The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
Remember my original clarification after my first post on this topic which contained some wordings which were not fully complete and thus inaccurate and thus pointed out by 'someone':
I am saying it functions similar to a HR when it is not in use, not when
it is in use. This i said could be one of the readons why when we put
several speakers in a room, the sound gets affected sumtimes
drastically. But they dun really act as proper HR bcos of the existence
of the drivers.
Again because of the similarity and also because of the use of the Helmholtz principle in a port speaker, this, a reword of what I remember from the article I read years ago, seemed to be a good explanation, something 'possible' and was brought up to be discussed civicly. In fact if I remember correctly, the reviewer in question could well have been Martin Colloms because I remember how convincing the suggestion was.
Since this topic continued but is now on a more civil tone, let me put down some of my own google results which I have been holding back. The google search was for "speaker and helmholtz resonator" and produced 105,000 results. For the lazy, the url for the result is here:
http://www.google.com.my/#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&site=&source=hp&q=box+spekaer+and+helmholtz+resonator&pbx=1&oq=box+spekaer+and+helmholtz+resonator&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=2219l9720l0l10414l35l32l0l0l0l1l529l8598l0.4.20.5.2.1l32l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=1e94d75b13e749d8&biw=1254&bih=628
I ignore most of the forum postings. But some other hits caught my eye:
Encyclopedia Britannica on electromagnetic speakers:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/183345/electromechanical-transducer/64023/Loudspeakers?anchor=ref527414
The tuned port or bass
reflex enclosure achieves greater efficiency and extends the bass
frequency range by carefully adjusting the shape and position of a hole
or tube connecting the inside of the speaker box with the outside. The
volume of the box thus acts as a type of Helmholtz resonator,
with a resonant frequency that is determined by the geometry of the
hole or tube and is deliberately chosen so that it extends the frequency
range of the speaker system smoothly to a significantly lower value.
Google books : Designing, building, and testing your own speaker systems with projects by David B. Weems
http://books.google.com.my/books?id=1FeGy3Wr09MC&pg=PA13&lpg=PA13&dq=box+speaker+and+helmholtz+resonator&source=bl&ots=YAzmv8SRAg&sig=WK6MHPkbXdz_BOrIDiz_crNHJxA&hl=en&ei=yHPITui2GsaIrAfV5_nADg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&q=box%20speaker%20and%20helmholtz%20resonator&f=false
Under chapter 2 : kind of speaker enclosures, he listed the different type of speaker constructions and under 'ported box Enclosuses', he explained that in basic principle the speaker box has functions similar to the helmholtz resonator. E.g. a simplified extract is below:
Like the closed box, the ported box, or bass reflex, is easy to build;....
The box with the hole in it acts as a resonator, properly called a helmholtz resonator, after the nineteenth-century German physicist who first described the behaviour of tuned acoustical resonators....
Note: you can't copy the contents so I typed part of the introduction to the chapter in by hand. The whole chapter is available for us to read.
There are others also, like from wikibooks
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Acoustics/Bass-Reflex_Enclosure_Design
and many others. Many deals with the sub-woofer because that is where it is most extensively used to exploit the princple most it seems. Of course one can also argue that a subwoofer is not a speaker though my understanding is that it is a very specialized application of a speaker.
Lots of theories, lots of graphs, diagrams, formulas, equations and what not for those who likes it. The original formula I used many years ago to construct those helmholtz resonators was a bit simpler I remember but I think the professor who posted it in the Hifi mailing list then intentionally simplified it to make it easier for people to apply.
The idea that an unused speaker or subwoofer (new addition here), can exhibit some behaviours of a proper helmholtz resonator and thus deliver some of its effects, again to me seems the most logical explanation for the phenomenon of why having one or more pairs of unused speakers in the room can influence the sound. So it is up the you to read the technical part and to analyze and to decide what to believe or what not to believe.
I wish I can find that original article by I believe Martin Colloms but I don't think it is on the net. And I forgot which magazine I read it from. But till today, it remains the most convincing explanation I have read.
