Measurements: When, What, How, Why

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Linkwitz illustrates that the directivity of dipoles does not generate the primary ipsilateral from the sidewall when toed-in as shown.

That's the reflection I'm talking about:

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


A strong ipsilateral reflection from 47°. The farther the side wall is away the bigger the angle becomes. Same effect when the toe-in is reduced.
By the way, why did he place the speakers at 35°?

The objective is to generate artificial spaciousness without being at the mercy of the listening room. If we rely upon the recording alone, it would be spare, as may be heard via headphones. Indeed, some seek this alternative with very narrow dispersion and room treatments in order to maximize pinpoint imaging at the expense of soundstage. By the CD thesis, however, the two don't have to be mutually exclusive, and a more satisfying balance may be achieved.

Why not use additional channels and let the recording decide?

I believe...

Me too 🙂
 
Thanks Methman! I'm afraid of what the HPR152i may sound like d/t all the sharp angles. I've never heard though so it may well just be paranoia. For the price it wouldn't be too much to find out. Too bad I'd have to buy another CD for that. That equals much too much outlay for me as happy as I am now.

Thanks,

Dan

First, have you looked at its measurements vs Geddes vs all other waveguides? Im not sure what sharp angles you are talking about, there isnt any diffraction issues at the mouth either like other choices.

2nd There are atleast five recent builds with it...Including Zilch, myself, Augerpro, Fb

AE TD15X + B&C DE500 + QSC Waveguide questions & build thread - AVS Forum

High power two way speaker build using QSC waveguides - AVS Forum

TD15M-A, BMS4550, QSC Horn - Build thread with questions - AVS Forum

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1228595&highlight=

Augerpro did tons of work with waveguide,CD and woofer meaurements (which commented was incomplete, He wasn't getting paid to do it 😉 I welcome you to create a set of measurements with the level of details Brandon has)
HTGuide Forum - Can you smell what Brando's cooking!?

5 buids alone here....THanks Zilch and Pete!!! http://techtalk.parts-express.com/showthread.php?t=215536

and more to come, I have shipped off 10 pairs to other countries to people don't know at all just so they can have the benefits of not spending hundreds on a waveguide.

If you are building DIY then what other options are there? 18sound has some nice horns but > $100 each and not much difference in the measurements. You can simply buy Geddes Summas or Abbeys if you think others suck.
 
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The amplitude of the issue changes dramatically well beyond 45 degrees. Solving for 45 degrees won't solve for 78 degrees. Further off axis issues are clearly evident still. The one w/o the notch definitely sounds harsh and simultaneously nasally (ha ha) compared to the notched. I wouldn't have a good idea why if I didn't measure out so far. This may help you on your design. Time will tell. 😉

Again, those measurements showed the issue at 45 deg (IMO) and if you notched 45deg you would have solved 90deg. I also commented that the woofer would maybe be XOed lower and that 90deg issue may not even exist. As for "time will tell" comment. I buy better drivers 😉

Do you have your DIY build so I can follow it?

I'm looking for cheaper than the DE250 even though that driver is probably in my future. I'm totally happy with my current CD--no immediate need for anything. In fact, no set limit, just as cheap as possible, but no cheaper. The cheapest Eminence is too cheap--the wavefront doesn't load a WG well. After I get better at designing and building, I'll buy better drivers. The fact that I've finally built a speaker that I enjoy more than anything else I've heard tells me I'm getting somewhere, but my training is incomplete. It's possible to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. To start with better stuff is just gravy. Oh, I can't find the QSC HPR15i. I get a subwoofer from Google. Any links?

Thanks,

Dan

"Cheap as possible" isn't always great because sometimes best SQ isnt cheap.

I have many cheap CDs. The B&C DE150 is what Augerpro used for his lowcost solution (I think), Zilch used the D220Ti for his standard build and I liked the the Celestion 1745 (sold on QSC's online part ordering site).

I have the Celestion 1425, Selenium D220. I also have the BMS4550 and just ordered the Radian 475 so I have many to listen too.

What CD and speakers do you own?
 
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Re: spaciousness, Toole relies on studies indicating that, given the opportunity to do so, listeners will dial up the cues to generate spaciousness well in excess of anything that would occur in reality, even to the detriment of sonic quality, i.e., inaccurate in both respects. He seems to waffle on this one considerably, asserting that there is, however, clearly an optimum balance to be sought, and agreeing that constant directivity is the best means to achieve that purpose.

