Question: What kind of benefits does a mid section like this provide?

[tc]

I was perusing some pics of speakers and ran across this McIntosh speaker. While I completely get that marketing sometimes trumps sound science, McIntosh tends to not have crap stuff either.

Does a mid section like this provide better off-axis? It looks like little 1" Aura speakers, so it obviously needed a "boost" in SPL...but at what cost?

[Pete Schumacher]

Re: Question: What kind of benefits does a mid section like this provide?

I was perusing some pics of speakers and ran across this McIntosh speaker. While I completely get that marketing sometimes trumps sound science, McIntosh tends to not have crap stuff either.

Does a mid section like this provide better off-axis? It looks like little 1" Aura speakers, so it obviously needed a "boost" in SPL...but at what cost?

[ATTACH=CONFIG]37617[/ATTACH]

they got a good deal on a bunch of small drivers, had to use them up, so they stuck large numbers of them on the baffle to make up for their very low sensitivity.

Better off axis would probably be a big no-way depending on where they are crossed.

I've heard plenty of folks who say McIntosh should stick to amplifiers. ;)

[PWR RYD]

Re: Question: What kind of benefits does a mid section like this provide?

I bet the horizontal and vertical off axis has terrible lobing.

[williamrschneider]

Re: Question: What kind of benefits does a mid section like this provide?

I ran across this history of McIntosh loudspeakers a couple of years ago. McIntosh Loudspeaker Division, Part 2 (link at the bottom of page 1) is where it gets interesting, especially with corporate politics and product decisions...

http://www.roger-russell.com/lsd1.htm

[craigk]

Re: Question: What kind of benefits does a mid section like this provide?

that's when they realized that the line arrays that they were building sucked, and they had to do something with all the left over drivers they had.

[Jonathan Anspach]

Re: Question: What kind of benefits does a mid section like this provide?

McIntosh has a long, proud history of poor speaker design and development. It's kind of baffling. ;)

[Face]

Re: Question: What kind of benefits does a mid section like this provide?

that's when they realized that the line arrays that they were building sucked, and they had to do something with all the left over drivers they had.

I've heard their line arrays and didn't think they sounded bad.

[generic]

Re: Question: What kind of benefits does a mid section like this provide?

Polk audio used multiple mids too. http://www.polksda.com/sda1c-studio.shtml

I remember reading why at one point, but I can't find the source. I seem to recall it could have had a legitimate advantage. The reason why no one does it anymore might not have to due with failure in sound quality so much as no speaker manufacture could ever sell large speakers to the masses anymore.

[Jeff B.]

Re: Question: What kind of benefits does a mid section like this provide?

Polk audio used multiple mids too. http://www.polksda.com/sda1c-studio.shtml

I remember reading why at one point, but I can't find the source. I seem to recall it could have had a legitimate advantage. The reason why no one does it anymore might not have to due with failure in sound quality so much as no speaker manufacture could ever sell large speakers to the masses anymore.

Don't compare the SDA's to these, they are a very different kind of loudspeaker designed to cancel crosstalk between stereo pairs. Worked really well too, when you were sitting between the speakers.

[Pete Basel]

Re: Question: What kind of benefits does a mid section like this provide?

If the tweeter is 1" those look closer to 1.5" as I see it.

I have always liked the idea of using multiple smaller drivers
since, all things being equal, you'll get wider bandwidth, increased
efficiency, and greater thermal capacity. They do not necessarily
have to drive them all with the same bandwidth.

You have to define what is "better" as far as off axis goes.
Systems with large surface area drivers that beam tend to
sound highly detailed in the sweet spot since early reflections
are often reduced.

[DE Focht]

Re: Question: What kind of benefits does a mid section like this provide?

Really this is not much more of a waste of time than building a dipole speaker

http://www.legacyaudio.com/products/...erable-arrays/
http://www.legacyaudio.com/products/fronts-and-mains/

http://www.dnaudio.com/DNA%20Speaker.html

I think I'll reserve my criticism until I get to hear them. The biggest flaw in this speaker is the lack of Cardioid Bass and only 6" woofers. Would have gone with 3 front firing 9"s (one midbass) and rear firing 9 and make you have to use an 8 channel amplifier for a stereo pair. Then it would all make sense.

[clydethecat]

Re: Question: What kind of benefits does a mid section like this provide?

McIntosh has a long, proud history of poor speaker design and development. It's kind of baffling. ;)

The brochure for McIntosh speakers used to have a picture of a Betty Draper-type female leaning against one with the caption "Fine Audio Furniture The Whole Family Can Be Proud Of".

[craigk]

Re: Question: What kind of benefits does a mid section like this provide?

McIntosh has an interesting history with everything that they have built. I do not like most of the speakers they have built through the years. the amp side of the company is also strange, they have put out some really good stuff, maybe great, but on the other end they have put out some total junk amps.

[Jonathan Anspach]

Re: Question: What kind of benefits does a mid section like this provide?

I've heard their line arrays and didn't think they sounded bad.

But when you take into account how much they charged for those line arrays, "doesn't sound bad" isn't good enough.

[clydethecat]

Re: Question: What kind of benefits does a mid section like this provide?

But when you take into account how much they charged for those line arrays, "doesn't sound bad" isn't good enough.

For that money one should expect "life changing experience".