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
Glad that you appreciate the fact that i am trying to carry on an objective debate, because that is my exact intention.
Now back to the debate !
I think one of the problem is that your argument is based on the premise of a PERFECT Helmholtz Resonator. My premised is that an unpowered speaker has a Helmholtz Resonator like behavior (albeit imperfect) which has the unintended effect of attenuating a specifc band of bass frequencies.
mugenfoo wrote:This is explained in greater detail in the aforementioned book at section 6.2.7 which clearly equates a passive loudspeaker as being a membrane resonant absorber (as opposed to HR's which are of rigid construction!). It even goes on to describe how the absorption properties of a passive loudspeaker could be tuned by varying the resistive & capacitive loads between its terminals. (aka changing the Q of this loudspeaker-absorber).
You are right that the book describe it as "membrane resonant absorber". So it is still a ABSORBER at a specific resonant frequency. Somewhat does what a HR do, right ?
Maybe the excerpts from the book "Architectural acoustics by Marshall Long" may help here.
http://books.google.com.my/books?id=MnYUfErtBGEC&pg=PA203&lpg=PA203&dq=bass+reflex+speaker+acting+like+a+helmholtz+resonator&source=bl&ots=nTY-9hG0sV&sig=rxWkUJ1a0T-jNDizcgceZJ-XK-M&hl=en&ei=2n_IToipMImnrAeP7NSxDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CE0Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=bass%20reflex%20speaker%20acting%20like%20a%20helmholtz%20resonator&f=false
QUOTE: Helmholtz resonators are used in bass-reflex or ported loudspeaker cabinets to extend the bass response of loudspeakers by tuning the box so that the port emits energy at low frequencies. The box-cone combination is not a simple Helmholtz resonator, but acts like a high-pass filter. Thiele (1971) and Small (1973) did extensive work on developing equivalent circuit models of the combined system, which is designed so that its resonant frequency is just below the point at which the loudspeaker starts to loose efficiency. (end QUOTE)
The keywords here "box-cone COMBINATION is NOT A SIMPLE HELMHOLTZ RESONATOR" & "Thiele (1971) and Small (1973) did extensive work on developing equivalent circuit models of the COMBINED SYSTEM"
It is not an PERFECT HELMHOLTZ RESONATOR, but a hybrid system/COMBINED (since it has a speaker driver), but it does have HR properties.
sanguine wrote:A ported loudspeaker qualifies as a rigid structure, it has a volume of air in it and is connected to the outside via a port. Should it not then qualify as a HR?
One weakness if we are to go by the above description would be, the rigidness of the cone. Is it rigid enough for the encapsulated air to be excited? I think it is..
I agree. It being a hybrid (combination system), explanation above.
sflam
So now you do not believe in your earlier observation that a unused speakers in a room does colour the sound ?? Of course it does, but the only question is the mechanism of how it work in so doing.
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
The most important matter in the end, is simply that everyone has a right to his or her opinion and even if it is wrong or silly, the person himself or herself should be respected with the proper courtesy.
I fear this thread has now been killed as many more will not dare post here. H4S has been like a minefield recently with many people, some telling me via PM, that they do not dare post for fear of being ridiculed. I am sad and I can only hope people will be more respectful so that more open and honest sharing can be accomplished.
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
carz wrote"sflam
So now you do not believe in your earlier observation that a unused speakers in a room does colour the sound ?? Of course it does, but the only question is the mechanism of how it work in so doing.
carz, i still believe an unused speaker in a room can colour the sound. but the unused speaker does not act as a helmholtz resonator. it acts as a membrane absorber.
mugenfoo is right. theoretically, a speaker (ported) can be considered to be a kind of helmholtz resonator if the speaker units are taped, glued or a piece of plywood is nailed on the front baffle so that the cones will not move i.e. it becomes a rigid box with a port.
if the unused speaker is left as it is, the cones will move sympathetically with the sound and the acoustic foam and wool inside the speaker will absorb some segment of the sound frequencies depending on how much wool/foam etc is inside. the unused speaker (even a sealed box) then effectively becomes a membrane absorber.
it is all about the right terminology and technology.
take a look at this membrane corner bass trap made by rpg diffusor systems.
http://www.rpginc.com/products/modexcorner/index.htm
Last edited by sflam on Sun Nov 20, 2011 6:08 pm; edited 1 time in total
Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
wongkn wrote:
I am saying it functions similar to a HR when it is not in use, not when it is in use.
