Few understand that a transmission line IS NOT simply a vented enclosure, and that a properly designed TL can afford some of the lowest distortion bass available. The transmission line speaker was first described and patented in the 1960's. In a classic transmission line, the sound wave from the back of the woofer is channeled down a long pathway filled with a fibrous bundle of wool or bonded dacron, as in mine. This material is packed in deminishing density towards the end of the line, and turns the acoustic energy into thermal energy. In a properly tuned line, only very low frequencies exit the end of the transmission line and extend the low frequency response one half octave below the fundamental resonance of the driver.
In a transmission line enclosure, the back wave of the woofer does not bounce off an interior wall and radiate back into the room through the woofer's cone as in sealed or ported enclosures. These multiple echoes color the sound and can only be eliminated in a transmission line enclosure(IF there is to be an enclosure at all).
There is no pressure in a transmission line to excite strong enclosure resonances. In a sealed or ported box, enclosure resonances can usually only be controlled, not eliminated as in a properly designed transmission line enclosure.
In toto, a well executed TL's extended low frequency response, lack of multiple echoes from the inside of the box, and elimination of wall resonance will result in a very low distortion, fast and extended low frequency system.
In a transmission line enclosure, the back wave of the woofer does not bounce off an interior wall and radiate back into the room through the woofer's cone as in sealed or ported enclosures. These multiple echoes color the sound and can only be eliminated in a transmission line enclosure(IF there is to be an enclosure at all).
There is no pressure in a transmission line to excite strong enclosure resonances. In a sealed or ported box, enclosure resonances can usually only be controlled, not eliminated as in a properly designed transmission line enclosure.
In toto, a well executed TL's extended low frequency response, lack of multiple echoes from the inside of the box, and elimination of wall resonance will result in a very low distortion, fast and extended low frequency system.