bipoles/dipoles for music...


I know in most audiophile cirlces these are frowned upon for critical listening...but the deep, room filling, somewhat relaxed presentation can be addicting...however the slightly diffused or blend of instruments can be a turn off for those used to razor sharp imaging...the trade off being a very large sweet spot..often large enough to accomodate two individuals...any thoughts?
128x128phasecorrect
I would use the terms focused versus unfocused imaging to realistically assess imaging performance.

Bipoles and dipoles are capable of a focused presentation I believe as are omnis, however the presentation is often (not always) different from say a good pair of monitors.

Ratios of direct to reflected sound is a discriminating factor. Bipoles/dipoles are different than most conventional box designs in this regard but setup including distance to walls also comes into play (except perhaps in an anechoic chamber) and might be done differently for different speaker types depending on the target results desired.

Time coherency across the audible sonic spectrum at any particular instant is a related but different sonic artifact that factors into quality imaging. Not sure bipoles/dipoles ae categorically any better or worse than other designs at this aspect either.
I love my dipole Magnepan.
Whether anyone else likes or dislikes 'whatever' does not matter to me much.
Prepare for an onslaught of responses from Maggie lovers. Boy, are you asking for trouble. I attend at least a dozen live performances a year. I find that Maggies do a credible job of reproducing symphonic music.