The Bowling Ball of Bass?

[abarson]

I thought it was a widespread belief that spheres were bad enclosure designs. What's up with this?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...E:B:SS:US:1123

[chokeslam512]

MILLER BIG SPHERE

The world`s most innovative bass cabinet

Loaded with a 15" Tone Tubby Superboy Hempcone speaker

This is kind of revolution in cabinet building!

Inspired by the famous Tone Tubby Hempcone speakers, Miller-Instruments in Bavaria/Germany

developed a spheric cabinet, made of a compound of Glassfiber, Carbonfiber and Hempfiber.

The result is a ball with 70cm (27.5") diameter in a professional flightcase

that provides a bass sound you surely never heard before!

No standing waves and nearly surround sound!

Learn more about this Bavarian/Californian cooperation on miller-instruments.com

or send me an email for more details, esp. shipping costs to your country

Methinks this ingredient may have something to do with this "innovative" design.

[MAMMOTHvolume]

good luck getting high off hemp

[ausf]

$1600 could get you a lot of hemp. A lot of bass too, apparently.

I keep thinking of Bill Murray: you can play all day then go home and smoke the beejeezus out of it...(paraphrasing of course).

[Rick Auricchio]

Nobody would build one for sale:

• Virtually impossible to manufacture with standard woodworking techniques, or even from wood at all. Companies want fast and cheap manufacturing.

• When cased for transport, it's as big as the enclosing rectangular case. All that wasted space around the sphere doesn't help with its overall size.

[chokeslam512]

Originally Posted by MAMMOTHvolume

good luck getting high off hemp

Hemp fiber would be the biproduct from previous social activities. Sounds like you've tried it before?

[relwof]

Originally Posted by chokeslam512

Methinks this ingredient may have something to do with this "innovative" design.

Yeah, love the part that says

... provides a bass sound you surely never heard before!

too. I suppose if hummingbirds and leprechauns got friendly, thousands of feet of their freakish spawn marching at 40 hz over the stretched resonating hide of an albino mastodon would also be something we've never heard (and if you think you have, that innovative ingredient was probably stronger than hemp). But that doesn't mean it's worth $1600 for the privilege.

Who knows though, it might actually sound great. OTOH, it might throw you into a parallel universe if you slap those roundwounds too hard...

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by abarson

I thought it was a widespread belief that spheres were bad enclosure designs.

A sphere's a very good shape but for one aspect: its interior volume per lineal exterior dimension is the smallest possible ratio (a cube is the largest). Since the low frequency response of speakers is directly proportional to their interior volume that makes a sphere a poor choice for bass. Spheres do work very well for midrange enclosures, where a small interior volume is not a concern.

[gregoire1]

Originally Posted by billfitzmaurice

A sphere's a very good shape but for one aspect: its interior volume per lineal exterior dimension is the smallest possible ratio (a cube is the largest). Since the low frequency response of speakers is directly proportional to their interior volume that makes a sphere a poor choice for bass. Spheres do work very well for midrange enclosures, where a small interior volume is not a concern.

then there's the whole unlevel floor problem...

[Blues Cat]

Man you could just roll that in , literally.

[lunarpollen]

I always figured that a sphere possesses a very strong inherent resonant frequency that would be problematic should you play that note (would be a lot louder than other notes).

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Originally Posted by Blues Cat

Man you could just roll that in , literally.

Now that would drop some jaws behind the FOH desk .

Regards
Sam

[Bassmec]

Originally Posted by lunarpollen

I always figured that a sphere possesses a very strong inherent resonant frequency that would be problematic should you play that note (would be a lot louder than other notes).

Cabinet design is all about arranging this loud note to be at the lowest frequency that the loudspeaker can produce.

[abarson]

Originally Posted by billfitzmaurice

A sphere's a very good shape but for one aspect: its interior volume per lineal exterior dimension is the smallest possible ratio (a cube is the largest). Since the low frequency response of speakers is directly proportional to their interior volume that makes a sphere a poor choice for bass. Spheres do work very well for midrange enclosures, where a small interior volume is not a concern.

I knew that I could count on BFM to set the account straight! This is consistent with the previous explanation I was trying to recall. Thanks, Bill!
As much as I appreciate innovation, this one is just too weird for me!

[dmusic148]

Gotta admit- it sure looks cool. Painted white it would be badass at your next bar gig.

[spankdaplank]

I always wanted my bass sound to have some BALLS !! (rimshot and groan)

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by lunarpollen

I always figured that a sphere possesses a very strong inherent resonant frequency that would be problematic should you play that note (would be a lot louder than other notes).

The opposite is the case. Parallel walls cause strong resonant modes, be it in the cab or in the listening room. The best cabs and rooms to listen to them in have no parallel walls. But that greatly complicates the build, with both cabs and rooms.

[abarson]

Originally Posted by billfitzmaurice

The opposite is the case. Parallel walls cause strong resonant modes, be it in the cab or in the listening room. The best cabs and rooms to listen to them in have no parallel walls. But that greatly complicates the build, with both cabs and rooms.

Hmmm...
And the interior of a sphere would have an infinite number of parallel walls? Is that a fair analogy?

So, I thought that the reason that serrated foam is used for sound treatment is that its irregular surface prevents standing waves from propogating. Wouldn't this also hold true if this material covered the interior of the sphere? Not being argumentative, just trying to understand.

[Session1969]

Originally Posted by ausf

$1600 could get you a lot of hemp. A lot of bass too, apparently.

I keep thinking of Bill Murray: you can play all day then go home and smoke the beejeezus out of it...(paraphrasing of course).

That's only if it's a Northern California Sensamilla crossed with Kentucky Blue Grass.

[will33]

Originally Posted by abarson

Hmmm...
And the interior of a sphere would have an infinite number of parallel walls? Is that a fair analogy?

So, I thought that the reason that serrated foam is used for sound treatment is that its irregular surface prevents standing waves from propogating. Wouldn't this also hold true if this material covered the interior of the sphere? Not being argumentative, just trying to understand.

I guess it would be considered none rather than infinite?

In practice, I have used dogfood bowls as add-on midrange subchambers for the 6's in my 3-way PA main speakers, lined/stuffed with batting, it makes a 1/2 sphere. While I don't have an identical cube boxes to compare to, the midrange sounds clear, with no audible dips/cancellations or "parts missing". In theory it should eliminate standing waves....in practice, I can say it works.