the way the cool guys did it back in college, was to hang their speakers from the ceiling, using huge macrome plant hangers.

suspend the speaker in the air.

they were brilliant guys, those fookers that were smoking all that dope all the time.

they just knew what they knew inherently.
LOL

built IN TO the speaker:



1 driver full range.

said to have remarkably detailed mid range

I meant to say that supposed benefit of a single "full range" driver is that the mid range reproduction is unhampered by a crossover and is described as smooth and accurate.

I don't know what the rocks are for.

I stumbled on the photos while reading about full range drivers.

best,
mike

My understanding from my reading is that phase-coherence is a non-issue invented by speaker marketers, and that frequency-response anomalies around the crossover frequency are minor compared to the unavoidable distortion (frequency and IM) that a single driver suffers from. I could be wrong about that, but if I am so is every reference book I've ever read about speaker design. Just sayin'.

It is interesting that Tannoy who used to be noted for their full range driver design concept have gone over to a two way system now in their monitors. (Reveal, 2.3 K crossover freq to the tweeter)  And if you look at the finest monitors out there they are usually multi drivers in fact three in some cases like the K & H series here:

http://www.neumann-kh-lin...neumann-kh/home_en.nsf

I bet the sound of each of these drivers in their respective spectrum areas would be stunning. Quested are making some nice speakers too here:

http://www.quested.com/products-v3110.html

They don't seem worried about crossover issues. Especially with great active crossover design, things should be more accurate compared to passive crossovers. But interesting reading in December SOS  there is a review of a pair of very nice high end monitors the AVI Neutron Five which uses the natural roll off of the satellites to cross over to the sub. So there is no crossover on them as such. And they are using a passive crossver inside the satellites to crossover from the bass driver to the tweeter.

just got back from the Tannoy site.

Their Prestige home hi-fi line is all still dual concentric or full range single frame design. They have a dozen or more models.

What you will see is that Tannoy does not sell a high end studio monitor, but they continue to sell very expensive hi-fi speakers.

Fostex is also very active in full range driver designs.

http://diyaudioprojects.c.../Fostex-FX120-ML-TQWT/

This one's even cooler:



http://diyaudioprojects.c...-DIY-Horn-Speaker-Kit/


regarding the garnet:

I was collecting garnets in stream beds in North Caroline last fall. Rock hounding is a hobby for me.

While reading about North Carolina mining history I was reminded that garnet and corundum material is popular as an industrail abrasive.

I learned that domestic corundum is mined and crushed but that corundum is also easily found in beach sand in the South Pacific.

The North Carolina miners point out that the crushed material is a better material for abrasion and polishing because the freshly broken material has sharp edges along the cleavage.

The very same mineral sourced from beach sand has soft and smooth edges that are the result of erosive wear.

This is a primary reason why different brands of sandpaper perform differently despite having the same screen size.

So, as Jonbouy mentioned above... you'll want to decide if you want sharp or smooth features when you buy your sack of garnets.

:-) :-)

BTW, I have 2 of Mr Paul Klipsch's La Scala speakers siting in the shed. I love the folded horns and the coupling of advanced acoustic theory with simple industrial technology.

fun stuff.

Oh also, I still see mention of a passive "network" on some full range single driver designs... I"m confused by that... so if anyone has some insights please share.

best regards,
mike

One application where is single coned driver is useful is in the small mono speaker for checking mixes on. I spend quite a bit of time listening to stuff on this speaker. It is better if it is just a single driver of some description. 3" / 4" or so. (reasonable quality, there are some active models out now) Here is the Avantobe SOS review.

http://www.soundonsound.c...s/avantonemixcubes.htm

The active concept solves the need for the amp.

http://www.avantelectroni.../Active%20MixCubes.htm

But for a passive version, it should be able to handle a reasonable amount of power too. It is better if the mono amp driving it has got some headroom as well.

The fact the extreme highs and lows are missing is a good thing. It exposes the mid register and it is good to hear a full range mix being reproduced by a single driver down at low volume. It exposes many flaws in a mix and mix problems are exaggerated on this small speaker. When things sound balanced on the small speaker they sound great on your normal monitors up louder.

It takes care of things that are panned hard left or right too. Extreme panned instruments tend to reduce in volume (depending on the panning law used) The small speaker makes you compensate by lifting those parts up a tad. On the larger monitors though you will notice they are still at the right volume in the mix and have not changed much.

I find it much easier to set vocal levels and instrumental melody levels against the music backdrop on the little speaker too. And my little speaker is not on a concrete stand! I thought that might be a bit of overkill. In fact it is good if it is real close to you and you can look at it straight on, close your eyes, revel in the mono.

this:



is from here:

http://diyaudioprojects.b...s-reflex-speakers.html

I don't know if the inductor and resistor is correctly called a cross over... but this is the type of stuff I was seeing and not quite understanding.

I thought it might be a hi-pass? or some how related to combating resonance in various sized cabinets?

I hadn't spent much time reading yet.

Thanks.

best regards,
mike

So, as Jonbouy mentioned above... you'll want to decide if you want sharp or smooth features when you buy your sack of garnets.

Exactly.

But we've moved on to enclosures and drivers here and not vibrational dissipation qualities so you'll need to take that into account.

On the subject of stands after listening to the superb acoustic ambience after a recent snowfall I've concluded that snow columns encased in refrigeration units is the ultimate stand material, provided we can get the refrigeration units quieter than a grain of sharp garnet.

I am to patent these and they will have 3 adjustment points, slushy, normal and powder to reflect the snow temperature and inherent granular quality of the snow crystals.

An ups is also recommended.

On the subject of stands after listening to the superb acoustic ambience after a recent snowfall I've concluded that snow columns encased in refrigeration units is the ultimate stand material, provided we can get the refrigeration units quieter than a grain of sharp garnet.

I am to patent these and they will have 3 adjustment points, slushy, normal and powder to reflect the snow temperature and inherent granular quality of the snow crystals.

The exceptional acoustic qualities can probably be ascribed to the hexagonal lattice of the ice.  A patent usually requires a description of the best design so you would probably have to show optimized crystal morphology.  

Hi Dave,

FWIW, I knew Jon had anticipated that.  :-)

Yes, I thought there would be no use for crossovers in a full range design.

I saw one reference to the tuning circuit I posted above that suggested to me that the tuning is meant to offset a null caused by the sizing of the front baffle? I guess the idea is that as the box size changes the null caused by the reflective surface on the baffle changes and so you tune with this small network?

I may be completely mistaken... so I am asking for anyone else's help in understanding.

The last thing we did on my now deceased buddies turntable was get him a custom turned  5" think slab of phenolic for his turntable platter. Take that Mr. needle!

BTW Isn't it true that doppler distortion is noticeable at radar frequencies.

plus you can eat the lettuce

rocks are gonna rattle.