Audio Artitstry Vivaldi

[Scottmoose]

Anyone know what drivers Siegfried Linkwitz used for these things? And, come to think of it, how on Earth did he manage to engineer a passive crossover that would work properly with dipoles (not that I'm doubting he did it -that's more an expression of outright awe).

I assume they're somewhat like a prettier, 2 box version of the passive prototypes documented in his monster Phoenix project? I ask out of interest, as I've gone with actively crossed over multi-box dipoles before, as I'm perfectly aware of their basic superiority, but I just flat don't have the space needed for amplifiers, crossovers, extra-thick cabling etc, and a DIY version of these could be an interesting future project (raw power not a problem. Space, and acceptancy in the home by non-audio members on the other hand...)

Cheers
Scott

[al2002]

I believe they used Vifa drivers.

The MTM prototypes on his site are reputed to be similar to the Vivaldis. Best to email SL and ask.

I'm sure others on this board will chime in with additional information.

[Rudolf]

Originally posted by Scottmoose
how on Earth did he manage to engineer a passive crossover that would work properly with dipoles.

It has been done by others too. Have a look at Jon Marsh´s Arvo Pärt project
http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=7644
Impressive work!

[Davey]

The Vivaldi's are essentially the same thing as SL's PMTM1 prototype.

Check here:

http://www.linkwitzlab.com/proto.htm#PMTM1

Davey.

[AJinFLA]

Another passive dipole:

http://www.adireaudio.com/Files/DDRDipoleDesign.pdf

The tradeoff is lowish efficiency.


Cheers,

AJ

[Scottmoose]

Thanks for the replies guys. I suspected the Vivaldis were basically a prettified, single box version of the MTM passive prototype documented; anyone know if they used line-level eq like these prototypes, or if they did without, or achieved it at speaker level? I seem to recall that they needed circa 150w to say boo to a goose (Linn Kans eat your heart out!).

Best
Scott

[Scottmoose]

OK stupid question, sorry about that, I can see the speaker level crossovers & eq lower down near the bottom of the page. Not quite sure how I missed that before -I obviously only looked properly at the alternative line level stuff at the top of the page. Groan. Coffee... I need coffee!

[transducer]

The Vivaldi's don't need a line level filter, as in addition to the 2x8" midrange drivers that the PMTM1 uses, they had a pair of 12" drivers for bass duty. The drivers used were Madisound 1252DVC woofers, no longer available. The speaker extended to 40Hz, and according to SL's current web site (and in email discussions with him) required a 75W into 4ohm amplifier. If you could find a set of 4 1252DVC woofers, you could easily build a Vivaldi clone using the schematics on SL's web site (scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the woofer crossover).