Of all the speakers I've heard and read about that are touted as having truly outstanding holographic 3D imaging and soundstaging, ALL have narrow baffles (at least as far as the mids and highs are concerned). It's not that wide baffle speakers can't have these properties -- they most certainly can and do. It's just that they don't inherently excel in this particular area as well as their narrower counterparts, and to be sure wide baffle designs have inherent strengths and advantages of their own. I'll leave the science to others, but my experience and reading seem pretty darn conclusive on this point.
narrow and wide baffles and imaging
According to all the "professional" audio reviews that I've read over the last several years, narrow baffles are crucial to creating that so-desired pin-point imaging.
However, over the last few weeks, I've had the opportunity to audition Harbeth 40.2, Spendor Classic 100, Audio Note AN-E, and Devore O/93. None of these had deficient imaging; indeed I would go so far as to say that it was good to very good.
So, what gives? I'm forced to conclude that modern designs, 95% of which espouse the narrow baffle, are driven by aesthetic/cosmetic considerations, rather than acoustical ones, and the baffle~imaging canard is just an ex post facto justification.
I can understand the desire to build speakers that fit into small rooms, are relatively unobtrusive, and might pass the SAF test, but it seems a bit much to add on the idea that they're essentially the only ones that will do imaging correctly.
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- 96 posts total
- 96 posts total