JVC Pulsating Speaker
by Josh Ray, Sep 18 '06
Wacky JVC, what will they come up with next? This time around, JVC is showing a pulsating dodecahedral speaker (that's 12 sides to you), touted as the ultimate in sonic reproduction. Why, you ask? Omni directional dispersion. As the translation describes it, "the eye is closed the speaker goes out." I sure hope so.
The speaker is only 4" across and, naturally, has some limitations like, oh, the highs and lows. 10k is the upper limit and the bottom end dies at 250Hz, requiring a plain vanilla driver to take over (the bass driver sits in the top of the base above).
While this is, as far as I know, the first 12 sided, inverted-nipple-diaphram speaker, it's not the first truly omni directional speaker. MBL of Germany has been perfecting their vibrating footballs for years now (read about my tryst with MBL). Most everyone loves MBL and hates the Robb Report price. Whatever you think of MBL's sound, they are some of the only functional hyper exotic speakers out there.
It's hard to tell if JVC will ever put these speakers into production. If you're at the A&V Festa in Pacifico Yokohoma come Sept 22-24, let us know how they sound.
Check out the oh-so fun Japanese translation.
A good English article.
The English JVC PDF.
(Thanks for the tip, Fred!)
Hahaha, Josh....too funny. You also forgot to say...."oooohhhhh. Monster Cable!!"
Posted by: alan m. kafton at September 18, 2006 5:13 PM
Oooohhhhh. Monster Cable!!
Posted by: Josh Ray [SonicFlare] at September 18, 2006 6:34 PM
Posted by: alan m. kafton at September 18, 2006 8:43 PM
If you want an idea of what the MBL's do, go audition a BURNED IN PAIR of Gallo's Ref 3.1's... their tweeter is almost omnidirectional providing you with this eery "follow-you-around" sort of sound the MBL's provide in spades... While I had them in for review it was quite the experience! Bonus: they only sell for 3k and are quite beautiful in their own StarTrek sort of way...
PS: what's with this Monster stuff... I don't get it?
Posted by: Danny Kaey at September 19, 2006 8:28 AM
Danny....look at the cabling on the floor.
Posted by: alan m. kafton at September 19, 2006 12:24 PM
Actually, this is quite a neat trick. It's really hard to develop a driver that will do this.
The MBL has some big issues, including efficiency, the tonal quality of the metal petals, rigidity etc.
If they can expand this, and get back some highs, this would be a killer driver.
But only with Alans cables.
Posted by: tuckers at September 20, 2006 3:13 AM
Back in the '70s, Design Acoustics built a number called the D-12, just like the module-on-a-stick on that JVC, only much larger, a dodecahedron about maybe 2' tall on its stubby legs, with a driver on each of its faces.
Never listened to one, it mighta been a stinker - but it sure was cool looking...
Posted by: Lauren the Ghoti at October 13, 2006 1:00 PM
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