What are "monkey coffins" exactly and what are "better" designs/alternatives?

[Fetch_Execute_Break]

Hello!

Just found Peter Aczel's (RIP) "Journalistic Legacy" article about his experience and knowledge of six decades of audio:
http://www.biline.ca/audio_critic/audio_critic_web1.htm#acl

He mentioned "monkey coffins" in his article and as far as I understand he was not a fan of such loudspeaker design.
What is a "monkey coffin" exactly? Is it a typical design loudspeaker box (two- or three-way front-firing)?
What is the problem which such a design? And what are other types of loudspeaker designs?

Thank you in advance!

 

[tomtoo]

Monkey coffins was the typical 3-way shelf speaker design.
But he goes further and explains.
"... Even if the box is not rectangular but some incredibly fancy shape, even if it’s huge, even if it costs more than a luxury car, if it’s sealed or vented and the drivers are all in front, it’s a monkey coffin and will sound like a monkey coffin—boxy and, to varying degrees, not quite open and transparent..."

So i think he is a fan of dipole or at least similar designs.

 

[Vini darko]

Here's a monkey coffin From my spares pile. It's a smaller example with only 6" woofer.

 

[tomtoo]

Different designs are Linkwitz or Magnepan, Bose 901. Speakers that radiate more around into room, and less in one direction. And to make it not that easy, they differ also very much in there design. What they have in common is, sound gets more radiated into room. Or(fu** my english) there is not a prefered directon, directly to you.

 

[Fetch_Execute_Break]

Alright, I understand: It is the most common loudspeaker design out there.

So, it looks I have monkey coffins, too ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Thank you all for the detailed explanations and information.

 

[tomtoo]

Alright, I understand: It is the most common loudspeaker design out there.

So, it looks I have monkey coffins, too ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Thank you all for the detailed explanations and information.

Yep, most people have them.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

Monkey coffins was the typical 3-way shelf speaker design.
But he goes further and explains.
"... Even if the box is not rectangular but some incredibly fancy shape, even if it’s huge, even if it costs more than a luxury car, if it’s sealed or vented and the drivers are all in front, it’s a monkey coffin and will sound like a monkey coffin—boxy and, to varying degrees, not quite open and transparent..."

So i think he is a fan of dipole or at least similar designs.

Aczel is wrong! If the box is big enough it's a gorilla coffin or a sarcophagus. Like the Wilson Chronosonic.

 

[Fetch_Execute_Break]

Aczel is wrong! If the box is big enough it's a gorilla coffin or a sarcophagus. Like the Wilson Chronosonic.

Gorilla Coffin? Why did you bring this up? I was almost through with it: RIP Harambe

 

[tomtoo]

Aczel is wrong! If the box is big enough it's a gorilla coffin or a sarcophagus. Like the Wilson Chronosonic.

Maybe i get his intensions wrong. But i think he not likes coffins. For what effer specias they fit.

 

[Frank Dernie]

IMO it is a rather childish put-down of all loudspeakers with enclosures.
I was quite a fan of his until he wrote that.
It is stupid.

 

[tomtoo]

IMO it is a rather childish put-down of all loudspeakers with enclosures.
I was quite a fan of his until he wrote that.
It is stupid.

Its different, and people can give there attention to different things.

 

[Toltek]

 

[Vini darko]

View attachment 107577

That is blatantly a sarcophagus.

 

[Fetch_Execute_Break]

That is blatantly a sarcophagus.

Imagine being put in that thing. And during your funeral, while they slowly let it down into the grave "Rapid Fire" by Judas Priest
is coming out of the the speakers.

 

[tomtoo]

Imagine being put in that thing. And during your funeral, while they slowly let it down into the grave "Rapid Fire" by Judas Priest
is coming out of the the speakers.

I would complain about the tweeter.

 

[mhardy6647]

Shall we next speak to the OP of the so-called... Kabuki loudspeakers?

(even Yamaha?!?!)

... or am I being too culturally insensitive?

 

[mansr]

Shall we next speak to the OP of the so-called... Kabuki loudspeakers?

A name much more deserved.

 

[anmpr1]

Say what you will about Peter (and many had a lot to say), he knew the ins and outs of loudspeakers, being associated in one way or another with Rectilinear, Ohm, Fourier. Loudspeaker gurus he looked up to included Richard Heyser, Don Keele, and Floyd Toole.

His loudspeaker reviews were always 'grounded'. But, all things being equal (which they never really are), he didn't 'like' the box. He saw it as both a price point and sometimes necessary engineering compromise. Quad, Dahlquist, Beveridge, Linkwitz, each in their turn, were some of his preferences.

A box he admired was the erstwhile Canadian Waveform, which was more of an egg shape in its last version.

Before he left the planet the Linkwitz open baffle design was his choice of choices.

 

[PierreV]

It may have been true in his time, but I think material and acoustic improvements since have solved the issue, or at least given the opportunity of solving the issue to manufacturers who care.

 

[Feelas]

Shall we next speak to the OP of the so-called... Kabuki loudspeakers?


View attachment 107592
View attachment 107593
View attachment 107594
View attachment 107595
View attachment 107608
(even Yamaha?!?!)

... or am I being too culturally insensitive?

Y' know, that's also a piece of industrial art...