Why are OMNI speakers not more popular?

[Bill poster]

Is it down to room placement or treble loss? Just seems that in our current ipod dock/ playing music off laptop era, people are more likely to be moving around a room ie bedrooms or workplace; there are many advantages to the omni.

[AllenB]

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.

[Bill poster]

what the feck is an omnipole?

[tinitus]

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

[Bill poster]

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.”

[tinitus]

the only Mirage designs I know of are bipoles
I do not know about their Omniguide module

[c2cthomas]

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!!!!

[AllenB]

Originally Posted by Bill poster

what the feck is an omnipole?

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.

[Bill poster]

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/600x40...at-Black-0.jpg

[BlueWizard]

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