I heard the spatial speakers (not sure which models) at the capital audio fest and they were breathtaking.... dynamic, open, airy, natural, and live. One of the few speakers that produced that "she is here singing now before me" sensation. And the bass was shockingly good... tight and deep. Amazing considering that the base drivers are dipole!
Are there any current high end dipole speakers (dynamic)?
Looking to upgrade my decades old system which includes Mirage M3si. No they ain't perfect, but the speakers disappear and that kind of sound is very appealing. Electrostatics (bipoles?)aren't the same (though when my mirage's die, I'll probably get maggies).
Thanks for your time.
Thanks for your time.
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GT Audioworks open dipole Planars with OPen baffle servo subs hit of Capital Audiofest and Best sound of show Don’t believe me read the review https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2019/11/06/gt-audio-works-showstopping-sound-along-with-basis-my-soni... |
Berner99 asks: "Wouldn’t the amount of reflected sound that reaches listener be very different from dipole/bipole vs any random ported box speaker?" Assuming similar radiation pattern shapes, yes having two such patterns - one in the front and one in the rear - will result in a correspondingly higher reverberant-to-direct sound ratio. Berner99 continues: "And which is one is closer to what a person would hear in e.g. symphony hall?" Imo the dipole/bipole configuration has more potential to replicate what you would hear in a concert hall. Briefly, at a good seat in a concert hall, the direct sound is strong and the reverberant sound is strong BUT (and here is what largely differentiates a good seat from a poor one), the early reflections are weak. It is the early reflections which are the most detrimental to clarity. I find this to be valid in home audio as well. For instance, if you push your Mirages back near the wall, their "backwave" energy has a relatively short reflection path before reaching your ears, and clarity suffers. However if you pull them well out into the room, perhaps five feet or more, not only does clarity improve but so does timbre, and on a good recording you also begin to feel immersed in the soundstage on the recording. Sonus Faber’s top two models, the SE17 and the Aida, both have adjustable rear-firing arrays. Imo this adjustability is a good idea. Anyway the topic of how to replicate "what a person would hear in symphony hall" is a huge one, and this post just scratches the surface. Duke into dipoles, bipoles, and quasi-bipoles |
An investment that I’ve yet to regret is a pair of ’raw’ ESS AMT drivers. Small, Fast, Efficient, Dynamic. Mate them with small(er) woofers for the low end, and a larger sub for the extreme bottom. One really doesn’t need to go ’full dipole’ unless one’s an extremist about it. *S* Just fuse them so you don’t make the elements take a stroll. ;) |
The OB/Dipole woofer system seen in the GT Audioworks are made by GR Research/Rythmik, and feature the Rythmik servo-feedback operation. They are available separately by both those companies (as a DIY kit only), and can be added to any loudspeaker, just like a "normal" (non-OB/Dipole) sub. The basic kit is a pair of woofers and a plate amp, the latter including a "shelving circuit" to counter-act the dipole cancellation inherent in all OB speakers and subs. Both 8" and 12" woofers are offered, the base version using a pair of drivers in an H-frame. But you can add as many woofers (and associated plate amp) as you want, the GTA speaker having four woofers per side. THE sub for planar loudspeakers! |
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