I ignore most of the forum postings. But some other hits caught my eye:
Encyclopedia Britannica on electromagnetic speakers:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/183345/electromechanical-transducer/64023/Loudspeakers?anchor=ref527414
The tuned port or bass
reflex enclosure achieves greater efficiency and extends the bass
frequency range by carefully adjusting the shape and position of a hole
or tube connecting the inside of the speaker box with the outside. The
volume of the box thus acts as a type of Helmholtz resonator,
with a resonant frequency that is determined by the geometry of the
hole or tube and is deliberately chosen so that it extends the frequency
range of the speaker system smoothly to a significantly lower value.
wongkn, the ported speaker (bass reflex) acts like some type of helmholtz resonator when it is in use to play music, when there is sound.
when it is not used or not connected, what resonance is there in the internal volume of air when there is no sound? and how can the port extend bass frequency when there is no sound? so how can the unconnected speaker function like a helmholtz resonator when there is no sound?
however, when placed in a room where music is playing, the unused speaker plays a different role and effectively becomes not a helmholtz resonator but a membrane absorber.
that explains why bass can go missing when there are unused speakers in a room. the bass is absorbed by the unused speaker which acts as a membrane bass trap.
Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
Within the context of acoustics:
1. HRs are used to absorb sound.
2. Membrane resonators are also used to absorb sound.
3. Thick acoustic Foam are also used to absorb sound.
Do they achieve similar results?Yes, as in they all absorb sound.
Do they work in the same way? Not really, different principles of wave mechanics at play here.
Are they constructed the same way ? Hell no !
At the risk of getting into semantics here, a HR in its practical form would be Highway barrier bricks with a slot on it, or wooden cavity boxes with pre-cut or perforated holes spaced to a certain repetitive pattern and radial opening. It can also be a Rigid volume of enclosed space, tailed-off a passing duct (as in the case of air cond venting systems), or even as a parallel pass-thru chamber (as in the case of car exhaust systems and its bulgeous segments usually in the middle of the car's undercarriage).
What all these HRs have in common, is that they are all constructed of a RIGID enclosure. Front, back, left, right, top & bottom. There are no mechanically moving-elements to a HR.
Being repetitive again, A loudspeaker by its very NATURE of having moveable cones, already does not fulfill the criteria of a HR. It is more aptly modeled as a MEMBRANE Resonator, with more Broad-band properties (ie, lower "Q") and spanning a broader spectrum compared to a Helmholtz (usually of higher "Q" factors) .
In plain English (at risk of someone accusing me of being a smart-ass again), a simple description might be:
An enclosure that is Rigid all around with a port or orifice opening, and has no moving cones, flaps, whatnots, then its a HR (based on the principle of an enclosed air mass within an enclosure).
An enclosure that has some sort of non-rigid surface that can vibrate sympathetically due to outside excitations, its a NOT a HR.
A subwoofer box, with its huge 15" driver that floats freely and CAN be made to "sing" along due to external sounds, then its acting like a Membrane Resonator. The woofer cone itself already accounts for easily more than 80% of its frontal area. (see... not rigid!)
And what if the Subwoofer has no reflex port to begin with ? Does it magically become a Helmholtz as well (when its disconnected and put aside)?
Many devices can also give similar results as a HR. Just as a HR can also be made to approximate and mimic the END-RESULT of other devices. But Lets call a spade a spade, and a hammer a hammer.
Just as a HR is but one method to attenuate sound, there are many other methods to achieve the same result. But to say that the other devices BECOMES a HR, this is just plain inaccurate.
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
I believe by shorting the + and - terminal of the unused speaker will reduce the movement of the diaphragm?? Or am I going to get a shoot in the foot soon?
