Omnis, dipoles, bipoles, and polydirectional speakers work best when they can be set up such that the onset of side-wall and rear-wall reflections reaches the listener's ears at least 10 milliseconds after the first-arrival sound. The 10 milliseconds isn't a hard-and-fast rule, but a fuzzy rule-of-thumb based on psychoacoustics. Actually this applies to all speakers, but is more likely to be a concern with omnis, dipoles, bipoles, and polys. The 10 milliseconds corresponds to a path length of about 11 feet, so in other words you'd want the early reflection paths to be at least 11 feet longer than the direct path from the drivers to your ears (including the reflection off the wall behind the listener, if possible). This is usually not practical in a small room.
In my opinion a small room calls for speakers with a well-controlled radiation pattern and/or smooth power response, as inevitably the bulk of the reverberant energy will arrive earlier than in a larger room. Too much of a spectral discrepancy between direct and reverberant energy can give rise to listening fatigue in any room, but especially in a small one.
I'm presently working on a design intended to perform well in a small room, but I'm shooting for a much lower price point. Nevertheless, the above principles of acoustics and psychoacoustics are applicable even to speakers with exotic drivers.
Duke
dealer/manufacturer
In my opinion a small room calls for speakers with a well-controlled radiation pattern and/or smooth power response, as inevitably the bulk of the reverberant energy will arrive earlier than in a larger room. Too much of a spectral discrepancy between direct and reverberant energy can give rise to listening fatigue in any room, but especially in a small one.
I'm presently working on a design intended to perform well in a small room, but I'm shooting for a much lower price point. Nevertheless, the above principles of acoustics and psychoacoustics are applicable even to speakers with exotic drivers.
Duke
dealer/manufacturer