Room acoustics and speakers obsolete?

[JustJones]

Will Sound Beaming solve the room and speaker problem or create new problems to solve. Is this technology as promising as it appears ?
https://noveto.com/

 

[Kal Rubinson]

The technology has been around for 20 years. This is a new application.

 

[RayDunzl]

I see plenty of press releases and speculation.

I see patents.

I don't see user reviews or measurements.

(I get to be wrong)

 

[JustJones]

Isn't it used in wifi? Or is that something different. I'm usually wrong.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

I see plenty of press releases and speculation.

I see patents.

I don't see user reviews or measurements.

I don't see any real products.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

Would be just the thing for people living in smaller spaces in close proximity to others also living in smaller spaces--especially if they're armed.

 

[RayDunzl]

I keep seeing mentions of "vocal band", which I assume is hinting at the frequency response. and "vocal" appears many times in the patent, with "music" once (maybe more, got tired).

No numbers or data on it, though.

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1...&ved=0ahUKEwiewrzcoYHtAhXJuVkKHSCEDkkQ4dUDCA0

These folks give it a good first impression, nearly three years ago:

 

[win]

Would be just the thing for people living in smaller spaces in close proximity to others also living in smaller spaces--especially if they're armed.

if only there was such a discreet, personal solution already available to this problem...

 

[RayDunzl]

Found this paper on beaming sound:

"Sound From Ultrasound: The Parametric Array as an Audible Sound Source"

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/4393713.pdf

It would seem to require a bit of EQ to approach flat:

12dB/octave sloping down from the lows to approach "flat" as I read it... it probably won't go low.

10% THD at 1kHz at 72dB or so.


I suppose that today (20 years later) there has been some improvement in results, but sometimes it's hard to trick mother physics...

 

[Patrick1958]

Couple years ago there were two men in the show "Invent it rich" who developed an alarm clock with beaming sound.

 

[JustJones]

Good for conferences and museum tours?

 

[win]

I made a joke earlier but seriously, headphones exist already guys

 

[andreasmaaan]

Good for conferences and museum tours?

I'd say that's the primary market, yeh.

The problems with this tech have always been bandwidth, distortion, and SPL capability. I don't see that changing radically, and I don't read anything on the Noveto website that suggests it has.

 

[PaulD]

I have used these things (2 different kinds / manufacturers) in museum installations, and the fidelity is truly awful. Last time I heard one was 2-3 years ago, so unless they have improved a LOT, this will not change what we are doing. PA line array technology and beam-steering is much more likely to make it into home audio sooner than these things.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

if only there was such a discreet, personal solution already available to this problem...

Yeah, but this one won't leave indentations on the side of your head.

 

[waynel]

I've heard the Turtle Beach version. It's a neat trick but sound quality was terrible.