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Why so few speakers with Passive Radiators?

Folks,

What are your thoughts on Passive Radiators in speaker design?

I've had many different speakers (and like many here, have heard countless varieties outside my home), from ported, to sealed, to passive radiator, to transmission line.

In my experience by far the best bass has come from the Thiels I've owned - CS6, 3.7, 2.7 which use passive radiators.  The bass in these designs are punchy yet as tonally controlled, or more, than any other speaker design I've heard.  So I figure the choice of a passive radiator must be involved somehow, and it makes me wonder why more speaker designers don't use this method.  It seems to give some of both worlds: extended bass, no port noise, tonally correct.

And yet, it seems a relatively rare design choice for speaker manufacturers.

Thoughts?
prof
kingharold
304 posts
 
audioman581 wrote:  " Mainly seen in horn drivers, big woofers Klipsch comes to mind .
Not very accurate that is why most don't use them ."I don't understand this post.  I use horn sub woofers and I consider them the best, most articulate bass of all.  The only downside I see to horn bass is the large enclosure size.  Please elucidate.
cal3713's avatar
cal3713
1,421 posts
 
Perhaps still a useful conversation, but note the dates folks.  This thread is from 2018.
unsound
7,336 posts
 
^Perhaps a bit old, but still relevant.
prof OP
3,485 posts
 
Here’s why a passive radiator is worse than a port.


And yet the Thiel speakers I’ve owned (2.7 and especially 3.7) that used passive radiators produced the most controlled, integrated bass I’ve ever heard in a floor standing speaker.


Go figure...as always I guess it depends on the skill of the designer.

brewmasterdon
68 posts
 

No, not at all, Tidal, Vimberg, Kaiser, Marten simply don't know what their doing, and Purifi developed a PR for their new drivers because they don't have a clue either!! It's obvious that these cost no object manufacture's who rely on measurements to design their products have chosen PR's because they cost more and has zero to do with sound quality!! I would chose sealed and PR speakers before ported everyday of the week.


Don

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