Unusual Speakers for the rich and famous

[Eppie]

You could have these, i would.
View attachment 46888

I would love to read the engineering behind those. Might as well get the complete set in white:

 

[Eppie]

I know I started a speaker thread, but damn those D'Agostinos are pretty. Not that those Wilson Audio speakers are cheap.

 

[Eppie]

Audiovector R 8 ARRETÉ. At least these look nice.

 

[lovinthehd]

I would love to read the engineering behind those. Might as well get the complete set in white:

Check this out https://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/construction-of-mbl-omnidirectional-speakers.120828/

 

[Eppie]

Audiovector R 8 ARRETÉ. At least these look nice.

@shadyJ I've been wondering about a lot these monsters with their tweeters way up high. Do you think they are designed to sound as good when seated or is this just more bad engineering to look impressive?

 

[shadyJ]

@shadyJ I've been wondering about a lot these monsters with their tweeters way up high. Do you think they are designed to sound as good when seated or is this just more bad engineering to look impressive?

When the tweeter is mounted way high up like that, those speakers are meant to be listened at a fairly far distance from the speaker, we are talking by at least 3 meters. Especially those tweeters which are AMT tweeters. AMT's tend to have narrow vertical dispersion (not all, but most). So if you were seated where that chair is in that image, you would probably be missing most of the treble of that speaker (not that it matters since those speakers aren't hooked up to amplification anyway).

This practice of mounting the tweeters so high in flagship speakers is problematic. The higher the tweeter, the further from the speaker that the sound integrates, so the further you need to be seated back from the speaker for it to sound good. Some flagship or high-end speakers are designed more logically, but, sadly, there is an awful lot like the ones pictured in that image.

 

[Mikado463]

When the tweeter is mounted way high up like that, those speakers are meant to be listened at a fairly far distance from the speaker, we are talking by at least 3 meters. Especially those tweeters which are AMT tweeters. AMT's tend to have narrow vertical dispersion (not all, but most). So if you were seated where that chair is in that image, you would probably be missing most of the treble of that speaker (not that it matters since those speakers aren't hooked up to amplification anyway).

This practice of mounting the tweeters so high in flagship speakers is problematic. The higher the tweeter, the further from the speaker that the sound integrates, so the further you need to be seated back from the speaker for it to sound good. Some flagship or high-end speakers are designed more logically, but, sadly, there is an awful lot like the ones pictured in that image.

while I tend to agree keep in mind the likes of Wilson and Focal have accounted for that in their flagship models. When it come to stats and planars, not an issue

 

[Eppie]

Thanks @shadyJ . That pic is from their web page. The first photo I saw was the one below. That room looks more appropriate (except for the hardwood floors maybe).

@Mikado463 the Wilson Chronosonic do you have the upper portions angled down and they are supposed to have perfect time alignment, but the Focal Utopia EM Evo still seems to fire the tweeter higher than usual requiring a long seating distance like shandyJ mentioned.

 

[Mikado463]

Eppie, notice the adjustability of the Focal ..........

Scala Utopia Evo, Undisputed musicality - Focal

Evo stands for evolution... Since 2008, when Utopia III was launched, Focal’s technological heritage has grown enormously.

www.focal.com

 

[Bucknekked]

I am enjoying this thread. Lots of imagination and audiophile wet dreams here.
Here's an entry a friend of mine sent me recently. Magico M9's. $750,000 a pair
and they weigh in at 1,000 pounds each. Here's a photo of them being scanned and tested.
I'm sure many of you will rush out and want to buy a pair. I believe there's a line.

 

[Bucknekked]

I would love to read the engineering behind those. Might as well get the complete set in white:

I have actually had a chance to listen to those goofy sphere looking type speakers.
They were coupled with gigantic woofer stacks and tons of McIntosh power to feed them.
Sounded completely awesome and I really enjoyed the chance to hear them.
The cost was astronomical and of course only for those "with sophisticated tastes".
I am just beer and pretzels so I don't qualify.

