Acoustic suspension speakers made today?

[KEW]

Just wondering which companies/models are sealed in today's market.

I think everything NHT makes is sealed.

Paradigm offers the sealed Signature S-1 (and I think their smallest from the Monitor series is sealed).

What others are there?

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Ascend HTM-200

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Ascend HTM-200

Sealed and Acoustic Suspension aren't the same things. Most sealed drivers today simply have a high Qts
that makes them suitable for a sealed application. (e.g., the Scan Speak 8535) They don't operate on a true acoustic suspension principle, where the very compliant spiders and surrounds allow the sealed air in the cabinet to control the motion. Modern drivers still rely mainly on their suspensions to control motion. The floppy suspensions on true acoustic suspension drivers--like those of the class AR and KLH speakers--are prone to quality control problems and are very rare. I'm sure there are some out there, but I don't know what they are.

 

[KEW]

Sealed and Acoustic Suspension aren't the same things. Most sealed drivers today simply have a high Qts
that makes them suitable for a sealed application. (e.g., the Scan Speak 8535) They don't operate on a true acoustic suspension principle, where the very compliant spiders and surrounds allow the sealed air in the cabinet to control the motion. Modern drivers still rely mainly on their suspensions to control motion. The floppy suspensions on true acoustic suspension drivers--like those of the class AR and KLH speakers--are prone to quality control problems and are very rare. I'm sure there are some out there, but I don't know what they are.

Great information! Thanks!
I would edit the title to read sealed, but can't change it.

 

[rojo]

The Fluance AV series speakers (all except the towers) are sealed. The center and bookshelfs look pretty horrible, but the AVBP2 bipolar surrounds are excellent for the money.

The Atlantic Technology System 4400 series is sealed. I've never heard them or seen measurements, but I come across them from time to time on eBay. They seem expensive, but the sealed MTM config is interesting. *shrug*

 

[afterlife2]

My AWESOME Wharfedale WH 2 are also sealed.

 

[zieglj01]

The Atlantic Technology System 4400 series is sealed. I've never heard them or seen measurements, but I come across them from time to time on eBay. They seem expensive, but the sealed MTM config is interesting. *shrug*

You need to hire a secretary!
http://www.soundandvision.com/content/atlantic-technology-system-4400-speaker-system-ht-labs-measures

 

[zieglj01]

Triad speakers (sealed)
http://www.triadspeakers.com/products/irglcr.html

 

[shadyJ]

Sealed and Acoustic Suspension aren't the same things. Most sealed drivers today simply have a high Qts
that makes them suitable for a sealed application. (e.g., the Scan Speak 8535) They don't operate on a true acoustic suspension principle, where the very compliant spiders and surrounds allow the sealed air in the cabinet to control the motion. Modern drivers still rely mainly on their suspensions to control motion. The floppy suspensions on true acoustic suspension drivers--like those of the class AR and KLH speakers--are prone to quality control problems and are very rare. I'm sure there are some out there, but I don't know what they are.

The Benchmark SMS-1 are true acoustic suspension speakers in production.

 

[zieglj01]

The Benchmark SMS-1 are true acoustic suspension speakers in production.

Review here
http://stereos.about.com/od/stereospeakers/ss/Benchmark-SMS1-Speaker-Review_4.htm

http://stereos.about.com/od/stereospeakers/ss/Benchmark-SMS1-Speaker-Review.htm#step-heading

 

[JohnnyK]

I use my AR3a speakers to augment the bass of my Dennis Murphy OW1-3 way speakers. The tweeters and midrange drivers have been disconnected and the woofers have been refoamed a number of times, but they still work great.

 

[KEW]

Interesting thought! I could definitely see using them as a music only subwoofer!

 

[Dennis Murphy]

I use my AR3a speakers to augment the bass of my Dennis Murphy OW1-3 way speakers. The tweeters and midrange drivers have been disconnected and the woofers have been refoamed a number of times, but they still work great.

That's interesting, but a little puzzling. Do you have the original Peerless woofer in the 3-ways? Both are sealed designs. The AR tunes to about 44 Hz, the Peerless to about 42 Hz. So the Peerless should actually have slightly deeper bass. And that was my experience when I compared a pair of modified AR3a's with a number of other speakers. They did't have all that much output below 40 Hz.

 

[markw]

Interesting thought! I could definitely see using them as a music only subwoofer!

