Open baffle speakers
Open baffle speakers design is the simplest , to get bass response similar to other design , like ported, the baffle size must be huge to avoid low frequency degradations . Tipical size the baffle width 10-20" got weak bass performance. I am wondering how open baffle speakers design became so popular ?
They’ve never really done it for me, but I’ve heard few. Also, I am of the opinion that when sound is coming from the rear and bouncing willy-nilly about the room, it may give a sense of depth to the soundstage but can’t really be good for imaging compared to a nice closed-back point or line source, or even time-aligned speaker. But this is not something that you will pick up from a YouTube video recorded in the sweet spot. I’ve specifically blocked off the rear wave from my modified Heil AMTs and my speakers image outstandingly. If you have good monitors, there are plenty of examples of open backs that you can listen to on (God Forbid!!!) YouTube. But also listen to similar quality closed baffle speakers because ultimately, your monitors have a lot to do with the sound, and you are listening to not just the speakers but for differences in the presentation of the sound between the open and closed back representatives. |
Their secret is their dipole radiation. I have the Emerald Physics 2.7's, Linkwitz Orion's, Magnestand Maggies (1.6 version), and the Maggie LRS+ - and - few other speakers can match their sound quality. The Emerald Physics and Linkwitz speakers are "maggies on steroids." Though, the Magnestand Maggies and LRS+ with the right setup sound as good. The primary difference is the bass balance of the Linkwitz and Emerald Physics - which is a bit more robust than the Maggies. While the resolution of the details and highs, and the impressive staging and imaging of the Maggies are impressive. These aspects of their sound set them apart from most other speakers. |
Few people have heard either the Linkwitz Lab or GR Research open baffle loudspeakers, both of which include open baffle woofers. Linkwitz uses a pair of 10" woofers in an M/W frame, GR Research a choice of two or three 12" woofers in an H frame, with a dipole cancellation compensation circuit incorporated into the Rythmik Audio plate amp that comes with the DIY kit, along with Rythmik’s servo-feedback system. Bass response to 20Hz. The GGR/Rythmik OB/Dipole Sub was developed in a collaboration between Danny Richie of GR Research and Brian Ding of Rythmik Audio. Danny was already offering OB subs in kit form, when he learned of Brian's new servo-feedback system. He thought combining OB woofer design with servo-feedback might produce state-of-the art bass reproduction, so proposed the two of them join forces. Danny is a longtime die-hard OB enthusiast, more so than Brian. Brian himself finds the sound characteristic of the OB/Dipole Sub "leaner" than he cares for, preferring the extra weight of sealed and ported subs (of which he offers in a vast array of models). If you've heard the low frequency reproduction produced by the big Magnepan models (the old Tympani line, and the current 30.7), you have an idea of what the GRR/Rythmik OB/Dipole Sub sounds like.
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@soix , Yep. Exactly. I went to OB, and don’t think I can ever go back. The bass hits differently than a box speaker, but I guess it depends on what type of music you listen to. I do run a sub, but my OB configuration is a concentric tweeter in a 12" carbon mid with 2× 15" carbon woofers. Not bass shy by any means, but they don’t "slam" like the effect you get with a powered sub. They sound really, really good. I'm very happy, and they certainly cured my upgrade-itis.
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I moved to OB's last year with zero regret. bass is fast dynamic and deep enough for me. each of my speakers has a 18" sub bass, 15" mid bass, 8" mid, 1.5" tweeters and a tinny supper tweeter. I get bass in room down to 25-30hz, properly set up of course. to be honest i though bass was going to be the down side but its really the best part of the speakers. supper fast no boxy sound etc. If you've not tryed a good OB in a room that can support it, then its worth a listen. the key is a room large enough to get them out from the wall 4'-6' to get proper front and rear wave integration. |
+1 @coralkong I’ve heard Spatial speakers on several occasions and they never sounded bass shy even without subs — on the contrary the bass sounded excellent. 100% agree almost all box speakers benefit greatly from a couple subs as well so that’s not a deterrent to owning an open-baffle speaker in my book. As always there are trade offs either way, but when you can get that level of sound/openness/efficiency without the considerable expense and additional weight of an having to build/ship a heavy, inert box it’s not hard to see why open-baffle designs offer some significant advantages. I could live very happily with what I’ve heard from these designs and may well own some in the future. |
Open baffle speakers have many virtues, very deep bass is NOT one of them because the front and back waves of the drivers are out of phase and bass frequencies wrap around the speaker and cancel each other. One could use subwoofers or box woofers for the lower frequencies, but, depending on your taste and priorities, the bass without such augmentation can be good enough. I've heard PureAudio Project open baffle speakers that, for my taste, have enough bass without augmentation. The "small" version has twin 15" woofers, and the taller version has four 15" woofers. I consider this brand's speakers to be among the very best for the money. I've heard some other open baffle speakers with quite large baffles and some with sides that go backwards to effectively extend the path length for front-back interaction, but these tricks only reduce cancellation. |
