General Forum

Re: Shape of Music

camshaft — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 19:23:01 GMT

Dave Moulton:
camshaft wrote:

Sometimes I even wonder whether the Beolab 5's would actually sound better if the drivers and internals were instead built into a high quality wood cabinet of well-known top-end cabinet construction standards. i.e. flush mounted drivers, thick wood panels with heavy internal bracing, calculated port lengths, widths, and port mouth radii, chamfered baffle edges, etc.

Actually, that rectangular wooden cabinet topology is one of the worst possible shapes (except for cost and ease of construction). It has interior resonances, and well over half the energy radiated at LF is from the box, not the drivers, and is uncontrolled. If you use a port, you are giving up frequency response LF extension for LF efficiency. As Poul Praestgaard has put it, "boxes don't work very well for acoustic generators, airplanes or submarines." That rigid plastic composition cone in the BeoLab 5 is immensely strong, non-resonant and without LF acoustic problems. It works REALLY well. It sounds way better than a box with the same drivers (and remember, one of our prototypes WAS a box – we know from listening experience!).

I hope this helps.

Thanks for the reply Dave. I didn't mean something as plain as a box. As you said I realize the shape isn't ideal. I was thinking more along the style of the speakers Soundproof posted. Just out of curiosity, how thick are the walls of the beolab 5's? And were cabinet volume calculations done to match the drivers, or were you constrained by the relatively small size of the speakers?

Shape of Music

seheiste — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 04:38:58 GMT

Spareparts for this speaker :-)

http://wibjorn.webblogg.se/images/kattratt_152509843.jpg

Re: Shape of Music

soundproof — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 01:16:35 GMT

Most "wooden" speakers are MDF. The majority of all speakers are boxes and the few who try to defeat the problems of the box shape are considered to make unnecessarily weird speakers by audiophiles who like the box shape without having asked whether it's ideal for sound.

Here's a company as serious about sound as the people behind the BeoLab 5, and who have tried to do something about the unfortunate negative properties of wood in a speaker: It's incredible craftsmanship, but most of it has gone into trying to eliminate the disadvantages of using wood in the first place. They cost more than USD 21.000/pair - and you're paying most of that for the woodwork. I still prefer the sound from the BL5 ... (and I have listened to the Sonus Fabers.)

Re: Shape of Music

Dave Moulton — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:11:07 GMT

camshaft wrote:

Sometimes I even wonder whether the Beolab 5's would actually sound better if the drivers and internals were instead built into a high quality wood cabinet of well-known top-end cabinet construction standards. i.e. flush mounted drivers, thick wood panels with heavy internal bracing, calculated port lengths, widths, and port mouth radii, chamfered baffle edges, etc.

Actually, that rectangular wooden cabinet topology is one of the worst possible shapes (except for cost and ease of construction). It has interior resonances, and well over half the energy radiated at LF is from the box, not the drivers, and is uncontrolled. If you use a port, you are giving up frequency response LF extension for LF efficiency. As Poul Praestgaard has put it, "boxes don't work very well for acoustic generators, airplanes or submarines." That rigid plastic composition cone in the BeoLab 5 is immensely strong, non-resonant and without LF acoustic problems. It works REALLY well. It sounds way better than a box with the same drivers (and remember, one of our prototypes WAS a box – we know from listening experience!).

I hope this helps.

Re: Shape of Music

Dave Moulton — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 20:59:27 GMT

Karel asked:

I wonder what B&O and/or Dave Moulton would have to say about this speaker:

http://www.yankodesign.com/index.php/2008/03/26/the-shape-of-music/

It LOOKS interesting, but I don't see any meaningful acoustical premise, and I can see where there could be LOTS of problems, particularly in mid and hi frequencies. Put mildly, I have doubts.

I hope this helps.

Best regards,

Re: Shape of Music

beocool — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:21:56 GMT

Jandyt:

It actually looks like something you could make carrot juice in.
Bet it's not dishwasher safe.
Andy T.

The fact that it's kitchen appliance white doesn't help either.

Re: Shape of Music

Craig — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:16:04 GMT

No, I don't like the design of this speaker at all.

Craig

Re: Shape of Music

Jandyt — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:11:38 GMT

It actually looks like something you could make carrot juice in.
Bet it's not dishwasher safe.

Andy T.

Re: Shape of Music

camshaft — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:30:05 GMT

I agree with Alex. Besides, weird shaped speakers like this typically violate so many well-established and well-tested speaker cabinet construction principles that they end up shooting themselves in the foot in an attempt to be "innovative." Sometimes I even wonder whether the Beolab 5's would actually sound better if the drivers and internals were instead built into a high quality wood cabinet of well-known top-end cabinet construction standards. i.e. flush mounted drivers, thick wood panels with heavy internal bracing, calculated port lengths, widths, and port mouth radii, chamfered baffle edges, etc.

Re: Shape of Music

Alex — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 06:29:25 GMT

Doesn't look like a serious hifi speaker as such. Spring clips on the connections panel and a *slightly* simplified visual overview (treble from the top, bass from the bottom, but no midrange?).

Shape of Music

Karel Uyttendaele — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 05:15:35 GMT

I wonder what B&O and/or Dave Moulton would have to say about this speaker:

http://www.yankodesign.com/index.php/2008/03/26/the-shape-of-music/

"The cone shape has always been a natural one for sound enhancement and projection. From the early days of circus hosts announcing some daring feat of high-wire acrobatics, to riot police announcing their intention to crack your skull open for having an opinion… good times. The cone is probably the first and best idea in sound delivery. Designer Paul Scarfe believes this to be true by adding the purity of glass to this equation and designing this speaker he calls “Aura.” By using molded glass to focus and precisely deliver the high frequencies(treble), and the standard bottom shooting bass arrangement, he has married a clean all-in-one silhouette with audio precision. Encore!"