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Golden Ear award for $55 speaker tweak

In the latest issue of The Abso!ute Sound, Robert E. Greene honors "Diffractionbegone" with a Golden Ear award. Quoting from the text (page 36 of the June/July 2008 issue): "If your speakers suffer from tweeter diffraction-effects, these elegant and inexpensive felt devices will make an improvement all out of proportion to their low price."

Diffraction can degrade not only imaging and timing but also clarity. You see, the ear is very good as masking (ignoring) a coloration that arrives at the same time as the original signal, but it is very poor at masking when the coloration arrives at a different time (I learned this from conversations with Dr. Earl Geddes). This product addresses several real, audible problems that are present in most speakers.

The felt pads are custom-cut for your specific speakers, which is a nice touch and pretty amazing at the price. And note that this is by far the LEAST EXPENSIVE product to be singled out for a Golden Ear this year.

http://www.diffractionbegone.com/

Congratulations to designer and entrepreneur Jim Goulding. I think he sells them through Audiogon as well as through his website, and it looks like the price may actually be only $49.95 plus shipping. Support your local 'Gon and buy through the site. Come on - you probably blew more money than that on shipping last time you bought or sold a pair of speakers! I sure did.

Duke
dealer/manufacturer/no affiliation with diffractionbegone
audiokinesis
audiokinesis OP
2,724 posts
 
Jax2, yes I also received a Golden Ear from Robert Greene in the same issue. Interestingly, of the four products he honors thusly, I am or was a dealer for three of them! Diffractionbegone is the only one I've not been affiliated with. And all four are products that specifically address loudspeaker radiation characteristics.

All of which is, of course, proof positive of Robert E. Greene's abso!utely impeccable taste and insight.

Duke
shadorne's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
shadorne
7,467 posts
 
All of which is, of course, proof positive of Robert E. Greene's abso!utely impeccable taste and insight

LOL.

To add to the list my old 1982 Energy 22 had a rubber foam around the hyperdome tweeter and they did indeed image like no tomorrow.

Since it is indeed nothing new - why do so few people not bother about it - is it just another case of aesthetics wins over sound quality?
rodman99999
6,032 posts
 
When I had my own shop, and designed my own speaker line: The systems that didn't incorporate a ribbon tweeter had the Peerless 1" dome(this was started in '81). I always added a 6" foam donut w/a 3" hole around the dome. They never rolled off the highs. Just got me a lot of compliments on their imaging. Cabinet diffraction and how to combat it is old, but still viable, science.
dazone
57 posts
 
Thanks, Duke, everyone, for your information.
skypunk's avatar
skypunk
499 posts
 
My Raven CeLest rowers come with a a high frequency wave guide.

Sound is awesome from these speakers. Just wonderful.
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