Precisely my take on the situation as well, but in private discussions with him he clearly leans towards "more spaciousness" than "better imaging".

Footnote: I think of 90° more as "moderate" dispersion than "narrow," as you characterize it, which for me is 60° and under, with "wide" beginning at 120°, and "very wide" anything 180° or above, 30° and below being "very narrow." From this perspective, Toole's position is less in conflict; he only recommends such wide dispersion for use in surrounds, is my reading....

As I said before, when I say 90° waveguide, I mean the physical wall angles NOT the far field response. A 90° waveguide will tend towards 60-70° at 6 dB down as my data clearly shows. "moderate" / "Narrow" is not the issue, its "control". When you do not look carefully at directivity its not going to come out well.

This is where I have a serious issue with Linkwitz - he always draws those nice dipole lobes, but his systems are no where near that well controlled across the bandwidth. Its wishful thinking.
 
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I (and Toole as well) would contest this claim. Spaciousness requires lateral reflections. The frontal reflection will interfere with the imaging, especially at 6 ms. I find, and Floyd says this in his book as well, that killing the wall reflection behind the speakers is a major advantage to sound stage.

My own experience says 4" thick OC703 on the wall behind the speakers is gold in terms of SQ improvements.

All custom HT room designers treat the front wall behind the speakers add CD speakers like yours Geddes and someone has an incredible room full of sound.
 
I believe it's clear that high-IACC early reflections (<10ms) are detrimental to both spectral and spatial quality, and that would be my argument for Linkwitz to either damp the front wall or abandon dipoles.

[Not gonna happen, I wouldn't guess, but he's just a mere 4ms away from that conclusion presently.... 😉 ]
Huh? His 'critical listening' setup has the speakers 6' from the front wall so that's ~12ms.

There's no question that dipoles have better directivity control than monopoles below the XO frequency so the only way waveguides really make sense to me is to build them into the room corners so the walls act as a waveguide for the mid-low frequencies.

And I think it's doing SL a disservice to claim he's going for artificial spaciousness or sound effects. His standard has always been trying to match what he hears in a live concert. He makes his own recordings with tiny stereo mics taped to his eyeglasses right by his ears and then goes home and plays it back to hear how similar it sounds.

stereo-mic2.JPG
 
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There's no question that dipoles have better directivity control than monopoles below the XO frequency so the only way waveguides really make sense to me is to build them into the room corners so the walls act as a waveguide for the mid-low frequencies.

I'm sorry, but this comment doesn't make sense to me. "Below the XO frequency" (and I have to assume that you mean 500-800 Hz or so) directivity isn't very important so having "better control" is kind of a mute point. But being precise, a "monopole" has perfect directivity control, its pistons that don't (but I think that this is what you meant). For me the piston has the "better" "directivity control" in that it does just what I want - it narrows down to match the waveguide at the crossover. Dipoles don't do this (well they could be made to, but most are not), there is still a change in directivity at the crossover, unless its very low, in which case it kind of also makes your point mute.

I don't know where people get the idea that OB speakers don't have changing directivity because they do. It's not as extreme as a closed box at LF, but its the same at HF. So where it matters the two are the same.
 
First, have you looked at its measurements vs Geddes vs all other waveguides? Im not sure what sharp angles you are talking about, there isnt any diffraction issues at the mouth either like other choices.
Not all the other WGs. No one I know has. But yes I've seen its measurements and it looks intriguing.

Augerpro did tons of work with waveguide,CD and woofer meaurements (which commented was incomplete, He wasn't getting paid to do it 😉 I welcome you to create a set of measurements with the level of details Brandon has)
I can **** further than any man.🙄 I commend Brandon's work. There the best around that I know of.
and more to come, I have shipped off 10 pairs to other countries to people don't know at all just so they can have the benefits of not spending hundreds on a waveguide.
Huh? Not sure what you mean by this and I don't see any relevance to the thread.
If you are building DIY then what other options are there? 18sound has some nice horns but > $100 each and not much difference in the measurements. You can simply buy Geddes Summas or Abbeys if you think others suck.
Why do you want to assume what I mean? Odd.

