Do Physicists Or Musicians Design Better Speakers?


While looking at and listening to various speakers, I notice that the designers behind the speakers often fall into two distinct camps: They either have impressive academic credentials, usually in physics or mathematics and design speakers from a technical perspective. Or, they are musicians, or have a musical backround, and design from an artistic standpoint. I've heard speakers designed by scientists that sounded great and not so great and by musicians also with divergent results. Wondering which backround consistently results in great speakers.
steinway57
Paul,

Chill out bro :), the Seas Excel drivers are very good no doubt, but your passive Crossovered THORS are a serious step down compared to the sealed active pair I just built so don't get so far out in front of yourself. Joe D'App is a great designer no doubt and the Thors are very good but some moderation in your tone should be used as your understanding of driver geniology seems to be a bit new and slightly confused.

Its all application specific, a driver is a tool a mechanism to reach a result so every driver has its strengths and weakness', the Mag drivers has their breakup modes which can limit their application....the skaanings have their limited production price...etc

BTW, stop dreaming of tubes for your speakers, why would you ruin a perfectly great speaker with some 1955 distortion machine like the Jadis or the Cayin? Good lord!

you have a great deal to learn still, and atleast you're trying.
Onhwy61, for example, Borodin, great composer and eminent chemist (contributed to the periodical table of elements, I believe). On the other hand you haven't heard me play the French Horn. Good engineer-fair horn player, which proves your point, I guess!
Bob P.
I knew my comments would draw challenges to the Seas' quality.
"there are hundreds of other drivers JUST as good IF NOT better"

"the driver is only half the equation, the way the bos is designed is as important"
and other such comments.

Eton's? Compared to seas?
You gotta be joking?

North Creek USES THE SEAS' W18.
So where does it come about that the North SEas Excel is better than the Seas Thor Excel
Its the sane driver.

btw go to manufacture list here on the gon.
Look up North Creek
click on Pegasus and Prometheus link

"Combing THE LOWEST DISTORTION WOOFER EVER BUILT...."

Then scroll down and read more about the Excel and Dennis Murphy's comments.

Here's more comments I expect to get here:

"no speaker is perfect, not even the Thor's, they will have their faults just like every other speaker..."

Then someone has to go blast the Jadis.
Everyone here is a couch critic w/o bothering to do a bit of research themselves.
Come on down to Baton Rouge and bring a few of your cds, give my system a test.
For what i have invested I've very very happy.
I could have done alot worse.
Best bang for the buck.
I'd put these speakers against any speaker under $5K.

Now how are we going to judge?
Well if we are unbias and truthful we will arrive at a true comparison with your top 2 speakers vs the Thors.
Thats if we are honest, which I'm afraid may not be the situation.
So lets all keep to our opinions and move on. IMHO the Thor is my ideal speaker, but have temptations for the big Tylers.
"oh now you say ideal, before you said perfect...duh which is man ..well ...huh?"

Look if you want perfection, you are on the wrong planet.
Or maybe in the future.
I just know from my experience, 25+ lines of speakers, the Thor's deliver what I personally like best.
Maybe not for you, but for me its ideal.
When I get to Tyler's showroom in 2 yrs, I'll post a comparison.

"you are off topic...its not about drivers"
Not sure what that is suppose to mean.

Paul
Based on what Zu has accomplished, the nod goes to physics dropouts who get juiced by music.

Phil
I don't have a degree in physics or math. What I can say is that as a former musican(not pro) I listen to speakers that reproduce instruments as I know them to sound. As a matter of fact my small experience playing and listening has guided me to make spkr buying decisions that possibly a non-musician would have not made. BTW Branford Marsalis uses a tuntable in his rig. Enjoy the music : )