Nah. They make a really fine woofer but don't plumb the depths to qualify as a subwoofer. Back in "the day" they offered a prodigious amount of real bass in a comparatively small cabinet in the mid-late 50's when they hit the market. I found them a bit lacking in the mids/high, though.

Truth be told, my favorite "classic" AR was the AR5. It had the AR2 woofer and the AR3 mid/tweetersand was a better fit for most rooms.

 

[KEW]

Nah. They make a really fine woofer but don't plumb the depths to qualify as a subwoofer. Back in "the day" they offered a prodigious amount of real bass in a comparatively small cabinet in the mid-late 50's when they hit the market. I found them a bit lacking in the mids/high, though.

Truth be told, my favorite "classic" AR was the AR5. It had the AR2 woofer and the AR3 mid/tweetersand was a better fit for most rooms.

I agree, definitely not a legitimate subwoofer, but I think they might do a nice job of rounding out my NHT SoperZeros

 

[markw]

I agree, definitely not a legitimate subwoofer, but I think they might do a nice job of rounding out my NHT SoperZeros

ANYTHING will round out Super Zeros. They are great speakers but bass isn't their forte, or pianissimo.

Do you have a pair? If not, there are better alternatives that won't break the bank.

If so, they are incredibly inefficient and may not easily blend with your current speakers. Also, they were developed when 50 watts was considered a super amp. They like power. but not as much as is commonplace today.

 

[KEW]

ANYTHING will round out Super Zeros. They are great speakers but bass isn't their forte, or pianissimo.

Do you have a pair? If not, there are better alternatives that won't break the bank.

If so, they are incredibly inefficient and may not easily blend with your current speakers. Also, they were developed when 50 watts was considered a super amp. They like power. but not as much as is commonplace today.

Hell yeah, I have a pair! What are you implying???

I'm not sure if you are referring to the NHT's or the AR's, but I have both.
I bought the AR 3a's used in 1980 and they have great memories and sentimental value for me, but they do not compete for sound quality with my other speakers, this would give me a way to put them back into service (instead of using up space). I also have a pro amp with built-in crossovers so should be able to try it out for free! If they don't blend well, no loss.

After I cross the incoming signal, how important is it to disconnect mid and tweet? Is this only a concern if I hear noise coming from them? It has been a long time since I disassembled them and I am not sure if the drivers are sealed with a sealing compound or not.

 

[markw]

I wouldn't worry about too much sound from the mid/tweets. They were always kinds subdued. Try it that way first before operating on them.

I'm assuming you're just gonna connect them to the amp in parallel with your NHT's?

You DO know they are four ohm speakers, right? That may or may not be problematic unless you're going to provide them with their own amp.

Go easy with that pro amp, but the crossover will be a boon. You might want to read this.

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Board/index.php?showtopic=557

 

[Dennis Murphy]

Hell yeah, I have a pair! What are you implying???

I'm not sure if you are referring to the NHT's or the AR's, but I have both.
I bought the AR 3a's used in 1980 and they have great memories and sentimental value for me, but they do not compete for sound quality with my other speakers, this would give me a way to put them back into service (instead of using up space). I also have a pro amp with built-in crossovers so should be able to try it out for free! If they don't blend well, no loss.

After I cross the incoming signal, how important is it to disconnect mid and tweet? Is this only a concern if I hear noise coming from them? It has been a long time since I disassembled them and I am not sure if the drivers are sealed with a sealing compound or not.

The AR's were designed to be used as dedicated subwoofers. There are three terminals on the back, and a jumper between two of them. I don't have them in front of me now, but I believe if you connect only the negative and positive terminals closest together, and remove the jumper, you'll just hear the woofer. BTW, I always thought the highs were subdued too. But when I tested a pair and also tested the individual drivers, I discovered the problem was a big bulge in the midrange driver's response at the bottom end around 800 Hz. That mucked up the sound and overpowered the highs. I redid the crossover (which wasn't easy given the crazy driver layout on the baffle), and they sounded great. I sold them to someone who was going to buy one of my much more expensive speakers.

 

[JohnnyK]

My AR3a speakers are below the video screen. I replaced the original grill cloths with black grill cloths. The MBOw1-3way speakers are next to the AR3a speakers. I removed the jumper on the AR3a speakers to disconnect the midrange and tweeters. The AR3a speakers are powered by a NHT subwoofer amp and are crossed over at 80 Hertz. The AR3a speakers help to give the very low frequencies a boost.

Behind the black grill cloth in the center of the picture is a MBOw1 speaker that I use as a center speaker.

John