Dan
 
I don't know where people get the idea that OB speakers don't have changing directivity because they do. It's not as extreme as a closed box at LF, but its the same at HF. So where it matters the two are the same.
There have been several threads here and elsewhere focusing on keeping OB baffles very narrow (under a wavelength in the passband) and people are achieving pretty good CD over a surprisingly large range, say from 80-10K, running naked drivers with no baffle. Once the baffle width gets over a wavelength, piston diameter becomes controlling.

To me, one of the best tests of power response is the 'down the hall' test. If you're outside the room and it sounds like there are live musicians in the room, you've got it right however you get there -- waveguides, dipoles, whatever.
 
Why do you want to assume what I mean? Odd.

Dan



You posted an early opinion about the QSCs so Im posting all the info I have.

The point is that its a great waveguide based on the measurements and its costs $12. QSC parts division is actually a little caught off guard and they go back order all the time. Currently its late June before anyone can buy them. I have had a discussion with QSC over this and they may stop selling them to DIYers.

Im not assuming anything from you. I have no idea what you own or what you are building. Im just asking to find out.

If you have certain waveguides then it would be great that you posted them for others to learn about.
 
Again, those measurements showed the issue at 45 deg (IMO) and if you notched 45deg you would have solved 90deg. I also commented that the woofer would maybe be XOed lower and that 90deg issue may not even exist. As for "time will tell" comment. I buy better drivers 😉
Yea, If you can't see those issues, I can't help you. I can state it more specifically as I believe that you can understand something as glaringly obvious. Look at the 45 then the 78.75, 67.5, 90, 56.25, which ever you want. It is obvious. Ask Zilch or Wintermute--they got it first view. 😉
Do you have your DIY build so I can follow it?
Nothing live. My best contribution to the DIY community: - Techtalk at Parts-Express.com
Nothing new under that sun. 90 percent of that info is here except the polars on the PE WG. I haven't put them in their final boxes so no pretty pictures. Of course that's assuming my pictures would be pretty.


"Cheap as possible" isn't always great because sometimes best SQ isnt cheap.

I have many cheap CDs. The B&C DE150 is what Augerpro used for his lowcost solution (I think), Zilch used the D220Ti for his standard build and I liked the the Celestion 1745 (sold on QSC's online part ordering site).

I have the Celestion 1425, Selenium D220. I also have the BMS4550 and just ordered the Radian 475 so I have many to listen too.

What CD and speakers do you own?
Selenium D220--got'er on sale knowing Zilch used it. I had an ASD1001 before. They are too cheap--not financially. You can never have too cheap a cost. The Selenium D220 are the "cheap as possible" option for me. I'm sure I haven't seen them all. I don't regret buying them as they do what I need. Didn't see the BMS prior so maybe they'd have been better and similarly priced. Here's its polars on top of speaker in the 10"PE WG:
4558863258_e209f0b424_o.jpg

I'd prefer to keep this thread about measuring drivers, what and why instead of "what drivers do you have?" ******* contest, chest pounding type of thread. There's too much of that stuff around and it only holds learning back. I'm more interesting in sharing what I know and what you know so we all can learn.
It will be interesting when I get these in their final boxes and see how they then measure then. That will be a learning experience for me.

Dan
 
No ******* match at all with me. I just will ask lots of questions. Im curious about the need to focus on 90degress. You are right about it so no need to discuss it more.

Your comment about QSC
Thanks Methman! I'm afraid of what the HPR152i may sound like d/t all the sharp angles. I've never heard though so it may well just be paranoia.

Is definitely paranoia since is a far better waveguide then the PE 10" round waveguide and its screw on throat. You should have found the QSC HPR-122i 10" round waveguide, its also better (bolt on always will be better then the long throats of the screw on choices). I have compared them all. The D220/10" PE wasn't very good SQ wise but maybe EQing helps that. I didnt do much with each of them.
 
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No ******* match at all with me. I just will ask lots of questions. Im curious about the need to focus on 90degress. You are right about it so no need to discuss it more.

