One of my favorite e-Bay stores had some flat panel speakers for sale and while doing a search for other flat panel speakers I found these.
http://cgi.ebay.com/TRIO-OF-RARE-BE...ryZ14994QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I think they're 2ft x 2ft. Also in the article link is a picture of one with 2 drivers, one centered in the panel and another bolted in just off the floor.
I like the rails they're mounted on. Allows you to raise or lower the driver for the listening level of an audience.
Always looking at what others have tried.
R/
Jim
http://cgi.ebay.com/TRIO-OF-RARE-BE...ryZ14994QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I think they're 2ft x 2ft. Also in the article link is a picture of one with 2 drivers, one centered in the panel and another bolted in just off the floor.
I like the rails they're mounted on. Allows you to raise or lower the driver for the listening level of an audience.
Always looking at what others have tried.
R/
Jim
Interesting. Not familiar with them myself, but it's always nice to see something a little different crop up.
The same technology was licensed to Yamaha for their organ speakers.
Notice the 'ear' shape:
fred
Notice the 'ear' shape:



fred
So they have a transducer that is coupled to the big panel?
Big radiating area.
Interesting to see little (big) things like this.
R/
Jim
Big radiating area.
Interesting to see little (big) things like this.
R/
Jim
Yamaha also brought these to the hi-fi market in the 70's as
I recall. At the time, there was some snickering about the
"ear shape", but I believe Yamaha's intent was to distribute
resonant modes on the radiating surface.
I recall. At the time, there was some snickering about the
"ear shape", but I believe Yamaha's intent was to distribute
resonant modes on the radiating surface.
Styrofoam wonders, turn yer ice chest into a speaker cab.
I wouldn't mind playing with some of those, just to see what the T/S and EQ looks like.
I wouldn't mind playing with some of those, just to see what the T/S and EQ looks like.
The use of an asymetrical shape for the cone certainly serves to eliminate, or at least diminish, brake-up modes that can occur on the cone.
I've had some luck with the old Radio Schack 40-1297, which unlike it's distant cousin the 1197, is a fairly narrow oval shape.
It's a 4x10 driver with an Fs of "about" 110Hz or so and generally has a very nice sound. Other than the goofy shape, it would be an ideal midrange and I think it rolls of somewhere around 12-14kHz.
Now I guess I'll have to dig out a pair and get to work on something or other.
Best Regards,
TerryO
I've had some luck with the old Radio Schack 40-1297, which unlike it's distant cousin the 1197, is a fairly narrow oval shape.
It's a 4x10 driver with an Fs of "about" 110Hz or so and generally has a very nice sound. Other than the goofy shape, it would be an ideal midrange and I think it rolls of somewhere around 12-14kHz.
Now I guess I'll have to dig out a pair and get to work on something or other.
Best Regards,
TerryO
They are not the same technology as NXT.
I think they are basically a voice coil attached to a pretty rigid piece of styrofoam with various ridges/valleys for resonance control
The particular ones on E-bay look like they were meant to be used in a suspended grid ceiling system for voice and background music. The 2'x2' size reinforces this opinion.
I heard some wall mounted "audiophile" versions at a store in Berkeley back in the day, and vaguely remember them as OK considering how flat they were, but nothing special..
I think they are basically a voice coil attached to a pretty rigid piece of styrofoam with various ridges/valleys for resonance control
The particular ones on E-bay look like they were meant to be used in a suspended grid ceiling system for voice and background music. The 2'x2' size reinforces this opinion.
I heard some wall mounted "audiophile" versions at a store in Berkeley back in the day, and vaguely remember them as OK considering how flat they were, but nothing special..
Nelson Pass said:Yamaha also brought these to the hi-fi market in the 70's as
I recall. At the time, there was some snickering about the
"ear shape", but I believe Yamaha's intent was to distribute
resonant modes on the radiating surface.
I had a chance to hear these when selling audio gear in the mid-late 70's, and while you'd never confuse them for NS1000M

I can vaguely recall several other attempts at styrofoam flat panel speakers over the years, none of which were memorable (is that a contradiction?) - so it would be interesting to audition them with an open mind, and limited expectations - there's always the opportunity to be pleasantly surprised.
I once had a similar but round ceiling speaker in hand, American brand, forgot the name, flat syrofoam diaphragm, absolutely unsutable for the specified use, even OB sounded awful, but standing free it gave a good dipole.
I remember Sony marketed some flat square drivers in the late 70`s early 80`s. And if I remember correctly the woofer cones were flat diaphrams with a honeycomb type filler for rigidity and used 4 voice coils per woofer. Never actually saw or heard a pair, but thought it was an "interesting" approach, but they weren`t on the market very long.
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