[HiFiSoundGuy]

    Has anyone heard these speakers yet? http://www.directacoustics.com   Positive Feedback did a review a few months ago

[JLM]

Can you provide a link to the PF review?

[HiFiSoundGuy]

Can you provide a link to the PF review?

     http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue26/direct_acoustics.htm

[JLM]

Thanks, I found it too.  I liked the review, as I could relate to speakers from the 70's, the more bass/less treble emphasis compared to most speakers of the last 20 years, and the imaging/soundstaging issues he was raising.  The european model of thin bass from small/thin boxes and pin-point hyper-real imaging are both modern trends that Gen X/Y (Walkman/iPod users) would gravitate to more easily.  The wall of sound is more remeniscent of dipole/bipole designs and as noted is a better reflection of what you might hear from live/unamplified sources (IMO the only gold standard).

Based on the review and considering that they don't take up much space, don't require stands or subs, and don't fatigue, they would seem to make an excellent choice for a music lover with an affordable system that is endowed with lots of watts. 

[Scotty]

I used sell speakers with the same driver layout in 1979 made by Epicure.
Check out this link see speaker in middle of page.
http://www.humanspeakers.com/e/epicure-family.htm
Everything old is new again.
Scott

[Doublej]

Which model was it?

http://www.humanspeakers.com/e/epimodels.htm

One of the problems with the Silent Speaker is that is not in production. Demand has been poor and I think the original tweeter was discontinued so Winslow didn't make any for a long time. Then he found a batch of replacement tweeters and with the cabinets he had laying around and built a number of pairs.

If he could get the power requirements down to a reasonable wattage and reduce bass boominess, how many folks would have these sitting behind the couch in the living room as part of a simple system?

There was a lot of discussion about the speakers on the Direct Acoustic web site but discussion board got hacked so he wiped it out.

BTW he is also the designer of the ZVOX unit.

[srb]

I used sell speakers with the same driver layout in 1979 made by Epicure.

Yes, I had a pair (1975 - I think Model 201?), but they had 1 woofer/tweeter set facing forward and 1 set at ~45degrees.

I don't understand the concept of only one woofer/tweeter at ~45degrees, unless maybe for surround duty.

Steve

[Hogg]

I had a pair on house-demo about 15 years ago.  I could never get the bass from sounding boomy.  The speakers should be placed against the wall for best performance.  Since the midrange and treble rely on reflection, the detail and imaging are more akin to an omni-directional speaker.  I returned the speakers.

                                                                                                         Jim

[Scotty]

It was probably the 201. It looked like the model in the middle of the picture I linked to. They weren't bad sounding loudspeakers for their time.
Scotty

[Doublej]

If you like the concept there are two far more expensive speakers from other manufacturers, one is the Heeds Envoy (don't know if they are available in the states) and the other is are the Shahininan Acoustics Compass and Starter.


http://www.tsource.co.uk/extra47.html

http://www.shahinianacoustics.com/Compass-Starter.htm

[JLM]

Memory fails me, but there were another brand around in the 70's, from a Swedish civil engineer's design that  blended this concept with multiple full range drivers.  As I vaguely recall they were rather expensive and I never heard them.

[Russell Dawkins]

I also remember the speaker clearly, but have trouble remembering the name. Could they have been Haggmans?
There is a Sven-Gustav Haggman teaching Radio Communications at the Helsinki University of Technology.
http://www.comlab.hut.fi/opetus/333/
Not Sweden, but close!

[JLM]

Could be, but as I'd spent a few weeks in Finland during that time, I'm pretty sure it was Swedish.  OTOH the two nations are fairly similar/related and share much.