Home Propeller Head Plaza

Technical and scientific discussion of amps, cables and other topics.

RE: Well, if you don't post any more you can't learn

Sure, these things are true. A lot depends too whether or not one is referring to the design axis or the listening position. Many "TP" speakers make nice square waves on axis but this changes as you move off-axis. And of course, our hearing system does not use gating, so your comments about room affects and reflections are valid.

I suppose any speaker that is transient accurate in an anechoic environment, on axis, may well not be transient accurate in a reverberant environment at the listening position. However, if first reflections are diminshed with adequate absorption on the side walls and speakers are placed sufficiently far enough away from walls, the reflected sound can be delayed enough such that it does not interfere (perceptually) with the direct sound. In other words, reflections are pushed further to the right away from the main impulse on the impulse response measurement.

There are also digital room correction techniques (which are different from digital phase correction techniques) which can deal with reflected sound with the convolution of correction impulses after room sweeps are taken at the listening position.

But you're right in that "it's a stretch" in most home environments.

But the definitions still apply. A 4th order LR is phase coherent but does not have constant group delay and is thus not transient accurate. Nor is any bandpass transducer with a high and low end rolloff, as the phase shifts in the rolloff region(s) result in a 2nd order phase shift.

For me, I prefer my highs to come from small non-metal dome tweeters with large surrounds creating the "ring dome" effect - effective larger diameter VC for lower FS while having an effective smaller diameter dome for better disperson. The famous Seas TDFC27 has had this feature for many years now, which is perhaps why it is so popular with so many DIYers - low Fs and good top end dispersion.

I must confess I've never given planar or electrostat speakers a lot of auditioning time. I was never really all that impressed with the Martin Logan stuff. I really like ATC actives and PMC monitors. I also like my latest DIY effort (WMTMW with time alignment and phase correction) but I will probably never be 'happy' with anything I build myself.

To be able to accept a speakers limitations, I need to use someone elses design, as my own design is always subject to further investigation and improvement. I find it hard to enjoy music when I am listening for what the speakers miss or fail to do, rather than just enjoying all that they can do.

I am really a fan of WMTMW designs now, but I want to take a pair of 2-ways and make them time and phase correct and see if it is the WMTMW design that is making me so happy or the correction process. As of late, my ability to integrate mono subs has gotten pretty good - no boominess and no localisation effects.

I think I need a separate lab and a listening room. To do both activities in the same room is taking away from my enjoyment of music, something that can happen when one is being hyper-analytical.

In my "listen only room" I might find myself with a couple of nice full range speakers with only analog sources and single-ended-triode monoblocks...

In fact... I just had a great idea for a living room system...

...and recently have been thinking about head phones as well! Funny you should mention phones... Some nice open-backed phones with a Bottle-head SET headphone amp? Just maybe...

Cheers,
Presto


This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
  Kimber Kable  


Follow Ups Full Thread
Follow Ups

FAQ

Post a Message!

Forgot Password?
Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
  Remember my Moniker & Password  (What's this?)    Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:
Message:   (Posts are subject to Content Rules)
Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:  Automagically notify you when someone responds.