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In the same spirit as mbnx's list thread below, who do you consider to be among the most significant, innovative, influential on the industry, or "whatever" speaker design engineers, and why?
Many of your lists will differ from mine, if you include the entrepreneurs and company men whose innovations and advances largely remained proprietary with their companies -- guys like Klipsch, Kloss & Vilchur, Thiel, Vandersteen, etc.
Mine is about the guys who have put their research in the public domain, through JAES and other publications, and have advanced the art and science for the benefit of all, including DIYers and OEMs. In other words, the "gurus." I don't think I can really assign a hierarchy of importance to them -- I consider them ALL important:
Floyd Toole, for his extensive research into which aspects of technical performance correlate with greatest listening enjoyment.
Roy Allison, for his research into how speakers interact with nearby boundaries, and how to use these interactions to advantage.
Joseph D'Appolito, for refining the mathematics of the MTM driver configuration and getting the best out of it. Also for his ongoing work as a freelance design consultant, and designer of DIY kits using Usher, Focal, and other high-quality drivers.
Siegried Linkwitz, for his pioneering work on crossover transfer functions and their corresponding dispersion patterns. Also, of course, for his development of Orion, Pluto, and other high-performing DIY projects.
John Kreskovsky, for his detailed mathematical analyses of the dispersion patterns and phase behavior of dipole systems. Also for his NAO ("Not Another Orion") DIY dipole speaker plans.
John Kruttke, AKA Zaph Audio, for designing a number of really good DIY projects AND for compiling an extensive database of driver test results, available to all.
Jeff Bagby, for his Excel-based Passive Crossover Designer freeware, numerous wonderful designs for both OEMs and the larger DIY community, and regular informative participation in the PE and other DIY discussion forums.
Lots more who have contributed significantly to DIY/OEM, including but not limited to George Short (North Creek), Mike Dzurko (Audio Concepts), Dennis Murphy (Murphyblaster Productions), Paul Carmody, Dan Neubacker, Curt Campbell, Jim Holtz, etc. Guys who have made available, through Meniscus, Madisound, and PE, numerous superbly engineered kits and projects.
Follow Ups:
Arnie Nuddell (Infinity and Genesis fame)
Jim Thiel (Thiel)
Jim Strickland (Acoustat)
Peter Walker (Quad)
Leo Spiegel (Apogee)
Kevin Scott (Living Voice)
Honorable mention
Richard Vandersteen (Vandersteen)
Albert Von Schweikert (von Schweikert)
Axel Gerstorf (Odeon)
? Lansche (Lansche)
Dave Wilson (Wilson)
Kevin Voecks (Snell, Revel)
Snell himself (can't remember the first name)
Daniel Dehay (Reference 3a, older models)
Bobby Palkovic of Merlin. He's spent the last 20 years improving his designs, with the highest degree of perfection always in mind. Great speakers.
Never loved their Caliper, or any form of Duetta, but have been completely smitten with the Full Range, Diva, Scintilla, and even quite liked (and owned) the Stage.
To this day, I could put together a "forever" system with a Diva or Scintilla & happily never look back.
Agree .......
The Diva at the Smithsonian (1991) is still the most memorable audio memory I have. It was a temporary exhibit (as i have now found via google). What I see from an apogee board 2002:
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This morning I spoke with Gary Sturm, a curator in the Musical Instruments Collection of the Smithsonian. The facts for which he can personally speak are these:
In 1989 the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers staged on exhibition called "Shapes of the Baroque" at Lincoln Center and the New York Public Library in New York City. As part of this exhibition, violin maker William Monocle sought throughout high-end stores in New York and New Jersey for the best possible speaker to reproduce the recordings used.
He found nothing that accurately reproduced the tones and timbres of his instruments and others until he encountered the Diva's. The exhibition pair of Diva's was acquired on loan from Jason Bloom and his wife, Sarah. These Diva's were used in all the New York City sites of this exhibition.
In 1990 the success of the exhibition induced the Smithsonian to open it in Washington, DC. For a variety of reasons, this turned out to be impractical.
Since the instruments and the Diva's from the "Shapes of the Baroque" exhibition had already arrived in the Smithsonian, they were used instead for the 1991 Smithsonian "Mozart" exhibition. Throughout the 1991 exhibition, the Diva's were powered by two Aragon 4004 amplifiers loaned by their manufacturer, Mondial.