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
shorting with wire is hazards. here is another snake oil. if the small speaker can general a 20hz wave, u can also cancel it out by generating the inverse phase.
in place of shorting wire, put in a dsp / computer to calculate the anti phase require. hoola, u have a active HR.
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
Using a loudspeaker as an absorber has several advantages: loudspeakers are cheap, readily available and already configured for rudimentary acoustic treatment. More important, however, the electrical and magnetic properties of the loudspeakers will affect how the system responds to incident sound. Consequently, the bandwidth and quantity of absorption can be tuned, within certain limits, by altering the electrical coefficients of the loudspeakers. By applying resistive loads across the terminal, the Q of the resonant absorption peak can be changed because the damping in the system is changed. Measurements show that the absorption bandwidth can be altered by up to 50 per cent. Applying capacitive loads across the terminals alters the resonant frequency by up to 30 per cent, but it also affects the damping in the system somewhat. Predictions indicate that by using inductors and capacitors together allows even greater changes in resonant frequency and broader absorption over two and a half octaves.
i am not sure about shorting the terminals, but u can actually tune the sound absorbing qualities of the loudspeaker with capacitors and inductors across the terminals.
i think one way for hi-fi dealers and av enthusiasts to 'disable' the sound absorption capability of unused speakers/ subwoofers would be to cover them with thick blankets or rugs when they are using the main pair of speakers for two-channel listening. aha, that's another tweak
Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
sflam wrote:
i think one way for hi-fi dealers and av enthusiasts to 'disable' the sound absorption capability of unused speakers/ subwoofers would be to cover them with thick blankets or rugs when they are using the main pair of speakers for two-channel listening. aha, that's another tweak
Don't suppose they will make that effort all the time even if they could. Dealers place are essentially a display center to market their goods and most if not all listeners realise any audition is different from whats at home anyhow. Of course no harm done if dealer would please any customer on request. Maybe customer bring own rug?
C'mon lah..this is really going paranoia or into extremes.
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
sidenote: Awesome avatar !
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
elhefe wrote:Chill out all... Watch malaysia vs indonesia ... Half time now...1-1
Goal! Harimau! Gold!
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
mugenfoo wrote:
thats wthats why you need to add some "super tweeters" instead. Sure to make the sound high-high one.
ah, supertweeters...that's another expensive super snake oil..
Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
sflam wrote:mugenfoo wrote:
thats wthats why you need to add some "super tweeters" instead. Sure to make the sound high-high one.
ah, supertweeters...that's another expensive super snake oil..
...unless its part of the original design ... like the Super-HL5 speaker ?
Or would the presence of Super tweeters in its original design transform the entire SHL-5 speaker into a super duper wooden crate of extremely potent snake oil ?
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
cmboy wrote:Seriously, I'd like to get my hands on some turbine oil, anyone knows where to get some?
What gred are you looking for? Synthetic or mineral?
Will it make any diff?
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
mugenfoo wrote:unless its part of the original design ... like the Super-HL5 speaker ?
Or would the presence of Super tweeters in its original design transform the entire SHL-5 speaker into a super duper wooden crate of extremely potent snake oil ?
just chked the harbeth website. frankly for a speaker with a supertweeter, the treble response does not go that high.
it is rated at only 40Hz - 24kHz ± 3dB.
A ProAc d28, for example, goes up to 30KHz with only a normal tweeter.
Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
...that, and using the Force!!...
...am currently manufacturing some homemade sugar cubes from a secret species of hardwood to attenuate the sound from my system...FUYOH!!!
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
And Harbeth speakers make all amplifiers sound the same. So there is no need to spend alot of money on any fancy amp because Harbeths are claimed to play nice with all types of amps.
If Harbeth's tagline is "The World's Most Natural Sounding Loudspeakers" and it has not been disputed or taken to court in any lawsuit for false claims or consumer deception, then it must be true.
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
WongKK wrote:Not sure if you are being serious or not, mugen But I think that any speaker that makes all amps sound the same is not transparent enough to upstream electronics - ergo, not a good speaker.
OMG !!!! Really ?????
