Open Baffle Bipoles?

[kneadle]

Yes, bipole. I was googling for something else, and I saw it, "open baffle bipole."

"Hmm," I thought to myself, "that seems odd." And then I tried to find it again--not there. What was I looking for in the first place, and how many pages deep into the search was it? But I did notice a number of systems which have switches for "bipole/dipole operation."

What's this about? This doesn't seem right. My definitions of bipole and dipole do not allow this to compute.

Would anyone care to explain this metaphysical tension before my head explodes?

Thanks,
Dave

[maxro]

What? Is this like two open baffles, back-to-back? That's the only way I can figure it would work.

If you think your head's gonna "asplode" check this out:

http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail94.html

Max

[Rudolf]

Originally posted by kneadle
But I did notice a number of systems which have switches for "bipole/dipole operation."

Rear speakers for HT surround systems often feature two loudspeakers that can be switched from in-phase to out-of-phase to get the desired radiation pattern. These boxes are closed - no open baffle here.

[kneadle]

Heheh,

"It all depends on what system you're talking about."

Seriously:

Tip: Dipole And Bipole Surround Sound SpeakersBipole and dipole surround speaker designs are fraternal twins: both have identicalspeaker drivers mounted to opposite sides of the speaker cabinet (their onlydistinguishing characteristic is polarity). In a Dipole arrangement, the front and rearfacing speakers are wired out of phase, that is, while one set pushes out the otherpushes in. In a Bipole surround speaker, however, the two sets of drivers are wired inphase and both sets move in and out together. Some higher end surround soundspeakers allow you to switch between dipole and bipole operation--this enables you totailor the speakers to your home theater. These speakers sound best mounted above orbelow ear level but a few feet down from the ceiling. Dipoles are excellent when theyare placed near the listening areas because you can aim the "null" at the listeners thus,you can achieve high levels without blasting you in the ear. Bipoles and dipole surroundspeakers can sound good either on the side walls or the back wall of a hometheater--the overall shape of the room will decide where they should be placed. Bipolesare a poor attempt at omnipoles (having dispersion/cancellation problems). Audition acouple familiar movies with different surround sound speaker placement before youdecide on a permanent location.

That's from here

That doesn't seem right. Dig?

Dave

** edit ** Rudolf, our posts crossed. Yes, this is what I'm talking about. Is the claim right?