[cloudbaseracer]

So I have a pair of Gedlee Abbeys that are very nice to listen to but not so nice to look at.  I have talked to a local guy about wrapping the boxes in leather which I think will look great.  If just the sides are covered then it would be done with a raised "lip" of leather if you will.  The reason for this is that he will be putting the leather over a piece of cardboard type material first and then apply that to the sides. I would guess this lip to be about 1/8" thick. This would sit back from the front edge as that section has a radius towards the front baffle which you can see in this picture 



Mine are not the gloss finish and are of poor quality to say the least.  Just a matte black with an imperfect finish.

He wants to do the fronts as well but I am concerned about how this may affect the sound.  How critical is this stuff? If I have a small edge of leather that extends above the current front of the speakers and essentially just frames the woofer and waveguide, will there be a noticeable difference or degradation in sound?

There are so many well respected speakers that do not have perfect sides such as the TAD Reference



but it may be ok since the wood is behind the front baffle? 

I guess a big part of my question is where does the "sound" travel once it leaves the driver? Do the sound waves curve back around the speaker and get mixed up with any raised edges?

[jimdgoulding]

Yes, they do.  I wouldn't worry about it with your speaks, however.  Good design.

[*Scotty*]

One of the hallmarks of the GedLee design is a controlled radiation pattern. The wavelengths which would tend to wrap around the speaker enclosure and cause a problem,(ie diffraction), are reproduced by the waveguide loaded tweeter.
This tends to minimize diffraction problems, you should be able to cover the sides with leather with impunity.
Scotty

[charmerci]

One of the hallmarks of the GedLee design is a controlled radiation pattern. The wavelengths which would tend to wrap around the speaker enclosure and cause a problem,(ie diffraction), are reproduced by the waveguide loaded tweeter.
This tends to minimize diffraction problems, you should be able to cover the sides with leather with impunity.
Scotty

The OP is asking about the fronts.

[*Scotty*]

Same deal as long as it doesn't protrude into the waveguide. If the transition between angle of the beveled edge of the waveguide and the leather is maintained and increase of an 1/8th of an inch won't matter. Even if it was a square edge and not beveled it is doubtful if any change in frequency response or radiation pattern would measurable much less audible.
Scotty

[cloudbaseracer]

The OP is asking about the fronts.

Actually was curious about both the sides only or a combination with the fronts - whichever one would work without causing issues. 

Scotty - Are you saying that the midrange 12" woofer would not be suspect to issues even though it is not a waveguide?

How do designs that do not use a waveguide avoid the diffraction?  Specifically designs with built up edges like the TAD, or  ATC SCM50A

[*Scotty*]

The wavelengths at the crossover point between the 12inch woofer and the tweeter is where the operational frequency of the woofer is at its highest and the wavelength the shortest that the woofer will be reproducing. The woofer is becoming directional at the top of its pass-band and its directivity at this point mates up with the wave-guide's matching directivity. You won't cause diffraction problems because the woofer doesn't create  a lot of them in the first place because of the speakers design. Slight modifications to the area around woofer won't alter its directional characteristics and upset the speakers performance.
Scotty

[brj]

For diffraction to have a significant effect, the surface discontinuity has to be small relative to the wavelength.  The higher the frequency, the smaller the discontinuity has to be to produce an audible effect.

Looking at the Abbey FR plot, the acoustic crossover between the drivers occurs at roughly 650 Hz.  The wavelength at that frequency is roughly 1.7 ft, which means that a 1/8 inch step will be essentially invisible.

Note that the TAD speakers have the tweeter mounted coaxially inside the mid-range driver, so the tweeter is essentially using the cone of the midrange driver as a form of waveguide.

[Letitroll98]

Also, I would think doing the fronts and sides both would result is a smoother transition if you still had any diffraction worries. 

[rollo]

   Why not consider a wood veneer ? Not thick , can be glued on an looks great.





charles

[cloudbaseracer]

Yes, I am thinking about wood and leather combo as well.

[persisting1]

I'm sure Dr. Geddes can answer this question the best? Have you contacted him?

[cloudbaseracer]

He is all over the map and seems to give different answers at times. He thinks the current finish is fine. Of course there are holes in the back panel where he put the scews in the wrong place.

[jtwrace]

Sell them and buy pretty speakers.

[cloudbaseracer]

  Like the $70k TAD you like so much? Sure thing!

[WGH]

How about going retro? Remove the ports and they look just like the Gedlee Abbeys.