 

[Eppie]

Eppie, notice the adjustability of the Focal ..........

Scala Utopia Evo, Undisputed musicality - Focal

Evo stands for evolution... Since 2008, when Utopia III was launched, Focal’s technological heritage has grown enormously.

www.focal.com

I read the web page and downloaded the user manual. There is nothing to suggest that the angles of the mid and tweeter sections can be adjusted. The manual does have a surprising number of cross-over settings. What's hilarious is that they list speaker cable qualities in those settings, feeding to the gullible rich.

 

[Eppie]

I am enjoying this thread. Lots of imagination and audiophile wet dreams here.
Here's an entry a friend of mine sent me recently. Magico M9's. $750,000 a pair
and they weigh in at 1,000 pounds each. Here's a photo of them being scanned and tested.
I'm sure many of you will rush out and want to buy a pair. I believe there's a line.

Yeah, I saw those last night in a Facebook group called Beautiful High End. Those are modular so you can build different types of towers. Crazy stuff!

 

[CajunLB]

$93,000 for the Vivid Audio Giya G1 Spirit. Man, is that thing ugly.

Kinda looks like an upside down sperm..

 

[Eppie]

Kinda looks like an upside down sperm..

Actually the inspiration is from the cross-section of a snail shell or a curled up fern leaf.

 

[Mikado463]

I read the web page and downloaded the user manual. There is nothing to suggest that the angles of the mid and tweeter sections can be adjusted. The manual does have a surprising number of cross-over settings. What's hilarious is that they list speaker cable qualities in those settings, feeding to the gullible rich.

interesting, for the model I saw years back @ RMAF definitely had adj for the tweeter module. I guess I posted up an incorrect link, sorry !

 

[Mikado463]

I have actually had a chance to listen to those goofy sphere looking type speakers.
They were coupled with gigantic woofer stacks and tons of McIntosh power to feed them.
Sounded completely awesome and I really enjoyed the chance to hear them.
The cost was astronomical and of course only for those "with sophisticated tastes".
I am just beer and pretzels so I don't qualify.

the fact that you thought they sounded 'awesome' means that your tastes are in fact 'sophisticated' ! it's perhaps your pocket book (and mine) that is holding you back !

My memory from years back @ RMAF when listening to them was a presentation of a grand concert hall the likes of which no other speaker has done for me. Granted the right room and associated equipment are a must !

 

[Eppie]

the fact that you thought they sounded 'awesome' means that your tastes are in fact 'sophisticated' ! it's perhaps your pocket book (and mine) that is holding you back !

My memory from years back @ RMAF when listening to them was a presentation of a grand concert hall the likes of which no other speaker has done for me. Granted the right room and associated equipment are a must !

It's pretty amazing when you encounter a speaker like that, isn't it? My friend in WI has a couple of the tall Magnapan 3.5 with big mono-blocks driving them and he spent a great deal of time tweaking the room, equipment and positioning. That was the most intimate setting I ever heard. He had jazz recordings where you could close your eyes and imagine the band 20 feet in front of you. That convinced me that truly beautiful audio is possible in the home.

 

[shadyJ]

interesting, for the model I saw years back @ RMAF definitely had adj for the tweeter module. I guess I posted up an incorrect link, sorry !

I don't think Focal Utopias ever had adjustable angle tweeters. However, they have enough sense not to mount the tweeter stupid high. The tweeter is set to a sensible height. Great speaker, but crazy expensive.

 

[shadyJ]

@Mikado463 the Wilson Chronosonic do you have the upper portions angled down and they are supposed to have perfect time alignment, but the Focal Utopia EM Evo still seems to fire the tweeter higher than usual requiring a long seating distance like shandyJ mentioned.

Wilsons Chronosonic's ideas of time-alignment are garbage, don't let them convince you those are serious speakers. The fact is they would have a whole number of problems, even specifically pertaining to time-domain issues.