No not at all. As someone pointed out from a practical standpoint a DIYs infringment is not enforcable. But that doesn't take away the fact that it is still illegal.
My pieve came from the implication that my designs were nothing more than a hoped-up EV DJ speaker. That was insulting. Thats like saying that a Ferrari is nothing more than a hoped-up Civic. Sure they both have four wells and an engine and a lot more things in common, but that still does not make them comparable.
I guess that you don;t understand the concept of a patent. Because it does precisely what you suggest is not possible. I can tell everyone everything, I did, in the patent already, but I can still claim it to be my invention and prohibite others from using it. Let's not propagate falsehoods here.
There is also what is called an "inducement to infringe" (I know because Bose pulled this on me). Thats means that if you assit someone else in infringing, I can sue you even if you do not infringe anything yourself.
Gee, Dr Geddes it sounds like you are in good company.
Some of the EV products sound pretty good.
For the record, again, that is not true. Read what a patent says on it. It is illegal to "build, have built or otherwise ...". In a court the damages levied against someone depend directly on the damages incurred on me. These need not only be financial. Morality comes from knowingly breaking the law and infringing on my invention. This is no different than the moral obligation that we all have to acknowledge it when we copy what someone else writes into our own works, even if they is no infringment on the copyright. You still have the obligation of decency to acknowedge the fact.
Maybe thats so, Honda makes great cars as well (thats all that I own), but they are still not Ferarri's.
Hi again AllenB
I'm reasured to hear that.
I don't want to have nightmares about the brownshirts kicking in your door at some wee hour in the morning and confiscating your speakers because of any illegal mods !
In the free world that's just not cricket !
Yes I did know that the Wright brothers achievment was a disputed first.
I seem to recall someone else claimed to have done it a while previous, I guess it's written up in Wiki. I might have a look.
A lot a good ideas seem to me to come from studying nature, it's a shame the birds never got a patent on flying,they could have given up DIY flight then & drive around in Ferrari's instead.
Most of the Aussies I've know have been pretty cool, hope your spinning some cool toonz thru those prohibited transducers of yours.
As I said previously people in recording studios have been sticking toilet paper in front of tweeters for years.
The foam windshields used on microphones have a similar effect in reverse also.
Cheers
Simon
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Steve Albini likes EV speakers so I'm told.
He just has a regular $2 metal grill in front of them, and his recordings sound great.
I understand patent law in the UK very well indeed.
A patent does precisely nothing except take up space in a fileing cabinet.
It's quite possible to 'claim' one invented the wheel, but proveing this is quite another matter.
The only falsehood propagated here is that a patent prohibits individuals to experiment freely as they wish.
In the UK and I'm sure elsewhere also, it is clear that without punitive gain (obviously the case with a DIY enthusiast) there could be no question of a successfull proceding, even if it were proven that an idea was original in the first place, which would have to be done before any such proceding was started.
As for "inducement to infringe", in the UK at least, freedom of speech allows ideas to be disscussed and encouragment given to individuals, to take their own path.
Thankfully threats of half-baked legal action do nothing to prevent creative scientific and artistic progress in this country.
Simon
Earl,
Are you allowing one-pair licensing for use of the foam plugs for DIY? If so, what would be the fee? I for one would prefer to acknowledge and compensate the owner of the idea if using them.
Are you allowing one-pair licensing for use of the foam plugs for DIY? If so, what would be the fee? I for one would prefer to acknowledge and compensate the owner of the idea if using them.
Thanks Bill - the more enlighten approach among those posted here.
I allow use of the foam if you buy them from me. I can sometimes cut them for you as well (thats not easy to do and it depends on the shape) and I sell smaller quantities (most places do not), but I also get a premium on what is already a very expensive material. A minimum order from a wholesaler for the stuff that I use is usually about $1500. There is a lot of waste in cutting so even smallish parts tend to be $30-40. The good news is they are cheap to ship!!
I understand that it is impossible to find this stuff in blocks, only in thin sheets (as filter material). That means layering to get the required shape. While some have reported success this way, its not what I do as the layering is problematic.
Can I send you some dimensions and ask if you can cut to them? It's for a homebrew rectangular guide (mostly conical, but with a seat-of-the pants throat smoothing transition).
Other then your patented foam plug and your personally designed waveguide your speaker is just a high end PA speaker. That doesn't mean it doesn't sound great, it means that it is a very good sounding PA speaker. If you take into account the fact that waveguide tech has been around for decades then your main contribution is the foam plug. People have been covering the fronts and backs of speakers with different materials to improve the sound for years. Back in the 80s-90s some guys were using material over the face of their drivers in their cars to form an AP enclosure.
AP Enclosures-The Aperiodic Cookbook | Tutorials | Team Audionutz
Your plug is not for the same application but it is a very similar idea. Using a material over the face of a driver to improve it's performance. Your foam plug is an evolution of previous work. I am sure that it took a lot of measuring and testing to get right but lets just call your speakers what they are, very well designed PA speakers. There is no magic, just a well implemented design using off the shelf products.
Now back to the topic at hand? This speaker has a 65x40-degree, narrow-dispersion horn. I may even have the original manuals with the polar responses, I'll have to take a look when I get a chance. I'm curious to try some of the autotech waveguides that are now available to us. I wonder if they would be a worthwhile modification. I also wonder if we will ever be able to buy QSC k series waveguides? Those would be fun to play with.
So far i haven't any hack job that's comparable to the Geddes. Why harp on an obsolete wave guide from QSC?
Sure, what I can do is cut them as close as I can with a hot wire and then send them to you. You'd have to fit them yourself from there. Rectangular is not something that I have done, maybe I could set something up. Yea send me the drawing.
Without the ability to measure and look at what you have, you are limiting yourself. A lumpy response that needs crossover work just might be a bigger issue than one particular waveguide over another. Furthermore, if you swap one lumpy response for a different one, you may just draw the wrong conclusions.
JBL JRX Series
Since the Econowave use the cheap JBL waveguide, why not just modify the JRX cabinets as they all share the same WG? But I read somewhere that the JRX sounds like crap - are the drivers really that bad in them? Just curious...
Jaz
Since the Econowave use the cheap JBL waveguide, why not just modify the JRX cabinets as they all share the same WG? But I read somewhere that the JRX sounds like crap - are the drivers really that bad in them? Just curious...
Jaz
Hi DJ
Any more thoughts on the EV's ?
I found a very cheap source of acoustic foam.
I just bought a foam microphone windshield.
It's very big for a 2" dia mic. and only cost me £0.29p.
Which in UK money is cheaper than a can of Coke.😀
Cheers
Simon
Any more thoughts on the EV's ?
I found a very cheap source of acoustic foam.
I just bought a foam microphone windshield.
It's very big for a 2" dia mic. and only cost me £0.29p.
Which in UK money is cheaper than a can of Coke.😀
Cheers
Simon
I think I am going to open them up a bit and see why kind of stuffing they have. I am also going to grab some open cell foam and try it in the horn. I don't think I am going to completely rebuild these just yet. I am just going to make them sound as good as possible with what is there and then decide if I should pass them along. Any suggestions on other things I should try?
You can see polar responses here
http://www.electrovoice.com/sitefiles/downloads/Eliminator_i_EDS.pdf
EV has pretty accurate measurements.
You can see polar responses here
http://www.electrovoice.com/sitefiles/downloads/Eliminator_i_EDS.pdf
EV has pretty accurate measurements.
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