Why are OMNI speakers not more popular?

Added reflections don't add "realism" to my ears, they add things I hear as "comb filtering" and "time smear" and "reverb" that were not recorded in the original.

I know that using acoustic "clouds" to suppress early reflections in my studio control room reduces those problems without making the room overly dead.

Since I do much of my critical listening outdoors (live sound) my perception of what added reflections do may be quite different from what yours is.

To each his own version of reality :^).

Art

We're still not talking about the same perception. Spaciousness as defined in psychoacoustics is very real and nothing bad. Only reflections can add spaciousness. For example, studies have shown that reflections can improve speech intelligibility. Here's a good read - just in case you don't know it already: http://www.aes.org/e-lib/download.cfm?ID=13686&name=harman
 
so, why aren't OMNI speakers not more popular?

simply put people are hopelessly prejudiced

I don't really consider myself prejudiced, I'm willing to try anything. In fact, I've got some glue drying in the garage on some cabinets I just made so that I have an experimentation platform for waveguides / reflectors / spheres so I can try some of the ideas that I've seen.

My only lingering issue with this whole mess is pretty simple. If we're going to tinker with psycho acoustics on the reproduction end, we should also be thinking about what we're doing on the recording and capture end.
 
Hi graaf, Seems to me that you are close to the truth in your last post. I am often puzzled by the unwillingness of some technical types to try even simple experiments because their minds are closed. In my own experience what is not supposed to work or to be any good often is surprisingly good. Are you still using the same fostex flooder? Any changes?
 
Are you still using the same fostex flooder? Any changes?

I can't find any pictures or information about this device, have you got a picture?

fortunately I posted some photos earlier (I can't find them now on my PC), here they are:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/full-range/162827-mpl-12.html#post2222633

the FE206s were later modified, this thread is inspired by/based on my experiments with them:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/full-range/126234-8-inches-paper-cone-treatments.html

with kids on board now I listen mostly on AKG 240M... but cats-and-kids resistant flooder is under development and to be announced ;)

it is not going to be single way FR anymore though, most probably it will be 3-way
 
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fortunately I posted some photos earlier (I can't find them now on my PC), here they are:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/full-range/162827-mpl-12.html#post2222633

the FE206s were later modified, this thread is inspired by/based on my experiments with them:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/full-range/126234-8-inches-paper-cone-treatments.html

with kids on board now I listen mostly on AKG 240M... but cats-and-kids resistant flooder is under development and to be announced ;)

it is not going to be single way FR anymore though, most probably it will be 3-way

So, it's essentially an upward firing full range driver in a very short cabinet near the ground or is there some magic inside there?
 
We're still not talking about the same perception. Spaciousness as defined in psychoacoustics is very real and nothing bad. Only reflections can add spaciousness. For example, studies have shown that reflections can improve speech intelligibility. Here's a good read - just in case you don't know it already: http://www.aes.org/e-lib/download.cfm?ID=13686&name=harman
Nothing wrong with "spaciousness", I simply prefer not to add any more of it in the reproduction end than needed.
Early reflections can improve speech intelligibility, so can speaking through a honky horn, or adding mid range harmonic distortion.
When it comes to accurate reproduction, none of the above are helpful, but that certainly won't deter many from being fond of those sounds.
 
no magic whatsoever, in it's basic form it was that simple, pure psychoacoustics

Well, that is certainly easy to try and I should have a working, albeit rudimentary prototype tomorrow.

It's going to be a 2 way because those are the spare drivers I have on hand at the moment, probably a little closer to some other pictures in that thread that show the small cube with the angled top.

Edit: like this one.

I'm very, very curious to do some A/B testing so that I can quantify what I think is happening versus what's happening scientifically.

Curse you Graaf, I'm going to have to move one of my couches!
 

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I think we are having context errors. "realistic" likely means different things to different people. "Spaciousness" or the lack of may be less ambiguous? I recently did a blog post on this subject to essentially sum up what I've learned about early reflection perception.
For a quick sum: less early reflections=better imaging; more early reflections=source broadening envelopment, spaciousness, and tonal aberrations.
More info:
audio blog: Binaural Hearing and Early Reflection Perception
Even more info:
http://www.aes.org/tmpFiles/elib/20110617/6079.pdf
Way more info:
http://human-factors.arc.nasa.gov/publibrary/Begault_2000_3d_Sound_Multimedia.pdf

Dan
 
Too true Tinitus. he he

Sound reproduction does skimp a bit in the early reflection section though there's a lot on it! I think mostly b/c Dr. Toole is more concerned with preference. Nothing wrong with that and I should have thrown that into the more early reflections=preferred by the blind.

Dan
 
I think we are having context errors. "realistic" likely means different things to different people.

unbiased listeners have no difficulty recognizing accurate sound reproduction, even with hearing damage or with hearing aids


what kind of test signals did they use in their tests of audible effects of reflections ? I bet it was not music
 
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