Unusual Speaker Designs

[Wes]

 

[tecnogadget]

Viva the plasma speakers!

 

[Wes]

Viva the plasma speakers!

Beats Beryllium...

 

[frogmeat69]

View attachment 56063

How does something like that sound??? I am a noob to a lot of this stuff, and never seen anything like that before, it just amazes me.

 

[Wes]

I have no idea - but based on the many many attempts to lighten tweeter drivers for the last several decades - I'd say they are "fast"

Dunno if there are still any designs being sold these days.

I've never heard them but would like to - I use Maggies 'cuz they are cheap and fast.

 

[direstraitsfan98]

wh

whats the story behind this setup? why 4 speakers spaced like this in this room

 

[mhardy6647]

Beats Beryllium...

In terms of potential toxicity? Oh, yeah!

 

[HemiRick]

 

[mhardy6647]

Now -- exactly what are they sellin' with that ad above?

 

[AnalogSteph]

I hope this ad is like 20 years old, 'cause that's a pretty poor 'shop.

I don't know why the "Tekton-style" driver arrangement is viewed as odd, it's pretty much a natural thing to arrive at if you know anything about physics. For a point source you'd end up with something that's ideally concentric. I tried similar concepts with a bunch of midwoofers (or widebanders) dotted around a tweeter in Boxsim for a tentative DIY project codenamed "Il Monstro"; I could never make spacing small enough for dispersion to look really good. Oh well.

Behold the trusty Grundig Monoliths (late '70s, early '80s). Grundig had actually been making active speakers since some time in the early '70s I think. Some of their stuff was pretty good. Possibly still underrated. A Monolith is clearly not something for everyone, I imagine they work best at sizeable distances as the vertical directivity keeps ceiling and floor reflections at bay.

 

[B5234t]

We had these in the shop a few years back. Cabinets are pretty standard for the era but the drivers are unusual.

EMI 901 (studio monitors)
19 x 14"
4 co-axial tweeters
15Hz to 18kHz +-??dB

They were sold before I had a chance to measure them.

 

[Juhazi]

Now -- exactly what are they sellin' with that ad above?

Hmm, I guess the adult "girl" is just to show the size of the loudspeaker. But why don't they tell her strategic dimensions then?

 

[Doodski]

Can't forget the Infinity Kappa and RS lines. Very zingy punchy tight sounding hard to drive speakers.

 

[Juhazi]

Gradient from Finland http://www.gradient.fi/en/content/9-gradient-story

 

[tuga]

 

[tuga]

Estelon http://estelon.com/speakers/

 

[carlosmante]

Volya Audio...The large pair of the "Boquete" model in the bottom picture costs $134,000US and they weigh 230 pounds each

View attachment 55972

View attachment 55969

Bouquet, not "Boquete". Boquete is Spanish for hole.

 

[Koloth]

I wanna play too:

Precide Kithara with a Heil AMT (roughly 6000 USD/pair).
Looks like shit, no idea how they measure, but they have some actual engineering going on and a true form-follows-function approach.

I always fancied the Syrinx (roughly 4'000 USD/pair), which was a step below the Kithara but doesnt seem to be available anymore:

 

[mhardy6647]

Hmm, I guess the adult "girl" is just to show the size of the loudspeaker. But why don't they tell her strategic dimensions then?

Good point -- a reference standard is needed.

Those monster Legacy loudspeakers were all the rage in some circles at some point, as I recall. They certainly look -- like overkill.
And I am a person with a pretty high tolerance for overkill in loudspeakers.

 

[mhardy6647]

Estelon http://estelon.com/speakers/

It's good to see that guy is practicing good anti-pathogen hygiene whilst he fondles those funny-looking loudspeakers