Transmission line speakers!


Hi group,

I just pulled the trigger on a mint pair of Falcon speakers. They are a transmission line design. I don’t see many speakers using transmission line. Does anyone here have any experience pro or con with this type of design? BTW, I have always liked sealed type speakers over ported speakers!

Thanks much!

128x128yogiboy

Showing 2 responses by bdp24

 

Above I mentioned the ESS Transtatic I, introduced in around 1970. As I said, it consisted of a transmissionline enclosure (20" w, 16" d, 42" h) housing a single KEF B139 driver (also used by David Wilson in his original WAMM), a short transmissionline (the depth of the enclosure) behind a KEF B110 5" dynamic driver, and three RTR ESL tweeters (firing ahead and behind off an angled inner panel). I have a pair in my spare room.

Shortly before ESS introduced the AMT model (with the Heil driver), they offered what I believe they were calling the Super Quad. It was the same transmission line/B139 enclosure and RTR tweeters, with a Quad ESL for each speaker in place of the KEF B110, sitting side-by-side with the transmissionline enclosure. I saw a pair in the flesh, but didn’t hear them. If I remember correctly, ESS was selling them for $2,000/pr. (a fair amount of money in 1972).

 

@roxy54: Are you thinking of the FMI (Fulton Musical Industries) Model J loudspeaker? It was comprised of three separate boxes: on the bottom a transmisionline-loaded woofer enclosure, in the middle a small sealed enclosure with an 8" woofer and dome tweeter (marketed separately as the Model 80), and on top an RTR ESL tweeter array (6 ESL tweeters per side iirc)---the same tweeter Dave Wilson used in his original WAMM loudspeaker. I bought a pair of the Model J in 1974, when it was priced at $1200/pr. JGH loved it, putting the Model J at the top of his recommended component list.

Before ESS introduced the Heil AMT loudspeaker, their flagship model was the TranStatic I, which was also a three way: a KEF B139 woofer in a transmissionline enclosure, a KEF B110 5" cone midrange, and three of the RTR ESL tweeters mentioned above. It retailed in the early-70’s for $599/each, and was competition for the Infinity Servo-Static I. I have a pair sitting in my spare room.