Lowthers - Please educate a village idiot...

Tom - I don't own any Madonna recordings and haven't heard "Vogue" on a good system, but I wouldn't be surprised if the production of a largely synthetic recording like this plays deliberate phase tricks to create a larger-than-life 'surround-stage' effect. What do you think?

Zaikesman, I'm sure that it was recorded in that way. But my point was that if the system isn't very phase coherent, then it wouldn't reproduce it so well. When phase-tricks cause the images to be behind you, I think that it won't work well if the system can't properly reproduce the phase-tricks accurately. That's where I was going with that comment. It is a very uncommon occurrence to have that on a record, so that is why I mentioned it and why I use it for reference. If the system isn't doing this, the phase coherence is not good. It's not that I love that song or anything, but it is a useful tool. The sound comes from all around the room. I've often wondered that if they can do this with 2 channel, why do they need surround systems? The two answers that I can come up with, are they want more money, or many systems can't capture this properly. Could be that both are true.

I was interested in the Lowther's and did some research. During my travels, I found this site:http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/lowther/menu.html
It may be of interest to those following this thread.

best wishes in your project Joe!

Paul

It's an interesting question Tom, and I'm not sure what the right answer is. Of course the Lowthers, as a crossover-less single-radiator point-source and usefully wideband design, must be phase-coherent or very nearly so. However, when it comes to the type of 'surround-stage' phase manipulation that produces these wild and frankly enjoyable (at least on certain programs) effects, I'm not so sure it's as simple as saying that the result of the effect depends on the phase accuracy of the speaker system. My hunch, based on expereinces with boomboxes and TV's having built-in 'surround' settings, is that that the speaker positioning and playback environment has a lot to do with exactly how the program will come across. I suspect the psycho-acoustic result, for things such sounds appearing to come from way outside the speaker boundaries or even another part of the room, is largely dictated by chance anomalies in the entire system's (including the room) response. My assumption is that TV's and boomboxes will display many phase and response variations that will help affect how the program is perceived in space, but that these variations do not destroy or degrade the 'surround' effect - indeed, it's often greater than I find through a mostly phase-correct system (and my Thiels are this - however, it's also hard to be sure about preceeding characterization, as lots of TV's and BB's *are* single-driver per channel deigns, albeit with irregular cabinet and baffle loading and one would think polar- and time-response). In other words, I'm not sold on the concept that one can really draw any conclusions about a speaker's phase purity based on auditioning material designed to deliberately distort phase relationships for the 'surround-stage' effect. I tend to think a better measure is the degree of natural-sounding image solidity, focus, and stability displayed when replaying phase-correct program material (...which I'm sure you'd be quick to add the Lowthers will do very well :-)

I first discovered Lowthers 30 years ago. The pipe-organ was being refurbished in the cathedral-like school chapel. I found an old Acousta, put in an ordinary 8 inch unit and it sounded rather amazing. So I bought are real PM6 and WOW! We put the speaker behind the altar facing upwards into the apse, drove it with a 2 Watt gramophone with Jeremiah Clarke's Trumpet voluntary and . . . I've never looked back.

Years ago I used to accompany fireworks outside with the 1812 Overture, the Handel Fireworks Music and then Led Zep Stairway to Heaven . . . I used two Acoustas on each side and drove them at around 30 watts each. Very exciting sound.

Last year we had a live concert outdoors with a string quartet. The sound would have been lost entirely so I provided sound reinforcement, this time with a bank of three Acoustas on each side, each angled slightly differently to conteract directivity. The result was astounding - open - clear - transparent - one simply heard the quartet and was not at all conscious of amplification or speakers.

This year we had an opera singer singing in our Italian garden, about the size of a tennis court, to pre-recorded orchestral accompaniment. Had to make sure the amp did not exceed 10 watts or it would have been too loud. The sound was glorious outside - one felt "really there".

Recently I found a nice respectable pair of Tannoy bass-reflex design bookshelf speakers in a rubbish bin. Wired them up - super smooth silky sound. But the woofers are plastic and dull when tapped. One tweeter had gone so before buying a new tweeter I put in a Lowther PM6 and bypassed the crossover. The difference - WOW! Suddenly, rather than being merely smooth and silky - suddenly the musical performance and performers appeared in front of ones very ears.

I abhor speakers with crossovers and going for a full-range speaker is a good choice. Go for the efficiency of a Lowther and when you want to you'll be able to recreate a soundstage on a large scale.

Best wishes

David Pinnegar