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Passive radiator vs. ports


Bonzo

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The passive cone on a baffle mount is not "tuned" for a specific frequency as a port would be. It is simply a phase inverting mechanism and is physically coupled by and to the volume of air in the back chamber which undergoes compression and rarification as the active cone moves back and forth.

Actually, it's not a phase inverting mechanism and the cone excursion of the active driver is still "zero" at the tuning point of the system. Go look at some phase response measurements....they are identical between ports and PR's of the same tuning.

Btw, the reason I didn't bust out all the fancy equations is because a) they are ideal world low level linear assumptions which aren't the case in real life. B) Nobody here would understand them anyway, which c) runs the risk of misinterpretation. d) It would be a complete waste of my time, especially considering that application of the formulas by me doesn't prove anything anyway. e) There just aren't enough letters on the keyboard to draw all the fancy symbols.

Everything you just said in that last post contradicts everything they teach in acoustics....you might as well argue that 1+1=3.

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It wouldn't matter if you did, you'd still be wrong.

There is 70 years of loudspeaker history written by some very smart people that you are ignoring. I'll attribute that to the hubris of youth.

The facts are that a drone cone is a wider bandpass mechanism than a port. However ports can be LOUDER at their tuned frequency than a drone.

DM

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The Drone-Cone, Phase-Inverter Loudspeaker

JAES Volume 21 Number 7 pp. 582, 583; September 1973

Author: Olson, Harry F.

E-library Location: (CD aes3) /jrnl6877/1973/7206.pdf
I would prefer to take this guy's published work as a definitive reference.
The man's work was and still is highly respected in the professional scientific audio community. His credentials are beyond reproach.

Not that I think Tom Danley is a slouch, but I'm currently unaware of his scientific publishings.

DM
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"I refuse to partake in an ego war and I take great offense to your referencing my age as it has no bearing on the subject."

This ain't about ego - I'm just backing up everything I said above with references so I have some credibility...

****

any patent since 1935 concerning a passive radiator will have been referenced to this one. Harry F. Olson had over 50 years of experience with the passive radiator between this patent and the above AES published paper posted above.

DM

post-13458-13819281525798_thumb.jpg

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Like this one, for example. This one is a "variable" drone cone with adjustable mass, so that it can be "tuned" for a particular room placement. There is a screw dead center used to fasten a weight to the cone!

When you look it up, please note frequency response curves...

DM

post-13458-13819281527468_thumb.jpg

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All I can add to this debate is that I added PRs to my self-fabricated Heresys and the depth and volume of the bass increased dramatically.

Now to address the original question: placement is of upmost importance. I have mine in an unfinished (for the time being) basement. The sides are approximately 14 inches from the side(block) walls, and placed about 12inches from the back wall. My sweet spot is 15.5 feet from the rear walls. They throw the bass rather nicely throughout the basement, and the rest of the house for those not wanting to listen to my selection of music while watching tv upstairs[W] .

So attempt to work with placement.

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All I can add to this debate is that I

added PRs to my self-fabricated Heresys and the depth and volume of the

bass increased dramatically.

Just outta curiosity...did you go with the stock heresy dimensions too?

What you describe sounds a lot like the old Tangent 500 and 400

speakers:

http://www.klipsch.com/product/product.aspx?cid=155&s=specs

http://www.klipsch.com/product/product.aspx?cid=156&s=specs

(500 = PR, 400 = port, both are using the same drivers as the heresy II)

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Reading the print out values of a machine measuring some reductionistic mathematical derivation of the sound isn't quite the same thing as appreciating a Carlos Santana guitar solo, is it? You could test the frequency and SPL of course, but what will that tell you about the solo in human terms?

Point is, audio is both ART and SCIENCE, inseparable from each other, and possibly more of an art than science exactly because a human being is required as the justifying means to the whole affair. Without the human listener, ALL speakers, regardless of cost or quality are just making noise.

DM

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Reading the print out values of a machine

measuring some reductionistic mathematical derivation of the

sound isn't quite the same thing as appreciating a Carlos Santana

guitar solo, is it? You could test the frequency and SPL of course, but

what will that tell you about the solo in human terms?

Point is, audio is both ART and SCIENCE, inseparable from each other...

I would argue that you are mixing the concepts of sound and

music....sound is merely the medium in which music exists. Music cannot

exist without sound, but sound can exist without music. But the better

one understands the medium, the easier it is for that person to express

the art. (It's like a painter going to school to learn about different

paints and brush techniques). After taking some acoustics courses it is

quickly apparent that the study of sound has absolutely nothing to do

with music specifically and in fact the majority of the research is

used in many other applications (acoustical medicience, material

science, etc etc...).

But this is why good "sound guys" are so hard to come by....they must

have a firm understanding of the technical nature AND an artistic ear.

You cannot have just art alone. There is a reason for the stereotype

that musicians are no good behind the mixer...And I would argue that

the same is true for the design of any kind of music equipment,

especially speakers. The designer needs to use both sides of his brain.

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My dimensions are slightly larger than the Heresy III. 24.5"h x 15.5"w x 14"d. I know the Heresy family low end quits around 50 hz, so with the suggestion of a PR from the gentleman I bought my mids from, thought that I would give it a try. After first experimenting with the passive bolted to a piece of material I'd rather not mention, the difference was quite noticeable. Then it was time to cut a hole in the walnut rear and screw the PR into its final resting place. Don't have a decibel meter yet but when I snag one I'll post some results to where the bottom end ends :)

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