[KevinW]

What is your vision of an "ideal" speaker design for listening to music?

I think the answer should have two parts...

-  Not focusing on hardware, what kinds of qualities will the speaker have?  Good detail, imaging, etc...?  Or should it maximally convey a sense of musical realism?  The "you are there" illusion....  

- Then considering that we live in a real world, how do you go about creating the hardware to create that ideal speaker?  What components and design philosophy work the best?

So as not to bias discussion, I'll post my ideas a little later in the thread.  I am very interested in what you all think about this subject, as I set out on a speaker designer path.

[DVV]

What is your vision of an "ideal" speaker design for listening to music?

I think the answer should have two parts...

-  Not focusing on hardware, what kinds of qualities will the speaker have?  Good detail, imaging, etc...?  Or should it maximally convey a sense of musical realism?  The "you are there" illusion....  

- Then considering that we live in a real world, how do you go about creating the hardware to create that ideal speaker?  What components and design philosophy work the best?

So as  ...

This is completely subjective.

For a start, I don't believe in two way systems. I don't think it's possible to marry two components, so radically different in requirements and design, into one happy marriage. I think a three way system is a far better solution, even if it is an order of magnitude harder to get right than a two way system.

What do I look for? Simple - for something to listen for. I think an ideal speaker should have no character of its own, and since this is no more than a theoretical ideal, I'll settle for as little character of its own as I can get.

It should go about introducing its own character by being neutral in terms of drivers, but even more so in terms of its crossover and it being a load. As a load, it should be as easy to drive by any and all as possible - and it IS possible to achieve this, hard, even very hard, but possible.

Overall, it should not be biased toward any single characteristic. For example, it should be neither very efficient at the expense of something else, nor should it be very inefficient for the same reason. It should not deliver loads of detail and eschew the Grand Scheme Of Things, nor should it do it the other way around.

As for the drivers, I don't think it's so much a matter of which drivers to use, assuming you go for quality products and not cheap junk, as it is of adjusting them to work as a system. In my view, I give light preference to same source of all drivers, but do not see this as a must.

My problem is that I believe I own just such a speaker; I would never say it's the best there ever was, but I will say it's better than the vast majority of speakers I have heard over the last 34 years of my audio life. For more details, see the text on B&M Acoustics 1041 on my site http://www.zero-distortion.com . Unfortunately, the company dissolved, but the designer is in the process of starting up manufacturing once again, albeit under a different name, so I expect it to be available once again in the coming months.

Cheers,
DVV

[KevinW]

One more question:  how much would you expect to pay for a speaker that comes "close enough" to your ideals?

[nathanm]

This smells like market research to me!  

"How much would you pay for the Ideal SpeakerTM? WAIT!  Don't answer yet!  Cause now for a limited time Solar HiFi is throwing in at no cost to you these fabulous..."

My ideal speaker has no square angles, looks like a piece of sculpture but sounds like it isn't there.   It would be a single unit that played full range and defied the laws of physics, produding flat low end in a small crappy room.   Haven't heard one yet, but it's fun to dream, aina?  They would have remote controlled bases that allowed you to position them via remote control anywhere in the room. You would be able to tweak each speaker individually or move them in tandem.  Programmable presets could be recorded and possibly they could communicate with the CD\DVD player so that they would assume the desired position for certain songs or movies etc.

[KevinW]

market research?? well maybe....  I definitely want to know what people want, so I can perhaps give it to them.  It would be foolish to do otherwise.  But I am also very curious what floats people's boats because there are so many pathways to auditory bliss.  I have my own opinions on what works the best, and I've got it to the point where I think it is worth seeing if other people would agree.

Cheers,

[Bill Baker]

The ideal speaker:

  I went through this many years ago. My solution, to design and build a speaker system that met MY PERSONAL needs and expectations. This is actually how Response Audio was born, custom designing and building speakers to personal taste of my customers.

  I don't think you can describe in words what the ideal speaker would be. General characteristics for myself would be:
  Seductive and involving. I don't need pinpoint imaging spending my time moving a speaker a quarter inch at a time. I do like a nice soundstage that draws me in and a lifelike midrange quality as I like a lot of Jazz and Blues that concentrate mostly on vocals and midrange instruments. I do not like an aggressive upper end. a bit rolled off up top is okay with me.

  I must admit, I now do spend a lot of time evaluating such things as imaging, soundstage, resolution, inner detail, etc. but only when testing and evaluating our custom amp mods, cables and RAM Signature prpoducts.
 BUT...for casual everday listening. I just want a speaker system I can sit back, relax and enjoy the music. Afterall, isn't that what it's all about.

  We all have different ideas of what the "ideal" speaker would be.

[John Casler]

In the evolution of sonic transducers, after "multichannel" we will see (hear) omni-channel.

That is, the sound comes from "everywhere", above, below, all around.

The ideal speaker would be a sphere that you sat in and was able to emit the exact sound of the prerecorded environment from the original location.

After this technology is realized, the next large advance will be a direct auditory nerve feed.  

When this happens we will all have "cellular type- as in cellular phone) implants at birth that have feeds actually to all senses, as well as the brain, and we will be able to expereience incredible virtual realities and sensations when these are activated.

Education will be through internet type access to databanks and even pain control will be accomplished through this system.

If you need to see a dentist, the DDS will simply deaden you via this system and no pain killers will need be administered.

I guess this type of "future vision" doesn't help design a speaker now though

[Rob Babcock]

Brian better get to work on that!

[Marbles]

In After this technology is realized, the next large advance will be a direct auditory nerve feed.  

...

And if you think the porn industry is big now.....wait until that direct nerve feed thing.....