The Diva's were placed in the area of the Smithsonian where live performances take place. Also placed there was a 1788 fortepiano made by Dulchen of Munich, who in turn had been apprenticed to Stein of Vienna who made fortepiano's that Mozart did purchase for his own use. It is considered unlikely that Mozart used the actual Dulchen fortepiano in the Smithsonian exhibit.
The purpose of the Diva's was to reproduce recordings that the Smithsonian had made of Mozart's work played on the 1788 Dulchen fortepiano by Kenneth Slowik, the director of the Smithsonian's Musical Instruments Collection and himself a pianist. Mr. Sturm stated that on quite a number of occasions, Slowik would ask the audience to turn their backs, start playing the 1788 Dulchen fortepiano live and then switch to the Diva's. Mr. Sturm stated that in his own experience and that of many others during these episodes: "You couldn't hear a difference between the live fortepiano and the speakers."
[This message has been edited by Roma (edited September 03, 2002).]
I have had the privilege to own Apogees (but not Divas) and have a number of friends with all variety of models, including the Diva, Scintilla, Full-Range and even the Grand and honestly there is nothing quite like them. Magnepans are a pale shadow. A Diva properly set up and with a proper level of electronics will outperform just about anything made then or today. Leo was a genius with ribbons.
no question the most prolific designer ever
Actually, I'm surprised it doesn't contain some of the 3rd and 4th tier "boutique" (white van) designers who believe their pseudo engineering combined with off-shore components are much better than they actually are.
The thread is still young.
Aactually some of the mentioned "designers" are 3 or 4 th tier boutique designers.......
I actually thought, like you, that the thread was meant for designers who brought some innovation or new design to the field......
Billy Woodman (ATC), Spencer Hughes (Spendor), Dudley Harwood (Harbeth),
Peter Walker (Quad), Dave Wilson (Wilson Audio) etc....
Regards
PS
Listening to ATC19s now. Very impressive. I agree.
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The team of Chester W. Rice and Edward W. Kellogg = first "modern" moving coil and electrostatic loudspeakers
Walter H. Schottky = first ribbon loudspeaker
Fred Flintstone's great, great grandma = first megaphone, ancestor of the modern hornspeaker
Kevin Voecks has not been mentioned either.
Edits: 05/17/15
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great designer. I know how conservative his ratings are. The BA150 rated at 150 easily put out 225. But he isn't a speaker designer.
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For his contribution to the KLH Nines and other speakers. Also his son David who is producing great speakers today.
EOM
Loved his FMI 60's and 100's
Even more amazing his model J. Talk about making a silk purse out of a sow's ear. The parts were cheap and there were tons of them and yet the speaker played music both small and large scale even in rooms that seemed too small for them. Bob had a great ear.
By the way I once asked him what J stood for. It was junior. And yes he had ideas for a model S but I don't think it ever got built.
The original Gale speakers, from the late 1970s, were groundbreaking in terms of dynamics, focus, imaging and just superb definition. They pre-dated many other similar speakers and were instrumental in many, many copies.
I had two pairs and they were superb until the woofers needed new surrounds in the mind 1990s. Never quite the same after that.
When I bought my first pair in 1978 I could find nothing comparable for three times the price.
Always wondered what happened to the company. Probably too small. Someone else bought the name a few years ago, but I doubt there is any relationship to the great original speakers.
Blast from the past. My father was the NYC are sales rep. We had a pr set up in chrome driven by all Mc system MC2205 amp C28 pre thorens TT
I loved those speakers I was a classic rock guy and pounded them weekly..
because I've owned several of his speakers (along with many other brands) and always found him a true audio/speaker perfectionist and a gentleman.
Nt
...a man who valued both measurements and listening to create some mighty fine speakers.
See ya. Dave
`
Smile
Sox
Yes, I consider his DAL models to be very fine designs. But from a few conversations I was fortunate to have with John, I believe he did cut costs when he returned to the US and opened DAL. Two obvious examples - the cabinet designs were simplified by eliminating the cut back sides which allowed less diffraction in his Duntech models, and he began using less expensive drivers. For those not aware of this history he came back to begin building speakers in the US to be more price competitive. The air freight from Oz for the very large and heavy Duntechs to the US was a significant penalty.
