2. speakers
  3. 133747-2227

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
nitewulf
422 posts
 
Plenty of modern stuff:

Legacy Audio Signature SE and higher level Legacy speakers
Endeavor Audio E-3 MK2
Magico various speakers
Focal Sopra 2, 3

These are all ported or sealed twin woofer designs that go very deep, there is no need for passive radiators.
unsound
7,329 posts
 
^I’d more often than not have a passive radiator than a port.
gdhal's avatar
gdhal
1,641 posts
 
I should have posted this link in my 01-25-2018 5:24 post instead of or in addition to the link to the wiki article:

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Article-Two---Vol-2--No--10.html?soid=1103589248191&aid=qyjfQ...
mrfungi
10 posts
 
https://www.buchardtaudio.com/

Just bought a pair of the S400's.  Haven't recieved them yet tho.  All I know is I like the idea of not having the sound port can make.  Hopefully these are a winner.
rja's avatar
rja
2,371 posts
 
Always wondered how the passive could be in phase with the active speaker/s. Seems to me when the active speaker reaches some excursion out, that action would lower cabinet pressure that would suck the passives radiators in. Am I off base here? Perhaps someone could explain.
That being said, I'm  currently considering speakers with passive radiators.
More to discover