At the CES in January, there was a company doing a demo of an open baffle speaker that used a waveguide-loaded compression driver. If I'm not mistaken, the spaker wasn't even for sale; the company was actually trying to sell cables or something like that. The speaker was probably a one-off.
But the speaker DESIGN is damn-near identical to what Lynn is describing in his recent thread about the Ariels.
Their demo really grabbed my attention. The sound reminded me of what I heard from the open baffle Bastanis that Lynn has talked about, combined with the amazing clarity of GedLee's Summa. I think that the articulation and headroom of the Summa is nearly impossible to beat, but the imaging of a dipole is really something else. (Lynn, if you are reading this, I am the guy who talked to you after you auditioned the Summa at the RMAF in 2005. We discussed it's sound for a solid hour in the lobby.)
Getting back to the point, the sound of this dipole at the 2007 CES was really something else. IMHO, it was the best sound I heard at CES.
If anyone is interested in exploring a combination of open-baffle imaging with the low coloration of waveguides, this is your speaker.
I may have some pics somewhere, but not holding my breath. I can tell you what drivers it used, because I had to take a peek
The midrange it used was a Ciare 6.38 NdMR
http://www.assistanceaudio.com/08_CIARE.html
I didn't get a look at the compression driver, but it was loaded in what appeared to be a Eng 1-90pro (http://www.ddshorns.com/catalog.php?page=ENG190Pro). Is this the same waveguide used by Audio Kinesis? http://blog.stereophile.com/rmaf2006/102106ak/
In order to get BASS, they were using a TON of eminence fifteens, but I didn't note the model number. It was something like four fifteens per side.
But the speaker DESIGN is damn-near identical to what Lynn is describing in his recent thread about the Ariels.
Their demo really grabbed my attention. The sound reminded me of what I heard from the open baffle Bastanis that Lynn has talked about, combined with the amazing clarity of GedLee's Summa. I think that the articulation and headroom of the Summa is nearly impossible to beat, but the imaging of a dipole is really something else. (Lynn, if you are reading this, I am the guy who talked to you after you auditioned the Summa at the RMAF in 2005. We discussed it's sound for a solid hour in the lobby.)
Getting back to the point, the sound of this dipole at the 2007 CES was really something else. IMHO, it was the best sound I heard at CES.
If anyone is interested in exploring a combination of open-baffle imaging with the low coloration of waveguides, this is your speaker.
I may have some pics somewhere, but not holding my breath. I can tell you what drivers it used, because I had to take a peek
The midrange it used was a Ciare 6.38 NdMR
http://www.assistanceaudio.com/08_CIARE.html
I didn't get a look at the compression driver, but it was loaded in what appeared to be a Eng 1-90pro (http://www.ddshorns.com/catalog.php?page=ENG190Pro). Is this the same waveguide used by Audio Kinesis? http://blog.stereophile.com/rmaf2006/102106ak/
In order to get BASS, they were using a TON of eminence fifteens, but I didn't note the model number. It was something like four fifteens per side.
Hi Patrick
You are most likely referring to Emerald Physics discussed/pictured here in dipole form CS1 .
Here is the earlier quadrupole version.
cheers,
AJ
You are most likely referring to Emerald Physics discussed/pictured here in dipole form CS1 .
Here is the earlier quadrupole version.
cheers,
AJ
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Lynn Olson, This is For You!
Hi Patrick, I wish I had heard the Emerald Physics. I was really rushing around at both RMAF shows, and didn't give many rooms an in-depth listen - lack of time, unfamiliar material, small rooms with doubtful acoustics, etc.
The Bastanis Apollos, the Summas, the ones designed by Wally Mankiewitz, and a handful of others stood out as noteworthy and interesting, but very difficult to make any real assessment of their true character thanks to adverse demo conditions. I was surprised just how dreadful the really expensive famous-name speakers sounded, though - it was kind of a shock. I had forgotten just how far off-track the mainstream has gotten.
I spent most of the last RMAF babysitting the Karna amplifiers, a mistake I won't make again. They stay home this year. I've made so many enemies with my horn postings I think I better avoid any of the horn exhibitors this year - I'm persona non grata enough as it is. Oh well, maybe I can hang out for a little while at the Lowther and Edgarhorn rooms, at least they still like me.
Patrick Bateman said:
Hi Patrick, I wish I had heard the Emerald Physics. I was really rushing around at both RMAF shows, and didn't give many rooms an in-depth listen - lack of time, unfamiliar material, small rooms with doubtful acoustics, etc.
The Bastanis Apollos, the Summas, the ones designed by Wally Mankiewitz, and a handful of others stood out as noteworthy and interesting, but very difficult to make any real assessment of their true character thanks to adverse demo conditions. I was surprised just how dreadful the really expensive famous-name speakers sounded, though - it was kind of a shock. I had forgotten just how far off-track the mainstream has gotten.
I spent most of the last RMAF babysitting the Karna amplifiers, a mistake I won't make again. They stay home this year. I've made so many enemies with my horn postings I think I better avoid any of the horn exhibitors this year - I'm persona non grata enough as it is. Oh well, maybe I can hang out for a little while at the Lowther and Edgarhorn rooms, at least they still like me.
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