If you mean among the general public then how about a lack of interest 
...but even among us here, constant directivity is a developing concept.
I can appreciate someone not wanting sound to go backward. I absorb my rear reflections, and I wrestled with dipoles even though they had so much goodness to offer. But surely if you advocate omnipoles then you appreciate narrow controlled directivity, which shouldn't be hard for even the fussiest to accept as relatively benign and yet offering much.
...but even among us here, constant directivity is a developing concept.I can appreciate someone not wanting sound to go backward. I absorb my rear reflections, and I wrestled with dipoles even though they had so much goodness to offer. But surely if you advocate omnipoles then you appreciate narrow controlled directivity, which shouldn't be hard for even the fussiest to accept as relatively benign and yet offering much.
is said to have poor imaging etc
I would say its a myth
maybe based on poor designs
due to my recent experiment I conclude its not entirely true
with an omni dipole I managed to get quite precise soundstage
for one, crossover function is important, ofcourse
second, maybe the well defined directivity is of benefit
meaning, equal 360degr dispersion for all drivers
for a heavy woofer I might consider multiple woofers
kind of like a bipole design
to avoid cone sagging
I would say its a myth
maybe based on poor designs
due to my recent experiment I conclude its not entirely true
with an omni dipole I managed to get quite precise soundstage
for one, crossover function is important, ofcourse
second, maybe the well defined directivity is of benefit
meaning, equal 360degr dispersion for all drivers
for a heavy woofer I might consider multiple woofers
kind of like a bipole design
to avoid cone sagging
Thanks Tinitus
I'm looking at the Mirage Omniguide and I'm wondering what their Patent is for- I don't see whats so different about their design compared to some other omni's and their lens designs.. they all radiate sound around the room in a similar way
quote
"The Omniguide module is a simple, ingenious design that distributes sound directly towards the listener, as well as reflects it off walls, ceilings and other surfaces, making the entire room the sweet spot. In other words, wherever you sit in the room, you’ll hear the same enveloping experiences.”
I'm looking at the Mirage Omniguide and I'm wondering what their Patent is for- I don't see whats so different about their design compared to some other omni's and their lens designs.. they all radiate sound around the room in a similar way
quote
"The Omniguide module is a simple, ingenious design that distributes sound directly towards the listener, as well as reflects it off walls, ceilings and other surfaces, making the entire room the sweet spot. In other words, wherever you sit in the room, you’ll hear the same enveloping experiences.”
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I'm a fan of Omni - esp. for HT - but music is enjoyable by not being limited to listening in the "sweet spot".
I have regular monitor type speakers to listen with and compare with soooooo it sorta depends on mood and use.
As with all speakers - pluses and minus - and still no perfect speaker system. The only answer (I tell SWMBO) is to have a model of each type!!!!
I have regular monitor type speakers to listen with and compare with soooooo it sorta depends on mood and use.
As with all speakers - pluses and minus - and still no perfect speaker system. The only answer (I tell SWMBO) is to have a model of each type!!!!
Attachments
and what the omnipole is a feck?
So would a bipole qualify for this discussion? I've considered bipole for the benefit of floor bounce correction and baffle step compensation.
Oh I see, like Jim Griffin's full range Bipole (which is a great idea).
The first omni I saw where those Canon's from the 80s. Fugly but cool looking. I think the driver they used was the missing link rather than the speaker itself.
Back to the Mirage, what does their patent cover? Its just that I drew up something last night with the drive unit at a slight angle firing into a long oval shaped lens.
The Mirage is similar in that the speaker is on an angle but I have seen others like this.. so I am struggling to see what their Patent covers, it doesnt mention the angled speaker tho.
http://ii.alatest.com/product/600x400/7/8/Mirage-OmniSat-V2-Sat-Black-0.jpg
The first omni I saw where those Canon's from the 80s. Fugly but cool looking. I think the driver they used was the missing link rather than the speaker itself.
Back to the Mirage, what does their patent cover? Its just that I drew up something last night with the drive unit at a slight angle firing into a long oval shaped lens.
The Mirage is similar in that the speaker is on an angle but I have seen others like this.. so I am struggling to see what their Patent covers, it doesnt mention the angled speaker tho.
http://ii.alatest.com/product/600x400/7/8/Mirage-OmniSat-V2-Sat-Black-0.jpg
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I personally think the only way you can make an omni-directional speaker that isn't compromised in some way, is to make the actual drivers cylindrical.
Pointing a driver up or down, or using multiple drivers in a circle, just doesn't seem the best to me.
Fortunately, if you happen to have a King's Random laying around in a coffee can somewhere, there are these speakers -
mbl 101 X-treme - MBL of America
Mbl 101 X-Treme Speakers Cost More Than a Ferrari - Technabob
mbl 101E Radialstrahler loudspeaker | Stereophile.com
Enlarged Photo
Enlarged Photo
But beyond special drivers like this, at best, omni-directional speakers tend to be something of a novelty. They can sound OK, but like all aspects of life, they come with compromises. You rarely gain in one area without losing in some other area.