Interestingly, a few years ago John Marks reported in Stereophile that Sony went to the trouble and expense to import a current pair of Duntech Princess speakers from Oz for one of their monitoring studios in NYC. There has not been a US distributor for more than a decade, though sales continue in other parts of the world.
Personal disclaimer - I owned Duntech Princess speakers for 19 years, far longer than any other model. So yes, I am a little biased.
"You can't know what the "best" is unless you have heard everything, and keep in mind that given individual tastes, there really isn't any such thing." HP
I'd love to hear current Duntech's, but alas, not possible in the US.
See ya. Dave
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The OP did not mention "audiophile" in his post. Like it or not Bose became a billlionaire with his speaker designs. I don't think there is any one else in the field of stereophonic reproduction that even comes close to that kind of success other than Avery Fisher.
No flames please.
Edits: 05/16/15
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...but he did say "innovative" and "influential" - two things Bose was not.
Unless his table-top radios were the former - and only then, because he had no competition - very strange.
The 901 certainly was innovative even if it didn't work the way Amar Bose claimed.
Maybe not the best solution to the perceived problem (how to cast a really BIG soundstage), but an interesting approach to it. The Ohm Walsh series took another interesting (and better) approach, which has subsequently inspired German Physik, MBL, and others.
Amar erred in advising that the 901s be placed close to the rear wall, when, like all omni designs, they actually sound much better out in the middle of a large room, with plenty of space around them.
Bose is more than the 901, but you already know that ......
Yes actually their big money comes from military I'm told.
Bose was/is innovative ,designers like Albert Von Schweikert listed above is not, Not sure how anyone can say Bose is not an innovative company..
LOL, really ...
Edits: 05/16/15 05/16/15
It's difficult to argue with a bottom line like that, like his products or not.
But this was about speaker *designers* - not companies.What products (today) trace back to the Bose 901 ?
Edits: 05/16/15 05/16/15
None, nor do I like it or the concept(I don't even think it does what is claimed nor is it possible to do what is claimed in ant practical way) but it's still around over 4 decades later.
Ejvind Kaaning. He founded Dyn-Audio and Scan-Speak and Audi Technology, the latter two main suppliers of high end drivers for decades used in the best speakers made such as Rockport, Sonus Faber, etc. He is also credited with the design of the Dynaco A25 speaker, one of thtwo best selling, best performing and yet reasonably priced speakers of all time(the other is the Advent). There's probably more but that's way more than enough.And how about Bill Woodman of ATC who has been making super accurate speakers with great dynamics for 4 decades now used both in studios and homes. His 3" mid-range dome is often cited as one of the best mid ranges ever and his woofers and new tweeters are also superb drivers. One look at the size of his magnet structures and you will be in awe. And this man gets the details, that make real differences in drivers, right.
Edits: 05/16/15
Jim Thiel.
I would add to the already thorough list:
Mike Dayton-Wright, Jim Strickland and Dr. Roger West. :)
Henry Kloss (bless his soul)
Respectfully
Bill
Albert Von Schweikert
The late Bill Hecht of Phase Technology (a sadly under-appreciated brand), who holds the patent for the soft-dome tweeter.
-Bob
Plenty names to list and since most of the great ones are already listed , I will do my Most influential ..
Nudell, Peter Walker , Dr Heil , D appolito and Linear-x ... :)
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Harry F. Olson.
Happy listening,
Jim
"The passage of my life is measured out in shirts."
- Brian Eno
Can't design a box without drivers to put in them.
Really? I only know him as a recording engineer (and one of the very greatest, in my opinion). I had no idea he designed speakers. Which ones?
-Bob
then I think did a stint at TAD after that.
Ed Vichur did not invent the bass-enclosure idea - he just popularized it. But good to mention the design.Richard Modaferri - because slopes of 48-60/db seem best, for most systems. He went steeper - but the idea took.
It's hard to pinpoint people - but Bell Labs for their pioneering work in horns - which other co. modified for the home. That's how why got Paul Klipsch.
Tannoy and Altec for creating pro systems - but are now called 'waveguides' and becoming very popular with audiophiles.
