Omnidirectional acoustics

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Four New Logitech Speaker Sets Feature 360-Degree Sound

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frigg
07/14/09

In reply to Four New Logitech Speaker Sets Feature 360-Degree Sound
sound becomes more directional at higher frequencies. That's why if you stand in front of a speaker, you hear everything it delivers, and as you move to the side, higher frequencies increasingly drop out. Low frequencies are omni by nature, high frequencies are directional by nature.

I'm not sure how these purport to work, but for truly omnidirectional sound at higher frequencies, you'd need to cover the space with multiple drivers, spraying listeners with sound waves the way those fancy showers spray water on every crevice and curve of your body from multiple faucets. Yamaha created an experimental audio lab that achieved this by peppering the walls and ceilings with recessed drivers. It mimicked the omnidirectional way sound arrives in real life, from all directions.
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Edited by frigg at 07/14/09 10:08 PM frigg was starred frigg was unstarred

davekaybsc
07/14/09

In reply to Four New Logitech Speaker Sets Feature 360-Degree Sound
These are technically bi-polar speakers. A true Omni (Duevel, German Physiks, MBL) doesn't use front and rear facing drivers firing in-phase. That's the definition of bi-polar. Omnis either use uber-sophisticated devices that vibrate in true 360 degrees like a Walsh style driver, or they use conventional drivers firing vertically with some type of wave guide as in the Duevels, Mirages, etc.

While its true that most Omnis cannot image quite as precisely as a forward radiator, they do just about everything else better, and they are much closer to live music in an acoustic space. Most of the energy from live instruments arrives after bouncing off the walls, and this is what Omnis recreate. Try an MBL 101E, and see if you can go back to a direct radiator after that.
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bosskev
07/14/09

In reply to Four New Logitech Speaker Sets Feature 360-Degree Sound
Isn't this so-called "360 degree sound" the antithesis of what you want in sound reproduction, at least as presented here? A proper speaker configuration, from a simple stereo pair to a full-blown 7.1 setup, helps your ears locate with pinpoint spatial accuracy where within the sound stage the various distinct sound sources—such as the vocalist or the guitar or whatever—are located. Doesn't something like this totally blur or subvert that spatial stage?

To be fair, I'd have to audition these to see what they really do (and also would have to keep in mind their relatively low-cost purposes). Still, this sounds (sorry) like total marketing BS.
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Edited by bosskev at 07/14/09 8:02 PM bosskev was starred bosskev was unstarred

aZn sensaZn
07/14/09

@bosskev:

I don't believe omnidrectional speakers are intended for the accurate reporoduction of positioning; they're for providing even quality audio throughout an area.

It's like if Spiderman and Venom wanted to give people music. Spiderman would be fair and give the same amount of music to everybody because he's a swell guy. Venom, on the other hand, would give it all to one person in incredible detail. The only difference is, Venom would probably kill the listener whereas a 7.1 setup wouldn't.

Hopefully these truly provide the same sound effect as other more expensive omnidirectional speakers.
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zenpoet
07/15/09

@aZn sensaZn: Spiderman and Venom as competing sound reproduction technologies. Lets hope all your explanations are as entertaining!
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Edited by zenpoet at 07/15/09 11:51 AM zenpoet was starred zenpoet was unstarred

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