Why Passive Radiators?
The new Salk SoundScape 10 and 12 speakers use dual passive radiators. These are obviously more expensive than port tubes, more complex to tune and require more cabinet work to implement. So why use them?
As the designer of the bass section of these two new speakers, I thought I would explain why passive radiators are perfect for this application, and why SoundScape series speakers will out-perform most other high-end speaker systems, and even many subwoofers, in low bass extension and output while, at the same time, providing extremely low distortion bass. [read more…]
The audio world is overflowing with broad and deeply felt
generalizations (religions?) about tubes, designer capacitors, inductors,
and resistors, bi-wiring, cables, metal drivers vs. paper drivers–not to mention the whole digital vs. analog thing. Few of these beliefs are rigorously substantiated, and many can max out your credit card very quickly.
But there is one generalization that can be substantiated, and believing it
won’t necessarily destroy your credit rating. And that would be: “No
matter how much money you throw at drivers, components, and cabinets,
you can’t hide the effects of a poorly designed crossover.” Here’s a
corollary: “A speaker with ordinary drivers and an extraordinary
crossover will sound better than extraordinary drivers mated to a
so-so crossover just about every time.” If you’ve ever visited an
upscale audio dealer and listened to megabuck speakers that didn’t sound
that great, chances are the problem was inside on the crossover board. read more
Choosing the right model speaker can be a challenge. But even more trying for some people is choosing the right veneer. Sure, looking at pictures of speakers we’ve built over the years can be helpful. But there are even more options out there. So I thought that perhaps a few words about veneers and links to a few sites might be helpful.
When searching for a veneer, you need to recognize that wood is created by nature, not by man. With most woods, there is a lot of variation from log to log. I cannot tell you how often we receive emails requesting “a pair just like these on your web site – photo attached.” Sometimes it is not a problem. But we tend to search out very unique veneers and when the batch is gone, it is gone. So some of our speakers are simply impossible to duplicate. read more
If given a choice, most people would opt for a high sensitivity speaker in a small cabinet that plays extremely deep. While that may be possible (we’ll get to that shortly), this basic desire runs smack up against the laws of physics.
I’m sure you’ve probably run across that old adage, “quality, speed, low price…pick any two.” It basically states that if you want quality fast, you have to expect to pay a higher price. If you want quality at a low price, you have to be willing to wait. And if you want it fast at a low price, well…
Where driver sensitivity is concerned, there is a similar law in effect. read more
While baffle step compensation (BSC) sounds complicated, it is really quite simple once you understand what happens when sound waves emanate from a speaker. Here is a slightly over-simplified explanation:
the nature of sound
Sound, by its very nature, wants to travel in all directions. When sound is generated by the woofer in a speaker, for example, that sound not only projects forward to the listening position, but also travels around to the rear of the speaker.
You can confirm this with a simple experiment. Stand behind a speaker and you will still hear sound, although note that the highs will be lacking.
Congratulations, you have just unlocked the key to understanding the mystery of BSC! read more
Browse through any audio web site and you will likely find posts with comments like, “I just purchased XXX speaker cables and could not believe how they improved imaging.” Or, “These XXX crossover caps dramatically enhanced the top-end clarity of my speakers.”
After reading such rave reviews, you may feel inclined to open your wallet and “drink the kool-aid.” And if you do, chances are very good you will hear similar improvements in your system. But the source of these improvements may not be quite what it seems. read more