Steve/bluewizard
Pointing a driver up or down, or using multiple drivers in a circle, just doesn't seem the best to me.
Fortunately, if you happen to have a King's Random laying around in a coffee can somewhere, there are these speakers -
mbl 101 X-treme - MBL of America
Mbl 101 X-Treme Speakers Cost More Than a Ferrari - Technabob
mbl 101E Radialstrahler loudspeaker | Stereophile.com
Enlarged Photo
Enlarged Photo
But beyond special drivers like this, at best, omni-directional speakers tend to be something of a novelty. They can sound OK, but like all aspects of life, they come with compromises. You rarely gain in one area without losing in some other area.
Steve/bluewizard
several reasons I believe
first, most of pros and also audiophiles prefer unnatural sound of front firing speakers, and there is a marketing trend set against omni as something radically different from the front firing mainsteram
second, prevailing acoustical theories cannot explain behaviour of an omni in a room, and lack of theory results in imperfect omni speakers because manufacturers don't know what they are doing really
third, omnis need different room interface than front firing speakers and rarely they are set up proprely
forth, people are mentally uhm uhm er... conservative and reluctant to try things different
fifth, there are some omni speakers that are quite popular, at least in the audiophile DIY community - Plutos for example, in spite of the fact that Linkwitz doesn't know either how this omni works and why ;-)
regards,
graaf
first, most of pros and also audiophiles prefer unnatural sound of front firing speakers, and there is a marketing trend set against omni as something radically different from the front firing mainsteram
second, prevailing acoustical theories cannot explain behaviour of an omni in a room, and lack of theory results in imperfect omni speakers because manufacturers don't know what they are doing really
third, omnis need different room interface than front firing speakers and rarely they are set up proprely
forth, people are mentally uhm uhm er... conservative and reluctant to try things different
fifth, there are some omni speakers that are quite popular, at least in the audiophile DIY community - Plutos for example, in spite of the fact that Linkwitz doesn't know either how this omni works and why ;-)
regards,
graaf
omnipole = omni directional. I usually bunch bipoles in with them.
Stu Hegemann was an early proponent of omni in NA (see Morrison Audio fine audio speakers and electronics.), there were quite a few in the UK (some of the Lowther corner horns come to mind). Electrohome in the 60s & 70s really pushed the concept into homes... they had a zillion different omnis similar to the Mirage (i expect Mirages patent only covers the specific reflector shape they use -- anyone got a patent #?)
Another:
Entry Speaker
dave
Stu Hegemann was an early proponent of omni in NA (see Morrison Audio fine audio speakers and electronics.), there were quite a few in the UK (some of the Lowther corner horns come to mind). Electrohome in the 60s & 70s really pushed the concept into homes... they had a zillion different omnis similar to the Mirage (i expect Mirages patent only covers the specific reflector shape they use -- anyone got a patent #?)
Another:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Entry Speaker
dave
and what the omnipole is a feck?
So would a bipole qualify for this discussion? I've considered bipole for the benefit of floor bounce correction and baffle step compensation.
What the feck! Ad gets the all-clear - Scotsman.com News
OTOH, if you're going to spend a gazillion dollars on a first-rate omni like the MBLs mentioned above, it's not a reach to spend 1.05 gazillion dollars on the omnis plus room treatments.
I am quite happy with line arrays in walls, I hear stereo (and surround) everywhere in my house, even when I sit now in the office and daughter watches movie in living room, I hear multi-dimensional sound, as if "it is there".
It is like an omni field, but created by more than one speaker.
IMHO, real full range omnis are not popular because they need either specific drivers (MBL, German Physics...), or some stuff around ( Duevel) or a lot of drivers (Raal's Eternity : think of the bill for a DIY cloning).
This with the R&D (and the high end positioning) results in a relatively expensive set of speakers. On the DIY side, is the more popular pluto a full range omni ? Hum, not that much. A flooder with frontal tweeter.
An other caveat for the omnis, is that they sound better in wide rooms where the reflections will be delayed enough.
Anyway, some people like. I have seen a photo book in a Singapore shop with as much customers than a teenager has friends on facebook. 35.000 US$ the speakers pair...
This with the R&D (and the high end positioning) results in a relatively expensive set of speakers. On the DIY side, is the more popular pluto a full range omni ? Hum, not that much. A flooder with frontal tweeter.
An other caveat for the omnis, is that they sound better in wide rooms where the reflections will be delayed enough.
Anyway, some people like. I have seen a photo book in a Singapore shop with as much customers than a teenager has friends on facebook. 35.000 US$ the speakers pair...
When you refer to "omni" what frequencies are discussed?
All typical box speakers are omni at lower frequency. I had built a linkwitz pluto clone and they are omni to 3.5 khz. This is uniform enough and they sounded great. As dipoles they really need space, and I guess one of the factors why they're not pupolar? Most people/wife wants speakers out of the way.
All typical box speakers are omni at lower frequency. I had built a linkwitz pluto clone and they are omni to 3.5 khz. This is uniform enough and they sounded great. As dipoles they really need space, and I guess one of the factors why they're not pupolar? Most people/wife wants speakers out of the way.