But but but ... the designer himself said so ! He said that all amps (should) sound the same, except for reasons of ageing.
http://www.harbeth.co.uk/usergroup/showthread.php?1296-Amplifier-harmonics-and-load-stability
Then again... he didn't claim his speaker designs were the "Most Transparent Sounding" in the world ... he only claimed: "Most Natural Sounding". Perhaps Natural Sounding would need to include some "not-so-transparent sounding" characteristics ? I don't know...
It could be that the idea of "transparency" is just another fancy Snake-Oil notion? We might need to wait for some other speaker mfg to claim that their speakers are the "most transparent sounding in the world", wait a few years to see if they kena sue for false advertising or not, then only will we know what truly transparency sounds like...
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
From my experience of the product in question, my ears were hurting in the aftermath, and I really needed to go home and play music through my own system to re-set my personal OS.
Music, in its natural and usual contexts never actually made me hurt, unless of course something went wrong and I made my guitar amp feedback like crazy...
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Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
I dont know whether I got you guys correctly or not, mean time the meaning of mine saying shorting the + and - terminal is when the speaker is not in use ok. Certainly it is very gila to do it when it is in use. Your amp will charcoal straight.
of course you can short it with a resistor when in use, example like the Zobel network once made popular by Enacom.. In fact as a mean of tweak only; it doesnt necessary give a better sound. Haha, tried that before. The best approach is still the simple approach~
adrian4454- Frequent Contributor
- Number of posts : 722
Age : 46
Location : Melaka
Registration date : 2009-02-03
Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
hasnul- Frequent Contributor
- Number of posts : 296
Age : 47
Location : KL
Registration date : 2009-01-22
Character sheet
Source(s): Rega P3 + Yamaha WXC-50 Streamer
Amplification: Rega Elex-R
Speakers: ATC SCM12
Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYTlN6wjcvQ
mugenfoo- Frequent Contributor
- Number of posts : 2668
Age : 48
Location : All over
Registration date : 2009-04-04
Character sheet
Source(s): Technics Compact-Cassette Deck
Amplification: DIY Kit 15Watt
Speakers: Pasar Road Special.
Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
I use a pair of Audio Physic Tempo's with the side-firing woofers. I have run Audyssey calibration many times and without fail it always reports that my front speakers are out-of-phase (which I'm certain they are not).
If I intentionally reverse the phase with the speaker cables, the error goes away (but then they are truly running out of phase as evidenced by a test CD and phase checker held in front of the driver)
Now, I was looking to solve some excess bass pressure/boom and tried a set of ASI tuning devices. I was sold on them from a listening audition alone but to my great surprise when I later re-ran the Audyssey calibration (and have done so many times since), the out-of-phase error no longer shows up!
So here is one example where 'snake oil' tuning devices do have a measurable impact to the room acoustics...
j22- Frequent Contributor
- Number of posts : 199
Age : 44
Location : Petaling Jaya
Registration date : 2009-03-06
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Source(s):
Amplification:
Speakers:
Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
from positive feedback:
Bruce Kinch: Linn has at times in the past endorsed only dealers who demoed equipment in a "single speaker" environment, to avoid the unwanted contributions of additional, albeit passive drivers in the room. How does one square that concern with the marketing realities of home theatre and multi-room installations?
Ivor: The single speaker demo concept implies that only driven loudspeakers should be in the room during a demonstration. Un-driven loudspeakers will distort the sound by re-radiating unwanted and non-linear signals out of phase with the original. A single speaker dem room could apply to a 2-channel system or all 6 speakers in a Dolby Digital system.
Re: The "$$$ Expensive $$$" Super Snake Oils of the "audiophile" industry
Linn also did this with NAIM in a similar way, when they were best of buddies and when the word dictated Linn could only be used with NAIM electronics...
...maybe...
JediSavant- Frequent Contributor
- Number of posts : 592
Age : 47
Location : KL/PJ
Registration date : 2011-08-23
Character sheet
Source(s): RegaPlanar3 w DenonDL103
Amplification: Exposure 2010s2
Speakers: SonusFaberToyTower
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