Speakers that disappear

@bassdude +1!

There was of course never any such moniker as “ESL-57,” except in retrospect, to distinguish it from its distinguished successor the ESL-63. Designed by the legendary Peter Walker and actually introduced in 1956, it was called simply the Quad ESL, but soon became known as “Walker’s little wonder.” Little wonder: For top-to-bottom clarity, coherence, transparency, resolution, openness, naturalness, and a disappearing act that still inspires awe, the ESL established and remains to this day (even though production ceased over a quarter century ago) a reference standard among countless designers and reviewers (including the undersigned) across the globe. Despite undeniable limitations—inability to play very loud, lack of deep bass, quite directional highs—it tops virtually every list of the best, the greatest, the most significant—supply your own category—audio products ever made. Why? Because at the dawn of the stereo era this “little” wonder demonstrated what was possible in most of the essential areas of speaker performance so validly that from a certain point of view the subsequent history of speaker design has been catch-up. Paul Seydor

I had several speakers in the garage that disappeared completely. I suspect my wife put them out on electronic recycling day but she swore she did not. Still, where are they?

A lot of speakers can disappear on some content. Maybe there are some that can disappear on all content, if put in the right situation. I imagine a single dipole positioned correctly could project a perceived image far behind the speaker. I think I’ve experienced that on some occasions even with a single cheap bookshelf. The sound seemed to come from the speaker’s direction, but it definitely sounded like it was well behind the speaker. What’s really rare is when it really seems like sound is outside, way behind the speakers, and somehow clearly coming through your wall, as if the wall was just a thin cloth fake.

I had a pair of Klipsch RF-7s doing that at one time (they didn’t do it individually in mono). Overall I was disappointed with those, but at one point I would listen and look out the closed windows with amazement because it seemed like a concert was going on out there.

Also, for me the ability of the speaker to disappear seems reliant on my state. Sometimes my brain falls heavily for the illusion. Other times it’s not so easily deceived. This morning I came to work and listened to a setup that I had configured last night that was really wowing me. When I came in this morning I had a quick listen and the disappearing effect was underwhelming. I didn't have the luxury to listen for long, but after a few minutes it was starting to work better. For me, the effect grows as my ears and mind relax into it, especially if they're not disturbed too much by other sounds.

Hello ahal1!  All of Linkwitz designs will vanish when playing music. They are abailable in kit form from Madisound. I have built three different models (Plutos, LX minis, LX521) and all sound wonderful and are good at the "disappearing act."  Happy listening!

When you speak of listening to speakers that disappeared and were stand mounted, you were most likely listening to the Bose 901s, which sit on a pedestal as an integral part of their design. To me, none of the other Bose products come close, but the 901s via their equalizers can put out a nice sound, and they certainly disappear without needing a lot of additional equipment to achieve the objective. Many can find fault with them, but that's what you were most likely listening to.