]

The speaker generates the same amount of sound at the rear as at the front, but out of phase.

We can discuss that elsewhere if you would like to open another thread on this matter. For instance, we could explore how the inner and outer surfaces of the cone generate sound, with the inner surface seemingly pushing air, while the outer surface...

 

[ShadowFiend]

Since the advent of cone speakers, there has also been the issue of managing the back wave. To address this, they were placed in a box to eliminate it, only to discover that the box would resonate or produce a booming sound. A hole in the box somewhat mitigated the problem, but it required a massive enclosure, long tubes, and various other components. This led to the development of an entire science around it, yet without a genuine solution, other than exorbitant prices. Some decided they did not want boxes, giving rise to the open-baffle purists in the DIY community. Even some individuals or companies began attaching drivers to a baffle and charging a significant amount of money, despite the fact that anyone could do that themselves. The open-bowl concept demonstrates that one need not fear the "back wave," but rather utilise it for the benefit of the listener, and not to worry so much about the wall behind it. The brain will take care of the listening aspect in time — it always does!

while I am a fan and using open baffle dipole speaker now, much of your idea is simply wrong. The idea of putting driver in a box, and the idea of vented design is not about managing the back wave from speaker driver, it is about getting more low frequency content out of the same driver. That's it.

 

[RHO]

The trolling never stops.
Always the same uninformed BS.

 

[Lekha]

The idea of putting driver in a box, and the idea of vented design is not about managing the back wave from speaker driver, it is about getting more low frequency content out of the same driver. That's it.

So be it. That's why it became a science, looking for that elusive LF.

 

[ShadowFiend]

Generally speaking, properly designed and built loudspeakers tend to have that knack for 'disappearing' and creating a good stereo image. You might start to notice the sound coming directly from a speaker if you're standing very close, say within 50 centimetres of it. However, if you're sitting or standing about 2.5 metres away, you typically don't perceive the sound as originating from one speaker or the other. Instead, it seems to come from somewhere in between them, or even beyond them – sometimes off to the sides or further back than the speakers themselves, and occasionally even from above them.

This effect can be (or has been) achieved by companies that have invested heavily in research and development. These firms often produce in large quantities and don't charge exorbitant prices for their speakers. Consequently, as time goes on and people want to upgrade to newer systems, their older models become available second-hand at a bargain price.

Some other manufacturers seem to think that by building enormous, 'fridge-sized' cabinets and cramming in loads of drivers, they can achieve good sound – what they call 'hi-end' sound. But can they really? Perhaps they can persuade gullible people to part with their hard-earned cash, or maybe that money wasn't so hard-earned after all.

Have you ever hear those big speaker with "enormous, 'fridge-sized' cabinets and cramming in loads of drivers" with open mind? As a diyer, I go to those high end exhibitions regularly, not for buying since I can not afford those uber expensive speaker, but for learning. And while I dislike many of them due to their ragged frequency response, IMHO one things those enormous speakers constantly done right is the bass. The bass articulation and bass definition is great even when at high level. All those bookself speakers that ASR loves (even the Neumann KH420) can not do that kind of bass when putting in relative big room >30m2 and seating at 4m out of speaker. Why, because more low frequency in terms of SPL requires more air volume displacement, so either you need more voice coil displacement or more total Sd. But more voice coil displacement means more distortion, so if you want low distortion (for bass articulation and bass definition) and high level at low frequency, the loads of woofer is actually a reasonable design choice, and more drivers means bigger cabinet.

 

[Lekha]

Have you ever hear those big speaker with "enormous, 'fridge-sized' cabinets and cramming in loads of drivers" with open mind? As a diyer, I go to those high end exhibitions regularly, not for buying since I can not afford those uber expensive speaker, but for learning. And while I dislike many of them due to their ragged frequency response, IMHO one things those enormous speakers constantly done right is the bass. The bass articulation and bass definition is great even when at high level. All those bookself speakers that ASR loves (even the Neumann KH420) can not do that kind of bass when putting in relative big room >30m2 and seating at 4m out of speaker. Why, because more low frequency in terms of SPL requires more air volume displacement, so either you need more voice coil displacement or more total Sd. But more voice coil displacement means more distortion, so if you want low distortion (for bass articulation and bass definition) and high level at low frequency, the loads of woofer is actually a reasonable design choice, and more drivers means bigger cabinet.

