Speaker Technology over the last 10 years

Active Speakers have become more popular (this design topology has a lot of advantages in terms of lower distortion, better accuracy and eliminating the interface crap shoot issues between finding the right amp to suit a given speaker).

Speaker transducer technology has not really advanced in any significant way, although more is made in China so thinsg keep getting cheaper (if you are prepared to keep your fingers crossed about the quality control - remember speakers are never tested by consumers to confirm that they conform to manufacturer's claimed standards and it is easy to make ONE good sounding speaker t odeliver to a reviewer but harder to mass produce them with consistent performance)

i still can't understand how anyone can get excited by cones. i have never heard a full range all-cone speaker that i have liked.

That is quite a strong statement. Have you had your hearing tested lately? I think most everyone would agree that it is easy to get excited about many a good panel, good ribbons, good horns or good cone speakers.

Sure there are differences and advantages and disadvantages to each approach - but among high quality speakers for us average tin eared folks like myself there is a lot of great stuff out there to get excited about.

i think you are ignoring the obvious.

Obviously cone speakers, for all their faults, are extremely popular - not just with consumers but also in professional audio engineering circles and with musicians and artists.

I don't know of many multi-million dollar recording facilities that use panels.

I don't know of many concert halls that use panels.

Has it occurred to you that you might be ignoring the obvious?

Johnnyb53

Well Said.

To audiofeil's point - it is all about preferences in this hobby.

Exactly - the hobby is nothing more than fashion or fad.

I've read several times that box speakers have much higher distortion than panels (ESL's)? The box itself is apparently the culprit with measured distortion of 4% or more not being uncommon. In comparison distortion on panels has been found in some instances to be almost unmeasurable.

For sure many speakers will struggle to perform as low as 4% distortion, expecially in the bass (where 20%+ distortion is pretty much standard). A lot depends on volume level, and as you lower the volume level requirements then many designs can perform adequately.

However, I think you are mistaken about box speakers being systematically a problem due to the "box". For example, top of the line ATC speakers give you 121 db SPL at 1 meter (with 10 db headroom) with a THD of less than 0.3%. Do you have any examples of panels that meet or exceed this kind of performance?

Therefore, categorically dismissing a given design approach may cause you to miss out on some really good products.

Exactly. Panels are not the only way to make a great speaker.

if i could not tell i was listening to a cone design in a cabinet, i would seriously considder it.

You are undoubtedly hearing the markedly different radiation pattern from large panels. There is a dipole effect for those that radiate backwards and there is plenty of lobing on the primary signal going forward. This results in a markedly different sound at the listening position. Since these effects are variable with frequency and hard to predict (room/listening dependent) they make panels unsuitable for monitoring (where accuracy at the listening position is needed). The increased ambience and comb filtering effects can create an impressive spacious sound and, in the right room/setup, can give a more natural ambience or a large space/hall - which will probably help most with classical genres.

I'd hazard a guess that the ambient sound field is what you enjoy so much about this type design. Panels are a good design for creating some excellent effects that add realism and can increase the enjoyment for many listeners.

I have a question on distortion. I've read several times that box speakers have much higher distortion than panels (ESL's)? The box itself is apparently the culprit with measured distortion of 4% or more not being uncommon. In comparison distortion on panels has been found in some instances to be almost unmeasurable.

Kiwi,

I'd be interested to see the article you read/refer to.

I have also read that because the radiating surface of panels is so large and because their forward energy is so great that the room vs. speaker interface (or the impact of the room) is less problematic than small box speakers with cones.

Large panels cause beaming/lobing of the sound which produces variations with frequency that will make placement and listening position quite critical. They also need more space, IMHO.

Have you actually tried panels - they are not so easy to setup, at least IMHO?

Also, do you have any experience of panels at anything approach realistic instrument sound levels - say 110 db SPL (which would cover grand piano and a drum set)? It is all very well having low distortion at low SPL levels - in fact there are a great many speaker designs that can achieve this.

i would be shocked that anyone would expose a pair of ears
to spl exceeding 100 db.

Don't be shocked. Real music from real instruments is full of transients and has a large dynamic range. If you sit 12 feet from a speaker playing at 100 db spl then the sound is already 12 db down and quite close to your 85 db SPL back row orchestra seat.

Lush has a great point - room DSP for bass modes is indeed a substantial advance - if not the most substantial.