Most beautiful speakers in the world ?

[EERecordist]

In addition to the image, you get the complete story of a Japanese audiophile's 5-way system with an old Western Electirc-style horn made of concrete.

You can see better images in the whole video, Japanese with English subtitles.

It is from a Japanese audiophile channel, TONO’s Japanese Audio Journeys ASR readers may enjoy.

More concrete horns, a mono system:

 

[Curvature]

Avantgarde Zero's. built in amplification, active crossover, can be run wirelessly as well...
View attachment 459360

Beautiful with poor measurements. https://www.fidelity-online.de/avantgarde-acoustic-uno-xd-messungen/

I used to lust after these until seeing the above.

Edit: I posted the wrong link! https://www.fidelity-online.de/avantgarde-acoustic-zero-1-messungen/

 

[Curvature]

The Gradient 1.5 was one of the first loudspeakers ever designed with true constant directivity, well before the term even entered mainstream audio vocabulary. Its designer, Jorma Salmi independently understood the importance of directivity and concluded on his own that constant directivity was fundamentally superior to consistent or narrowing dispersion.

He pioneered an omni cardioid midrange combined with dipole bass radiation creating a speaker that maintains constant directivity from the lowest bass to the highest frequencies.

Speaker designs today can only hope to be half as groundbreaking as Gradient 1.5 was. Even after 30 years the industry is still playing catch up... trying to come up with ideas that only scratch the surface of what the Gradient 1.5 had already figured out. Salmi was jaw droppingly ahead of his time.

What you’re looking at is one of the most groundbreaking designs the audio world has ever seen, not just some weirdly angled speakers.

Gradient Helsinki 1.5 loudspeaker Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements

www.stereophile.com

Measurements for speaker Gradient Helsinki 1.5

www.spinorama.org

For those interested.

 

[Curvature]

Sorry, but these type designs came out 60+ years ago from Stig Carlsson

carlsson story

Any proof of that?

Edit: As far as I understand, his speakers had wide but inconsistent directivity that used room boundary reflections for a consistent power response. So his designs are not constant directivity.

 

[Timcognito]

Any proof of that?

Edit: As far as I understand, his speakers had wide but inconsistent directivity that used room boundary reflections for a consistent power response. So his designs are not constant directivity.

Larsen worked with Carlson to enhance his early ortho acoustic designs sold speakers until last year. The main difference that I see is Carlsson/Larsen use the back wall to control the bass allowing for smaller driver, but there are others too. This paper is from the Larsen website. https://www.audioskies.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Larsen-speaker-design-explained.pdf

"This constant directivity design in the Larsen ortho acoustic speakers, with drivers and
tweeters not firing directly at the listener, fills in the power response in the high
frequencies, where most speakers become quite directional. Thus, the whole listening room
becomes filled with music like at a great concert hall, with all the frequencies radiating in
the same manner and where all early distorting reflexes are eliminated, resulting in a very
natural music reproduction.
Another advantage of the Larsen speaker’s placement and driver configuration means that
the normal narrow “sweet spot” of listening – where a listener is forced to sit dead center to
hear stereo – is eliminated. The Larsen speakers fills the whole room with music. If a person
sits to the left of the normal center sweet spot, then the person is closer in distance to the
left speaker, but they are now also in the direct path of the direction of the drivers from the
right speaker.
Thus, the Larsen speakers essentially corrects the soundstage to fit to wherever the listener
might be sitting in the room, essentially making the whole space between the 2 speakers
one giant sweet spot."

 

[Curvature]

Larsen worked with Carlson to enhance his early ortho acoustic designs sold speakers until last year. The main difference that I see is Carlsson/Larsen use the back wall to control the bass allowing for smaller driver, but there are others too. This paper is from the Larsen website. https://www.audioskies.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Larsen-speaker-design-explained.pdf

"This constant directivity design in the Larsen ortho acoustic speakers, with drivers and
tweeters not firing directly at the listener, fills in the power response in the high
frequencies, where most speakers become quite directional. Thus, the whole listening room
becomes filled with music like at a great concert hall, with all the frequencies radiating in
the same manner and where all early distorting reflexes are eliminated, resulting in a very
natural music reproduction.
Another advantage of the Larsen speaker’s placement and driver configuration means that
the normal narrow “sweet spot” of listening – where a listener is forced to sit dead center to
hear stereo – is eliminated. The Larsen speakers fills the whole room with music. If a person
sits to the left of the normal center sweet spot, then the person is closer in distance to the
left speaker, but they are now also in the direct path of the direction of the drivers from the
right speaker.
Thus, the Larsen speakers essentially corrects the soundstage to fit to wherever the listener
might be sitting in the room, essentially making the whole space between the 2 speakers
one giant sweet spot."