When you move from one room to another, do you remember what you heard in the two previous rooms, or the third one before that? Generally speaking, in those high-end exhibitions, don't they mostly play softer music?

 

[Mart68]

When you move from one room to another, do you remember what you heard in the two previous rooms, or the third one before that? Generally speaking, in those high-end exhibitions, don't they mostly play softer music?

Most will take requests, I've heard death metal and all sorts of weird stuff played at shows.

Some exhibitors decline requests for 'extreme' music, sometimes because they don't want to empty their room of potential customers, sometimes because they know their speaker won't handle it well.

We don't tend to recall small details but IMV we do tend to recall our 'gut' impression.

 

[ShadowFiend]

When you move from one room to another, do you remember what you heard in the two previous rooms, or the third one before that? Generally speaking, in those high-end exhibitions, don't they mostly play softer music?

I cannot remember all those thing happens on previous room, but sound impression (good or bad) is still on, especially when you focus on specific sound aspect. I come to "high end" audio exhibition regularly, so I know what I want to hear.

Yes, normally they mostly play softer music. But as an electronic developer engineer (not in audio domain), I come to those exhibitions on trade visitors day (normally Thursday and Friday), so less people in there, and I can request some pieces of music.

 

[cavedriver]

I searched and could not find these named in the thread anywhere but I'm sure they've been shared before. As far as "most beauty", I suppose they score points for panache, but really, I don't think they belong here. Would have been funny to be in the meeting where a bunch of Magico folks said, "let's not build a giant aluminum box, lets f with everyone and build a giant horn speaker, and then never build another, you know, kind of a joke on everyone." And so- the Magico Ultimate III of 2014, at $600k a pop:

 

[BeeKay]

I searched and could not find these named in the thread anywhere but I'm sure they've been shared before. As far as "most beauty", I suppose they score points for panache, but really, I don't think they belong here. Would have been funny to be in the meeting where a bunch of Magico folks said, "let's not build a giant aluminum box, lets f with everyone and build a giant horn speaker, and then never build another, you know, kind of a joke on everyone." And so- the Magico Ultimate III of 2014, at $600k a pop:
View attachment 447779

Wow. A child only his mother would love

 

[Vladimir Filevski]

Centre Piece speakers...

This is not actually built loudspeaker, but 3D Solidworks software fantasy. Otherwise - very good, innovative modern design - but only visually. "Counterbalanced act" also very interesting.
The BIG problem: designer has no clue how a loudspeaker works!
If the glass bowls behind the drivers are not present, and if the whole loudspeaker is not mounted on the wall (requires stand, though), then it will be a good baffle-less loudspeaker (no real low-frequency output, of course).

 

[Vladimir Filevski]

We can discuss that elsewhere if you would like to open another thread on this matter.

Please - do not discuss about loudspeaker science/technology anywhere... Please!
Keep posting visually interesting loudspeaker, only.

 

[bumblebee657]

I searched and could not find these named in the thread anywhere but I'm sure they've been shared before. As far as "most beauty", I suppose they score points for panache, but really, I don't think they belong here. Would have been funny to be in the meeting where a bunch of Magico folks said, "let's not build a giant aluminum box, lets f with everyone and build a giant horn speaker, and then never build another, you know, kind of a joke on everyone." And so- the Magico Ultimate III of 2014, at $600k a pop:
View attachment 447779

I consider this bodily harm.

 

[Lekha]

so I know what I want to hear.

Exactly!
It's preconfigured, what we want to hear, by ourselves.

 

[Sal1950]

The Most Beautiful ???
MINE

 

[cavedriver]

I searched and could not find these named in the thread anywhere but I'm sure they've been shared before. As far as "most beauty", I suppose they score points for panache, but really, I don't think they belong here. Would have been funny to be in the meeting where a bunch of Magico folks said, "let's not build a giant aluminum box, lets f with everyone and build a giant horn speaker, and then never build another, you know, kind of a joke on everyone." And so- the Magico Ultimate III of 2014, at $600k a pop:
View attachment 447779

I was expecting someone to add this: