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RE: Acoustic Suspension Speakers

I can't be sure but every time someone claims the speaker is acoustic suspension and I check it turns out to be a closed box(non-ported, infinite baffle, etc.) but not acoustic suspension. In a math sense acoustic suspension is a proper sub set of closed box. Very interesting because in the heyday of Acoustic Research, KLH and many other manufacturers I suspect well over 3/4 of the speakers were acoustic suspension. At one point Acoustic Research owned 1/3 of the speaker market on its own.

The problem is that acoustic suspension speakers are closed box. But the reverse statement need not be true and rarely, if ever is today. An acoustic suspension speaker has to have a very sloppy suspension, so floppy it needs the sealed box air to be a significant portion of the return spring. OEM manufacturers don't make these any more(except perhaps on custom order necesitating a large, costly order). That only leaves manufacturers who make their own drivers as possibilities.

The demise was probably caused by Thiele/Small who developed the math to predict ported box performance. Before that it was hit and miss, try and try again. And ports allow higher efficiency(good) and deeper bass cut off points. And, by the way, acoustic suspension efficiency is even poorer than straight closed box. The price is, all things being equal, faster roll off after cut off and poorer damping of the bass(longer overhang on bass notes). but for most people this sounds like better bass because it's fuller sounding so it's easier to sell. By the way what I've just discussed applies to all closed boxes not just acoustic suspension.

A very famous example of closed box(not acoustic suspension) is the LS3/5A. But this may be a poor example after my discussion above because the LS3/5A is a closed box with very poor bass control done to make it sound like it has more and lower bass than it really has so it doesn't sound unaturally lean. Perhaps a abetter example of a very good closed box is the Merlin TSM from the wonderful designer Bobby Palkovich.

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