Linkwitz-Riley - I hate to say no, but this was a cascaded Butterworth. And then, it (appears) that a straight 2nd order slope was good enough. Until the 48-60/db slopes (w/ DSP) now coming out.
Roy Allison - not yet, as very few are doing corner bass. But Roy never touted the idea of putting subwoofers in (multiple) corners anyway - that came from Europe, but the name escapes me.
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Important and innovative, sure, but not really "influential" because nobody else seems to be using his ultra-steep passive filters approach. I think Joseph Audio has exclusive rights to this tech, at least for the time being. Of course, similar slopes can be achieved actively with DSP.
Good call on Bell Labs -- both Butterworth and Zobel worked there. Bell's research early on was all about speech intelligibility, but the work on passive filters majorly influenced speaker design later on.
Linkwitz derived the transfer functions that bear his name from cascaded Butterworth filters, sure, but he also described in greater detail than anyone before the on/off axis lobing effects of different transfer functions and orders.
Vilchur didn't invent the closed box but he added the idea of using the enclosed air as the restoring force for the woofer. Before that the enclosed air only had to be accounted for. Olsen mentioned the idea but I don't think really used it and Vilchur claims he advanced the concept. While his patent was over turned he believed he could still win it back but it wasn't important to him. And if you know a bit about his history that is believable.
He didn't ?
James B. Lansing (perhaps more engineer than designer)
Richard Modaferri, formerly of McIntosh Labs, who designed and patented the "infinite slope crossover" used in Joseph Audio speakers and one of the big reasons why they sound as good as they do.
I had the DQ 10 many years ago.Here is the Absolute Sounds take on them. They where one of my favorite speakers that I have owned !
"One should always be wary of pronouncing "firsts," but, appearing in the early seventies, Jon Dahlquist's DQ‑10 was to my knowledge the first dynamic speaker to employ multiple drivers in an open-baffle configuration (except the acoustic‑suspension woofer, which was enclosed) staggered for proper time‑alignment and phase coherence, in an attempt to realize the openness and freedom from boxiness that Dahlquist prized in his beloved Quad ESL-57s—with the added advantages of deeper bass and dynamic extension well beyond the Quad. (The physical resemblance to the Quad was both mandated by the design and an intentional homage.) Far from flawless (including conceptually), the DQ-10 was nevertheless a ground-breaking design that preceded dozens of subsequent speakers (perhaps most prominent among them models from KEF, B&W, Spica, Thiel, Vandersteen, and Wilson) continuing up to the present day. Few large, full-range dynamic speakers before or for some time afterward equaled its openness."
Used to have DQ10s. Got them as part of a trade (plus cash) for a DIY satellite/sub system. Were in rough shape -- had to refoam the woofers, replace the (perhaps mercifully) non-functioning piezo supertweets with some JVC ribbons, & upgrade all the EL crossover caps to good polys. Enjoyed them immensely for like ten years before selling.
They were a unique and innovative design, but I'm not sure how influential. Nobody else made anything remotely similar, but some of the design principles -- small separate baffles for each driver -- came to influence Vandersteen and a few others.
How about G. A. Briggs, a pioneer -- founder would not be an overstatement -- with his Wharfedale speakers and several seminal books?
How about Peter Walker of Quad? Spencer Hughes of Spendor? Raymond Cooke of KEF? Andrew Jones of TAD? Henry Kloss of multiple companies? There's a lot of designers that did significant work and had great influence.
...Dick Shahinian, Arnie Nudel, Cary Christie, and Bud Fried. Good to recognize Dennis Murphy and Jeff Bagby. I've dealt with both on projects and they're both first rate designers and great people to work with.
Do not throw your cigarette butts on the floor. The cockroaches are getting cancer.
Edits: 05/15/15 05/15/15
Have you forgotten Henry Kloss
Someone else already mentioned Kloss.
Do not throw your cigarette butts on the floor. The cockroaches are getting cancer.
You should include Vilchur. His acoustic suspension design was used by many companies besides his own and was probably the dominant enclosure concept of the 60s and early 70s until Thiele/Small and their work brought reflex designs into dominance.
By the way while acoustic suspension is a closed box the reverse may not be true. It is a proper(smaller) subset of closed box.
Opus 33 1/3
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reelsmith's axiom: Its going to be used equipment when I sell it, so it may as well be used equipment when I buy it.
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