Open Baffle. Why are they mostly limited to DIY?

Frustrated with what I hear as colouration from traditional speakers during a 40+ year search for the ’perfect sound’ (including expensive & well reviewed B&Ws, JBLs, Shahinians, Dalis, Royds), I started building Open Baffle speakers during 2012. Last year I finally managed to create something that sounds closer to reality than I have experienced anywhere else.

These are my own hybrid 3-way design based on Pure Audio Project Trio15s & are run as a fully active 5-way system in tandem with twin subs below 50hz, powered by HDP-5 and HDP-3 DEQX processors with multiple power amps. Crossovers, frequency, phase, timing are all handled digitally (although my preferred and most listened source material tends to be vinyl).

Imaging, soundstaging, transient attack and dynamics are simply astounding and I cannot find fault with the speakers, room or system regardless of source material or volume. Well implemented OBs can sound truly remarkable although the lowest bass frequencies remain challenging without assistance.

seanheis1: Many OBs need space to breathe and should ideally be kept well clear of front and side walls.

One other comment about bass & the reason I use subwoofer reinforcement below 50hz:
Much live music is amplified through horn or box speakers so we often don’t hear vocalists or instruments ’naturally’ anyway. Even using four 15" OB drivers as I do, this cannot recreate the depth of live sound or indeed something as subtle as a foot stomp on some solo acoustic albums. OB bass gives the speed and transient attack of real instruments and correctly blended sub bass the final sense of realism.