Jump to content

Who made these midrange horn diffusers?


RAFellows

Recommended Posts

They are acoustic lenses, developed in the 1940s to improve the dispersion of horns. As horn design became more sophisticated, the extra expense and appearance of acoustic lenses was no longer appealing, and they were dropped. I think only JBL really promoted them, but they may have licensed the technology to others.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a set based upon the same design principals on my JBL L200B though these used flat plates rather than curved ones. They do work to disperse as stated however I find that they mess with the stage and the image of the horn and as such I do not use them. I think had they been a success that you would have seen more in production and for a longer period of time.

I might add that similar but more complex versions of this concept were used by Beveridge electrostatic loudspeakers to provide a flat panel with wide dispersion characteristics.

for those who might be interested.

https://patents.google.com/patent/US3668335?oq=Beveridge+electrostatic+loudspeakers

Here is some JBL information on what they produced

https://jblpro.com/en-US/site_elements/2301-2390-2391-2392-2395-information

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/26/2020 at 10:26 AM, moray james said:

I have a set based upon the same design principals on my JBL L200B though these used flat plates rather than curved ones. They do work to disperse as stated however I find that they mess with the stage and the image of the horn and as such I do not use them. I think had they been a success that you would have seen more in production and for a longer period of time.

I might add that similar but more complex versions of this concept were used by Beveridge electrostatic loudspeakers to provide a flat panel with wide dispersion characteristics.

for those who might be interested.

https://patents.google.com/patent/US3668335?oq=Beveridge+electrostatic+loudspeakers

Here is some JBL information on what they produced

https://jblpro.com/en-US/site_elements/2301-2390-2391-2392-2395-information

Thanks for finding the Beveridge patent. The original Beveridges were incredible speakers, and created a curtain of sound you could walk though, turn around and perceive the performance as if you were now in back of the performers. They are one of my two faves of all time (the Klipschorn of course being the other; have not heard Jubilees yet)

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...