Proof comes through measurements, not a mission statement.

Larsen HiFi 8 loudspeaker Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements I was intrigued by the Larsen 8 loudspeaker. More than 40 years ago, I had auditioned a pair of the late Stig Carlsson's unique Sonab speakers and come away with mixed feelings: While Carlsson's original designs, with their arrays of tweeters pointing in all directions...

www.stereophile.com

I respect the attempt, but the HF clearly relies on average power response rather than CD in this one example.

As noted in the first paragraph above: "This constant directivity design in the Larsen ortho acoustic speakers, with drivers and tweeters not firing directly at the listener, fills in the power response in the high frequencies, where most speakers become quite directional."

I disagree with the italicized use of the term constant directivity here. Or perhaps the term has changed meaning to refer to consistent on- and off-axis in more recent decades.

 

[Lekha]

This constant directivity design in the Larsen ortho acoustic speakers, with drivers and
tweeters not firing directly at the listener, ...

The most beautiful speaker is the one that isn't seen. The cone speaker driver and the box that contains it are never a pleasing sight—certainly not an object any interior designer would want to tackle, nor would any wife.

 

[test1223]

Beautiful with poor measurements. https://www.fidelity-online.de/avantgarde-acoustic-uno-xd-messungen/

I used to lust after these until seeing the above.

The Avantgarde Acoustic speakers aren't the best choice for this kind of speakers. IMHO they didn't sound much better than similar above average PA speakers.

If you like the high dynamic sound of bigger horn speakers, Acapella speakers are much better much finer details and much less resonances. They are beautiful but expensive though.

Acappella Celini and a test of these:
Fairaudio test (google translate from german))

 

[thewas]

The Avantgarde Acoustic speakers aren't the best choice for this kind of speakers. IMHO they didn't sound much better than similar above average PA speakers.

If you like the high dynamic sound of bigger horn speakers, Acapella speakers are much better much finer details and much less resonances. They are beautiful but expensive though.

Acappella Celini and a test of these:
Fairaudio test (google translate from german))

At least for the Avantgarde Acoustic Zero 1 there exists the above detailed measurements set, is there any Acapella that has been measured in detail as reviews like from Fairaudio are just flowery advertisement text?

 

[Sokel]

Sometimes beauty is not what it looks but what it means:

(yep, that's coming from your favorite most shallow member ever)

 

[Lekha]

Sometimes beauty is not what it looks but what it means:

View attachment 461480

(yep, that's coming from your favorite most swallow member ever)

This could at least double as a portable air conditioner.

 

[Sokel]

This could at least double as a portable air conditioner.

At least, it has no visible screws despite it's a 70 yo design
Powered too!

(it's bigger than those AC's)

Scotty Moore RCA LC-1A Loudspeaker

 

[Curvature]

The Avantgarde Acoustic speakers aren't the best choice for this kind of speakers. IMHO they didn't sound much better than similar above average PA speakers.

If you like the high dynamic sound of bigger horn speakers, Acapella speakers are much better much finer details and much less resonances. They are beautiful but expensive though.

Acappella Celini and a test of these:
Fairaudio test (google translate from german))

I still find the AGA Zero to be visually elegant, despite the poor performance. The Acapellas are, frankly, hideous. And there are no measurements in your link, unless I missed them.

Edit: Stereophile measured another model. Hard to judge the result from the limited data. https://www.stereophile.com/content/acapella-high-violoncello-ii-loudspeaker-measurements

 

[test1223]

At least for the Avantgarde Acoustic Zero 1 there exists the above detailed measurements set, is there any Acapella that has been measured in detail as reviews like from Fairaudio are just flowery advertisement text?

