MartinLogan The Quest Speaker System Speaker System User Manual


 
Page 17
Quest User's Manual
Three Major Types of DispersionThree Major Types of Dispersion
Three Major Types of DispersionThree Major Types of Dispersion
Three Major Types of Dispersion
In the field of loudspeaker design, it is a known fact that
as the sound wave becomes progressively smaller than
the transducer producing it, the dispersion of that wave
becomes more and more narrow, or directional. This fact
occurs as long as the transducer is a flat surface. Large
flat panel speakers exhibit
venetian blindvenetian blind
venetian blindvenetian blind
venetian blind effects due to
this phenomenon. This is why most manufacturers opt for
small drivers (i.e. tweeters and midrange) to approximate
what is known as a
point sourcepoint source
point sourcepoint source
point source wave launch.
Curvilinear Line Source Disper-Curvilinear Line Source Disper-
Curvilinear Line Source Disper-Curvilinear Line Source Disper-
Curvilinear Line Source Disper-
sionsion
sionsion
sion
A controlled 30-degree cylindrical
wave-front, which is a
Martin-Lo-Martin-Lo-
Martin-Lo-Martin-Lo-
Martin-Lo-
gan exclusivegan exclusive
gan exclusivegan exclusive
gan exclusive, offers optimal sound
distribution with minimal room interac-
tion. The result is solid imaging with a
wide listening area.
Historically, most attempts to achieve smooth dispersion
from large flat panel transducers resulted in trade-offs.
After exhaustive testing of these different solution
attempts, we found an elegantly simple, yet very difficult
to execute solution. By curving the radiating surface, we
create the effect of a horizontal arc. This allows the
engineers at Martin-Logan to control the high frequency
dispersion pattern of our transducers. That is why you see
the gentle curve on our products.
Multiple Large Panel DispersionMultiple Large Panel Dispersion
Multiple Large Panel DispersionMultiple Large Panel Dispersion
Multiple Large Panel Dispersion
Even though they suffer from "
vene-vene-
vene-vene-
vene-
tian blindtian blind
tian blindtian blind
tian blind" effect, angled multiple panel
speakers can deliver good imaging,
but only to specific spots in the listening
area.
Traditional Point Source Dis-Traditional Point Source Dis-
Traditional Point Source Dis-Traditional Point Source Dis-
Traditional Point Source Dis-
persionpersion
persionpersion
persion
As can be seen,
point sourcepoint source
point sourcepoint source
point source con-
cepts invite a great deal of room inter-
action. While delivering good frequency
response to a large listening audience,
imaging is consequently confused and
blurred.