| Re: Three 4Pi's in Basic Black for Home Theater Build Thread [message #64013 is a reply to message #64009] |
Wed, 08 September 2010 13:16   |
morphlaugh
Messages: 2
Registered: September 2010
Location: Colorado
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Esquire |
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Wayne,
I think timbre matching the surrounds is quite important. Although I agree that most movies simply use the surrounds for ambiance, there are some movies where for example, a ship will fly overhead and it'll come from the surrounds and fly to the LCR's when coming onscreen.
I've just found this website and am still trying to find all of the data I can from these forums about the 2pi and 4pi loudspeakers you've designed. I'm thinking of doing what Big has done here and build myself three 4pi for the LCRs of my work-in-progress theater, but two things are holding me back:
1) I am afraid of trying to timbre match to the surrounds. I don't have horn surrounds, and horns definitely add a fair bit of presence to a speaker, in my experience. What I have now are some ported tweet-mids for my surrounds, and I am worried I won't be able to properly adjust my surrounds into the mix. You suggested the 2pi's... what are they? Are they a horn/ported woofer configuration?
2) I haven't had the pleasure of listening to the 4pi's yet... I have just been reading the glowing reviews of how great they sound. Do you ever take them on the road, and more specifically, to Colorado? 
Could I get a copy of the 2pi and 4pi designs/specs? I'd love to look em over and see what's involved and what trade-offs I'd be making if I selected the cheaper or more expensive components.
Thanks!
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| Re: Three 4Pi's in Basic Black for Home Theater Build Thread [message #64014 is a reply to message #64013] |
Wed, 08 September 2010 14:46 |
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Wayne Parham
Messages: 18786
Registered: January 2001
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Illuminati (33rd Degree) |
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I would agree generally, that to match surrounds and mains at least in terms of spectral balance is important. In fact, there was a time that I recommended all five speakers in a five channel system should be the same. However, I have backed off this, because my opinion has changed. I now think the fronts should be the same, but that surrounds need not be.
In fact, I think it is probably better that the surrounds not be the same as the mains, at least in terms of directivity. I prefer the fronts to be somewhat directional but the surrounds to have a wider pattern. They are primarily for ambiance. Even though sound effects in the surrounds are occasionally "given focus", it is rare and only for an instant, a transition to the front or as a quick movement away. Their main purpose is ambiance.
I don't think the surrounds should be radically different than the mains though. The spectral balance should be pretty similar. This is important for the times when a particular sound pans from fronts to surrounds or vice versa, like you said, as a fly-by or an approach or something. But even then, we're talking about a sound coming into focus or going out of focus, so a sonic transition is made, just as the visual transition is made. The effect is realistic, provided the speakers are not completely different.
I did some little subjective experiments before coming to this conclusion. I tried various speakers, even including some that were considerably different than the mains. I used bookshelf speakers, unbaffled speakers, car speakers and even some with tweeters removed to see what sonic significance there was in surrounds. I could tell when surrounds lacked a major portion of the spectrum, like if the treble was completely gone. Or if a speaker couldn't "keep up" dynamically, bottomed out or broke up at loud passages, obviously, I could hear that. But as long as the spectral balance was similar and there was sufficient dynamic range, the illusion of realism was maintained very well. That's why I often suggest the smaller one π or two π speakers as surrounds. They are a good spectral match with three π or four π mains, and they have plenty of dynamic range.
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| Re: Three 4Pi's in Basic Black for Home Theater Build Thread [message #74150 is a reply to message #65989] |
Wed, 17 October 2012 04:15 |
NWCgrad
Messages: 143
Registered: March 2010
Location: Frederick, United States ...
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Master |
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Big,
Did you build your subwoofers? If so, what did you go with. I am about half way through your HT thread on AVSforum, simply awesome work! I followed the link from there to re-visit your speaker build.
This thread was a major inspiration for my building the 4 Pi's.
VIRIBUS MARI VICTORIA
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