And there are no measurements in your link, unless I missed them.

There are no reviews with measurements that I am aware of. Most of the Acapella speakers are tonality wise neutral from my listening impression. Some are a bit colored like the La Campanella and most have a relatively small sweet spot, because of their more narrow beam.

What makes them so special is the ability to play loud without major resonances and transport the dynamics of real instruments but contain the hifi details. There are no other speakers that I am aware of which combine all these abilities, maybe the very big JBL speakers come close while the enclosures and horns are nowhere near as resonance free in comparison. They more lean towards PA compression drivers and boxy resonances of the typical bass reflex enclosure at high spl. There are more PA like home speakers like the Avantgarde Speakers but none that I am aware of which play like a "hifi" horn which preserves the details and have the attack/ dynamics of PA horns.

If you ever get the chance to listen to an Acapella speaker while sitting in the sweet spot don't miss it. I have listened to many many loudspeakers of all kinds and these are special there is no doubt.

The sound impression of the Fairaudio Acapella Celine review is fairly accurate when I compare it with my own listening impression. They transport the detailed high spl resonances free experience very well. My criticism would be that the bass isn't that deep for its size and price and you have a slight horn sound which is much less compared with other horns but still there.

 

[Sir Sanders Zingmore]

Beautiful with poor measurements. https://www.fidelity-online.de/avantgarde-acoustic-uno-xd-messungen/

I used to lust after these until seeing the above.

Edit: I posted the wrong link! https://www.fidelity-online.de/avantgarde-acoustic-zero-1-messungen/

Maybe I'm looking at the wrong thing but the frequency response of the zero-1s looks really good (fig 4 in the second link)

 

[test1223]

Maybe I'm looking at the wrong thing but the frequency response of the zero-1s looks really good (fig 4 in the second link)

Have a look at all the resonances in the impedance plot. From my experience you will hear at least some of these resonances and since they are electro-mechanical issues you can't do much with signal processing of the dsp.

 

[test1223]

Edit: Stereophile measured another model. Hard to judge the result from the limited data. https://www.stereophile.com/content/acapella-high-violoncello-ii-loudspeaker-measurements

You have to be aware that the loudspeaker is more than 15 years old and not a current model. All new models have a volume control of the ion tweeter and IMHO are much better sounding. The characteristics of almost no resonances despite very high spl capabilities is also present in this older model.

 

[Purité Audio]

We tried them here (Avantgarde Zero’s) looked smart sound wise not so great, I think they made two versions, one active and one semi-passive, not sure now which version we had here.

Keith

 

[Sir Sanders Zingmore]

Have a look at all the resonances in the impedance plot. From my experience you will hear at least some of these resonances and since they are electro-mechanical issues you can't do much with signal processing of the dsp.

"Consequently, the spectrogram follows here. Especially horn speakers and their drivers sometimes tend to have resonance problems. However, the Zero 1 obviously has no problems with this, which is also obvious: the midrange driver does not need a compression chamber, which is one of the main causes of resonances, and the treble driver with its narrow ring membrane is also predestined for low resonance behavior, since the diaphragm itself is less prone to partial vibrations than the large-scale dome membranes"

What am I missing?

 

[test1223]

"Consequently, the spectrogram follows here. Especially horn speakers and their drivers sometimes tend to have resonance problems. However, the Zero 1 obviously has no problems with this, which is also obvious: the midrange driver does not need a compression chamber, which is one of the main causes of resonances, and the treble driver with its narrow ring membrane is also predestined for low resonance behavior, since the diaphragm itself is less prone to partial vibrations than the large-scale dome membranes"

What am I missing?

Here look at all the small peaks. These are all resonances which typically degrade the sound quality.

Especially the woofer and tweeter doesn't look good. The midrange has one peak between 1- and 2kHz in the most important frequency band. So I would expect a sound like an average to good PA speaker from this speaker.

Read all the literature of the bad influence of resonances. I don't understand why they tell the opposite in the text maybe because of the use of peak filters on the resonances and having a look at the amplitude frequency response only?
But you can't get rid of all electro mechanical resonances with digital minimum phase filters since none linearities are involved. This is scientifically well documented.