Near-field only, without room treatment?!

[CZ Eddie]

I've never heard of any tricks to this.
I don't think it's possible.
But if anyone knows, it would be DIYAudio.com.

There are speakers that sound great nearfield.
And other speakers that sound great when you're further away.
Speakers that somehow sound loud far away.

Are there any speakers that somehow manage to lose SPL quicker than others, as you move further from them?

Ignoring room placement and room treatment, of course.
Which are the "normal" tricks that I know of.

Is there any sort of design that sounds semi-loud up close.
But loses SPL quicker than usual, as you move further from the speaker?
I spend a LOT of time in my open garage.
Garage door open.
And I prefer medium SPL's with almost anything I'm watching or listening to.
Which I'm sure my neighbors don't appreciate.
So I'll be adjusting my mounting locations and adding some "room treatment".
But was wondering if there are any other tricks in the book?

Short of closing the garage door.

 

[ginetto61]

Hi i was about to start a very similar thread for one reason ... in my current situation i cannot proceed with room treatment ... i am renting the flat
Being forced to smart working for offices lockdown i have played a little with some small speakers on my desk ...
and i have been amazed by the soundstage that i can get listening from 3 feet more or less.
I have come to the conclusion that the lack of room reflections is a very useful think at least for soundstage reproduction, i love that.
So i am thinking to nearfield listening as an option also for my bigger stereo system.
Moreover in order to avoid some kind of "misalignment" between low and high Hz drivers i am seriously thinking to speakers with coaxial drivers.
I will be listening from 2 meters no more.
Maybe i am wrong but is this not the situation that can be found in small recording studios ? with engineers mixing very close to the monitor speakers ?
I understand that the best option would be a dedicated and well treated listening room ... but in the meantime ?
Thanks and kind regards,
gino

 

[AllenB]

Aiming as much toward the listener for as little sound in the room, sounds like narrow directivity.

 

[ginetto61]

Aiming as much toward the listener for as little sound in the room, sounds like narrow directivity

Hi ! thanks ... exactly ! I think that to narrow the low Hz directivity is quite impossible ? but for midrange and tweeter ... an approach i see more often in pro speakers and very seldom in audiophile speakers.

In a coaxial the cone will act like a horn for the rear tweeter ...
As i said this could be interesting for situation were room treatment is difficult to carry out for some reasons. It is clearly a compromise. Nobody can beat a well treated room for serious listening.
I will be trying some foam disc around the tweeter soon.

 

[scottjoplin]

Hi ! thanks ... exactly ! I think that to narrow the low Hz directivity is quite impossible ?

Dipoles can do that but it depends if you can accommodate them

 

[AllenB]

to narrow the low Hz directivity is quite impossible ?

To make a wall disappear you can either avoid it, or join with it.

 

[Tenson]

Room treatment in terms of 'sound absorption' will not do much to stop sound spreading to your neighbour.

You want 'sound isolation' and that means things like adding a second skin on the entire wall joining your neighbour.

The best thing you can do is wear wireless headphones!

Speakers with big horns might help, but not in the bass. A small wave-guide like those Genelecs will not do anything to stop your neighbour getting upset.

Get a copy of Philip Newell - Recording Studio Design. It covers sound isolation and building design. The 'Look Inside' coveres a lot of your interest! Recording Studio Design (Audio Engineering Society Presents): Amazon.co.uk: Newell, Philip: 9780240520865: Books

 

[ginetto61]

Dipoles can do that but it depends if you can accommodate them

Hi ! dipoles are not for me. Too difficult to place rightly in the room. I do not like rear bass reflex ports as well. Or side-firing woofers.

To make a wall disappear you can either avoid it, or join with it.

Maybe i am wrong but a wall disappear sonically if it does not reflect sound ?

Room treatment in terms of 'sound absorption' will not do much to stop sound spreading to your neighbour.
You want 'sound isolation' and that means things like adding a second skin on the entire wall joining your neighbour.
The best thing you can do is wear wireless headphones!
Speakers with big horns might help, but not in the bass.
A small wave-guide like those Genelecs will not do anything to stop your neighbour getting upset.

Most of the treatments i have seen consist of panels strategically placed on the walls or tube traps. So i guess they do not isolate the neighbours ... that is indeed a real issue in a flat. I am trying to keep volume down.
My doubt was more if nearfield listening can help in getting a better soundstage.

Get a copy of Philip Newell - Recording Studio Design.
It covers sound isolation and building design. The 'Look Inside' coveres a lot of your interest! Recording Studio Design (Audio Engineering Society Presents): Amazon.co.uk: Newell, Philip: 9780240520865: Books

Thanks a lot for the helpful advice. I will get a copy. It is a topic very dear to me. For now i have to postpone any room treatment work ... but some theory is always very useful and interesting.

 

[mark100]

Are there any speakers that somehow manage to lose SPL quicker than others, as you move further from them?

An omni will have overall SPL fall faster with distance than any other ime.

It's all about radiation pattern by frequency, and where the pattern is aimed.

Since your goal is to keep sound inside garage with open doors, I'd just put the speakers up high on the wall with the door, pointing into the garage.
Or at least across the garage, anything but pointed out the door.

I keep a pair of bose 901's in my garage, with their high ratio of reflected-to- direct , for the same purpose.

 

[CZ Eddie]

Since your goal is to keep sound inside garage with open doors, I'd just put the speakers up high on the wall with the door, pointing into the garage.
Or at least across the garage, anything but pointed out the door.

This is an old thread that got bumped.
Yep, that's exactly what I did.
Built a pair of Mini Karlsonator for the fun of it and installed them just as you described.
It's worked well enough. No complains from the neighbors and it gets loud enough to enjoy.

An omni will have overall SPL fall faster with distance than any other ime.

Ime?
I never thought about omni-directional speakers.
I'll have to research that for potential future upgrades!

 

[CZ Eddie]

The mini karlson build pix.
The last pic shows them flush to the wall but I angled them inward after the pic was taken.

 

[mark100]

Gotcha, sorry i didn't pick up it was an old thread,
and maybe hit you with an unknown abbreviation .....ime... in my experience

Really neat mini karlson project !

I love having tunes in the garage