A kind curiosity about the use of acoustic lenses around dome drivers

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ginetto61

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Joined 2009
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#1
Hi ! i have a curiosity about this kind of drivers
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i wonder what kind of advantage provides the use of those little lenses around the dome
Clearly they limit H and V dispersion But what are the benefits versus normal domes ?
Thanks a lot
 
#2
these are conical waveguides, for the drivers being mounted from behind the baffle.
they (slightly) increase the directivity and thus the directed output while reducing distorsion.
they also allow easier matching of acoustic centers of drivers.
it also provides some protection to the domes.
 
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#3
Hi thank you very much for your kind and very valuable explanation
Considering all these benefits i do not know why the solution is not more popular even for mount ahead of the baffle
I see more and more designers using waveguides/lenses ... there must be something right in this decision
And i am thinking to try to built something similar for some domes i have at hand Both mids and tweeters
I wonder if anyone had this diy idea
These drivers depicted are very well regarded
Thanks again
 
#5
Hi yes thanks i see I like speakers with limited dispersion because this can make the placement in the room less critical
I listen alone in the sweet spot
Imho a +/-30° H and V dispersion should be more than enough I also like to listen on axis
I asked because i have seen many studio monitors speakers using some kind of waveguide around domes
Not everyone of course
As i said i have some 50 mm domes I was thinking to make some DIY guides
I usually use felts around the domes to suppress the lateral and vertical emission and possible side reflections
My room is not treated unfortunately Bare walls
 
#8
stv said:
The drivers you show are midrange domes and the "waveguide" is relatively small. So the directivity increase is probably only effective in the upper frequency range. That might not be desirable for some designers, as TNT mentioned.
Click to expand...
thanks a lot again
I read often lab reports and i have noticed that a constant/uniform directivity vs frequency is seen as a good thing to achieve
Maybe even more than a wider dispersion but less uniform
As i said my biggest goal would be a speaker that makes the placement in the room less challenging
I prefer to accept a smaller sweet spot but avoiding treatment of side walls and ceiling A thick carpet can be ok of course
I liked Tannoy speakers where the woofer cone acts as a wave guide for the dome driver
Even if this guide moves back and forth Not the best i understand
 
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#10
Hi thank you very much for the useful advice
Personally i prefer waveguides and horns without any technical reason as always
as i said at least in studio monitors i see domes in the middle of a wave guide more or less deep
the design of these accessories must be very complicated But this does not mean that it is also very fascinating
having to live in a not treated room i think that the control/reduction of H and V dispersion could be a good thing
as i said i like some concentric where the woofer cone acts as a waveguide for the coaxial tweeter
 
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