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Ultra flat cabs

#81
seamonkey said:
This patent
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Looks like a bunch of tactile transducers mounted to two flat panels.

The abstract seems to indicate it's meant to mount on a wall.
The guitar/bass cabinet sitting out in the room would look to be a dipole placement and would be horrible for bass.

I'm not holding my breath that this is any kind of revolutionary design.
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Agreed.
 
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#82
If this technology and the devices described in these patents were useable in real life and viable as a business, these would have been on the market, a bigger player would have bought or at least licensed the technology, etc. Even with no outside interest, if it was a better mousetrap, investors would step up, if not for this role, but possibly for other applications.

We will have to see if any of that happens. That it hasn't is not encouraging.
 
#83
J Wilson said:
If this technology and the devices described in these patents were useable in real life and viable as a business, these would have been on the market, a bigger player would have bought or at least licensed the technology, etc. Even with no outside interest, if it was a better mousetrap, investors would step up, if not for this role, but possibly for other applications.

We will have to see if any of that happens. That it hasn't is not encouraging.
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A few years ago you could have said the same about carbon fiber cabs, before GR Bass made that happen. Carbon fiber was available for a long long time, and a few companies had tried to build CF cabs without success, because many challenges needed to be solved.

But yeah, I see what you mean anyway…
 
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#85
gtirard said:
A few years ago you could have said the same about carbon fiber cabs, before GR Bass made that happen. Carbon fiber was available for a long long time, and a few companies had tried to build CF cabs without success, because many challenges needed to be solved.

But yeah, I see what you mean anyway…
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But then again, carbon fiber construction has advanced tremendously.

Gordon Murray speaks of the carbon fab on his MacLaren F1's taking several weeks to complete, while his new T-series cars are done in less than 48 hrs, with lighter yet stronger specs due to improved finite analysis and modern CF compounds and fabrication that simply weren't available in the 80's for the F1. And it was built using them current F1 methodology!
 
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#86
fdeck said:
Wow, I didn't even look at the year. I was just interested in seeing how it works.

Since it's an electromagnetic driver, it inexorably obeys Thiele-Small theory. I think in the pictures I've seen, the guitar speakers have open backs. If you try to enclose the driver, Hoffman's Law will have a word to say with you.

There's kind of a tortoise-hare problem with speakers. During the time it takes for a radical new technology to reach fruition, the old technology has been undergoing incremental development of its own. In fact, this is a familiar story in a lot of technology areas, including semiconductors and car engines.
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But didn't you read the OP? -- they've figured out the physics, goddammit! :)
 
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#89
But it's still pretty dern big; thin and lightweight aside...

I kinda see the logic in providing a large surface area to make air vibrate and all; but I'm skeptical that the cab in the op could outperform the SPL below 80 Hz that a 4x8 I made with $20 drivers in a more convenient (albeit x2 weight) package to transport.

I'm all for "breakthrough" stuff, but my pinky-toe-dipped-in level of experience designing cabs has me doubting this is that.

I bet the guitar cab sounds pretty good, but I'm certainly skeptical (with hope and cautious optimism) the bass cab holds up to even an "ok" 2x12 in the real world.

And as pointed out earlier... where the %$#&* does my amp sit on stage? Gee, thanks for making my cab small and light... but now I have to have a table or something for my amp. What space savings does that equal?
 
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#91
basscooker said:
where the %$#&* does my amp sit on stage?
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A 1U form factor amp on edge would do the job nicely I should think.

Perhaps a bigger problem with this tech is that for weight and space on stage it will lose in every way to IEM. The potential users are people who want old school backline and wedge setup, and are also willing to accept new technology. I don't know how many of those there will be.
 

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