FeONIC Invisible Speakers

[Mapper]

Hi,

Perhaps one for Planars and Exotics but...

This article gives a good description of the Magnetostrictive 'powered' FeONIC invisible speakers.
MINDCo article

First brought to market by FeONIC as the Soundbug. Now that was just a toy for kids but a lot of DIY people had a lot of fun with it. A good example where it was used to provide sustain on a guitar.
YouTube - Quick SoundBug Electric Guitar Feedback Demo

Also used as Whispering Windows

The strength is not the highest of HiFi sound quality - it is perhaps better described as Mid-Fi in those strict terms. Instead the interest comes from the 'Invisible Speaker' capability (the drives attach to the rear of resonant panels) and the Immersive quality of the sound that is key: panels become Distributed Mode Loudspeakers. The drives also have massive force compared to similar approaches. So they can be described as drives for Architectural Surfaces. They can even be used for Public Address on cruiseliners...

Also due to low excursion (see Fatigue and Stress table here FeONIC - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ) the drives won't shake the plaster off the wall (unlike some other wall/panel mounted speakers).


Useful if you want a speaker that no one can see: perhaps for home cinema (floor or wall mounted and the range includes a subwoofer); a bedroom; bathroom (totally waterproof as the drives are on the outside); or outdoors on (or under) a deck. And if you like the Immersive quality of DML then this technology may be of interest to you.

Not an off the shelf kind of thing. Plug and Play it is not but for DIY...

Cheers
Mapper

[human.bin]

are those SoundPads and a bass shaker? at least the white one has very similar parameters...

there is really interesting thread going on by a long time in the exotic section of the forum... and it seems they tooked it well over the mid-fi nomea it has

[Mapper]

human.bin

No, definately not Soundpads - a quick search suggests that they were made by Sonic Impact. And FeONIC isn't the same as NXT - but they do get confused a lot.

[Mapper]

Hi,

I've been trying to research the use of Magnetostriction Tweeters. These were apparently popular for HiFi use in the past but have subsequently fallen out of favour.

Anyone have any experience of these devices? Or know why they are no longer popular?

Cheers

[Mapper]

Thought this youtube video might be informative.

Invisible Speakers - In Wall Speakers Animation

But the trouble is - how many people are prepared to rip open walls to fit speakers? Or how many are building a home theater from the ground up? I suspect not that many. Particularly if the other half has some say in the matter. Even amongst avid DIY Audio'ers I would think that tearing up walls is one step too far.

Would a solution where you could get most of the benefits of in wall speakers without getting the builders/plasterers/painters in appeal? So speakers you cannot readily see without the DIY pain.