Your comment about QSC


Is definitely paranoia since is a far better waveguide then the PE 10" round waveguide and its screw on throat. You should have found the QSC HPR-122i 10" round waveguide, its also better (bolt on always will be better then the long throats of the screw on choices). I have compared them all. The D220/10" PE wasn't very good SQ wise but maybe EQing helps that. I didnt do much with each of them.

When you say far better, I want proof. You've seen the 10PE WG/Selenium. Will you post some measurements? This 10" is part of the best speaker I've ever heard--the best part. I don't doubt for a second that there are better-- I was sure of that when I bought it. You can see what I think are those throat problems in the response. Frankly I was shocked at how good it sounds. Crossover/polar response has a lot to do with what's heard, as we well know, and I've got these done pretty well. Just another look to save time:
4589827007_328d6998ec_o.jpg


I don't like the screw on throat either, but the price of admission was right. I do like the looks of that HPR-122i ($6.55 to boot!), but I'd have to see something that would make me believe it's worth it to change. The price of the CDs is the problem. The QSC site doesn't help--not that I expected it to. Manufacturers. 🙁

BTW, I actually think a 90 degree WG would be better for the crossover/break up problem. That's what I like about the Geddes WGs. I know I have a paranoia about non round horns d/t prior auditory experience. I'd sure like to hear some that didn't hurt my ears. These PEs do not, but my suspicion is that it's more about the crossover and the response out to 90 degrees than anything. This:
4558838178_9598ffa991_o.jpg
is painful.
This:
4558208311_3363ce6b21_o.jpg
is not, but it's not as smooth/clear/ intelligible etc... as the graph on the top. I'm thinking that the crossover may well be what's caused my bias for round horns. I may be wrong, but I have no way to prove anything as I haven't measured and rectangular horn systems or horns. With narrower directivity, it is definitely harder to get the crossover right and I wonder of that was your problem with the PE WG. So far I have only heard one recording where this speaker sounds harsh out of 100 or so including movies. It's fairly good odds against it being the speaker. It could have even been my mood as it was after a miserable 16 hr day at work where nothing went well.

Dan
 
Brandon / augerpro has measured the QSC waveguides, albeit with B&C drivers. He has horizontal as well as vertical polars. Not out to 90 degrees like you've asked for though. I think he goes out to 60.

Frequency Response w/ B&C DE250 (drivervault)

Regarding bolt-on vs. threaded - I have a tiny bit of experience here, where I tried a Selenium adapter to put a bolt-on driver onto a threaded horn, or was it the other way round. The response was pretty bad, and I could see that the threaded part of it didn't mate right, there was a gap between the end of the driver and the next surface. Filling that region with foam helped with the 12-14kHz null that I had, but didn't eliminate it. Switching to a bolt-on driver and WG took care of it.
 
When you say far better, I want proof. You've seen the 10PE WG/Selenium. Will you post some measurements? This 10" is part of the best speaker I've ever heard--the best part.

Yeah, thats the Emerald Physics speakers, right? It does show that XOs/woofers mean a ton to the design. I did say that I did not EQ much just played around with how the each horn sounded. I did post I have the Selenium/10PE WG pair sitting in my Garage unused now. I sent them all off to Augerpro for measurements so he has the measurements.

My "Far better" comment is purely my subjective opinion on listening but the CSD shows the D220 has problems (See augerpro's measurements), The D220 was the worst sounding CD of all my CDs.


I don't like the screw on throat either, but the price of admission was right. I do like the looks of that HPR-122i ($6.55 to boot!), but I'd have to see something that would make me believe it's worth it to change. The price of the CDs is the problem. The QSC site doesn't help--not that I expected it to. Manufacturers.

Im not using my HPR-122i wavguides or the Celestion 1745 or Celestion 1425 CDs. I think the 1745 is better then the 1425. None of them go down to 1KHz though, just in case you are wondering about that.

If you want them to demo. Send me a PM.
 
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There have been several threads here and elsewhere focusing on keeping OB baffles very narrow (under a wavelength in the passband) and people are achieving pretty good CD over a surprisingly large range, say from 80-10K, running naked drivers with no baffle. Once the baffle width gets over a wavelength, piston diameter becomes controlling.

The wavelength at 10 kHz is about an inch - even the baffle thickness is significant - no baffle at all might work, but then support is an issue. And then there is the diffraction ... I keep hearing these claims, but supporting evidence is very rare.
 
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