…or the “The new Channel”: some observations after the game.

This thread is organic derivation of the multi-paged thread:

http://www.goodsoundclub.com/TreeItem.aspx?postID=2433#2433

First of all: despite that I got some preliminary positive results I do not feel that the project of introduction of me “fundamental channel” is over and I might review or extend my final observation.  However, I was shooting at and I detected something in progress that I feel I might pass my comments right now.

Running Macondo 5 channels (4-channelshorn loaded) I might say that it was THE direction to go and the ALE/GOTO boys, who slice the reproduced range with many drivers, might be on something in there. This begs some elaboration.

Yes, in his infamous book Harry F. Olson unambiguously said the horns should not be used for wide range operation. However, saying that Mr. Olson implied was that the specifics and the bandwidth restriction of horn topology. I look at the subject wider and always find problems when channels (built upon any drivers) used in too wide range operation. However the problems that I see are not the only the problems that Mr. Olson covered.

Well, we all know that anti-scatting on TT has correct setting not for enter record but for a single point on the record. There is a property of driver sound that behaves, from my point of view, identically: the transient characteristic of a channel that, similar to anti-scatting, has it’s own “perfect match” for very-very narrow bandwidth.

Among many “other” characteristics why “live” music is different from recorded music because live music has infinitely high transient response and infinitely high dynamic characteristic. For live music to jump across any value of dynamic point with any, even instant accelerations, is no task. It never possible with reproduced music and we always have some transient and dynamic limitations in playback.

Transient limitations in playback primary descried by acoustic system, even if you electronics is crap (still there are some amp in SET world that transiently crap more then ever the deadliest speakers (courtesy to 300C). However, what is important also is not only the absolute value of transient response of your acoustic system but it TRANSIENT EVENNESS ACROSS ALL FREQUENCIES.  I do not know if it should be “evenness” of some kind of special type of acoustic-like unevenness but I know that generally loudspeakers do not do it correctly. Loudspeakers have drivers and drivers have suspensions. The nature of suspension imply that it will be two points when the transients will be stressed because the suspension reaches it’s boundaries. If we make the suspension overly soft and capable to operate wide range then we have issues with cone damping (courtesy to Kharma, Magico) and the drivers behaves like a breast of 90-years old women during an earthquake.

The best drivers that I heard, from the perspective of widest transient acceptability, were so hated by me “yellow drivers”: Lowther and alike. With all this imperfection in other regions, being properly utilized then can throw very high quality transient evenness across almost 3-4 octaves. Still, it impossible to mate them with anything else that would do the same transient in the rest of spectra (courtesy to Hørning, search the site),). So, where is solution? The solution is to go multi-channel (and I do not mean home theater multi-channel of course)

Multi-channel is complex, 5-6 multi-channels is very difficult do properly and many people feel compromised performance of multi-channel is inherent for multi-channel. I fact, the multi-channel do badly because the poor implementations. In multi-channels we have a chance to narrow down the OPTIMUM TRANSIENT ZONE FOR EACH DRIVER and when a driver being to loose it we roll it off, letting other driver to handle the tasks. That complexity, while the drivers should have tonal, contrast, saturation, compression and color compliances, plus crossovering and many other aspects… not wonder that the multi-channel is complex. In case of horns it is 10 times more complex and the physical size, time alignment and integrations of the horns become the real bitches. Still, when everything is done properly in multi-channel then the “transient evenness” does indicate itself as a wonderful wonderful benefit. Do you want example?  Try audition a properly installed (incredibly hard to find) and properly driven (hard to find as well) Wilson Grand Slamm or Alexandria. With all problem of the largest Wilson in other areas (search the site), they are wonderful demonstration how beneficial the transient evenness might be. Only do not try the smaller Wilson, including the MAXXes). They are very different speakers and the Wilson made them in order to please the audio-idiots (courtesy to Mike Framer)