an idea - but will it work ?

[FBLEAGH]

I remember seeing this a while ago
http://www.linkwitzlab.com/surround_speaker.htm

and last night on the way home i was trying to think of a way to add some front speakers to my current setup.

currently i have the problem that my room is very full and speaker placement is a real pain.
The best place for me to put speakers is to suspend them a short distance from the ceiling.

now normal bookshelf speakers will be too big in my current room so i am looking for something i can make that will give me reasonable sound.

my idea is to have a variation of the above tube slung from the ceiling either side of my projection screen ( tubes angled slightly down towards listening area.
and to place a center speaker on the shelf behind the screen.

If this works i would probably also use a similar design for the rear spears but have them again slung from the ceiling firing directly downwards.


Will this work ? can I have the tube slightly smaller ?

could i even use them in an open backed config ?

Any ideas on an appropriate driver would also be good

[FBLEAGH]

Here is a layout of my room with proposed speaker layout

Light green cirlces - rear speakers
dark green boxes - front speakers
blue circles - primary watching / listening areas

red line - projector screen
light green box - projector ( labelled proj. )

[FBLEAGH]

hmm one question

With this form of transmission line speaker i take it you dont want to close off the non speaker end of the tube ? is that right ?

[Rudolf]

As you don´t want some big boxes hanging down from the ceiling you will have to consider a subwoofer/satellite system. X-over from subwoofer to satellites should be as high as you can stand - possibly even ~150 Hz - to be able to use small 3" drivers in the satellites.

Surround speakers as Linkwitz recommends them are a start. In front you should think about some omnidirectional speakers with a dispersion cone (google for these words).

The tubes need only be large enough to accommodate the driver and long enough to cover the needed volume. So with 3" drivers they will be pretty slimline

Making the tubes open baffle or TML is perhaps more than you need. If you put the drivers at the end of the tubes - which certainly is the best way appearancewise, you will always have a problem with resonances. I would go for sealed tubes with the needed volume.

I have built such columns with 3" drivers from Fostex and Isophon. Tangbands would be fine too. Here in Germany there is a wide choice of small Visaton drivers.

Hope I could give you something to think about for the start.

Rudolf

[johninCR]

Since size is the main factor you might consider experimenting with Aperiodic cabs with a size just big enough to get the driver into. Sealed with a low Qts and low vas driver would also be very small. Some PVC pipe would work for either and minimize the wood work needed. As long as you have a sub, very small cabs are possible.

Dipole is even easier to build and gives more natural dialogue for movies. The ceiling is one boundary and the baffle below the driver can be folded back toward the walls to have a shallow profile hanging down from the ceiling. Replacement speakers for TV's can work quite well in an open configuration and can be very very cheap. Just go to an electronics store that carries a variety and pick the ones that sound the best.

I'm guessing everything is run from your computer and you have a sound system at your desktop. Just add an A/B switch for your desktop vs fronts and you are in business.