Are there any current high end dipole speakers (dynamic)?


Looking to upgrade my decades old system which includes Mirage M3si.  No they ain't perfect, but the speakers disappear and that kind of sound is very appealing.  Electrostatics (bipoles?)aren't the same (though when my mirage's die, I'll probably get maggies).
Thanks for your time.
berner99

Showing 4 responses by mijostyn

Berner, a dipole is a speaker that radiates from both sides out of phase with each other. A bipole is one that radiates from both sides in phase.
Both ESLs and planar magnetics like Maggies are dipoles. Bipoles and Dipoles have distinctly different characteristics.
Audiokinesis is correct.
Berner, A dipole is special because it radiates in a figure 8 pattern. It radiates very little to the sides. A bipole is omnidirectional radiating in a circular pattern. The dipole limits early reflections in the room. If the dipole is a line source the only reflections will be to the front (early) and rear (late) walls. No the side walls, the ceiling or the floor. The early reflection off the front wall is easy to control above 250 Hz. Below 100 Hz were things get critical the best way to deal is with subwoofers right up against the wall and in corners. That way the primary sound wave an first reflection are identical. All this makes room treatment easy. The resultant system will have relatively smooth bass response throughout the room and superior imaging. I am not prone to superlatives but the imaging is vastly superior in all dimensions. Getting a bipole to perform like this is difficult, maybe even impossible. It would require the right room, extensive room treatment and clever set up. Since I am dumb I'll go with the dipole every time:) 

Mike

@o_holter 

All basically true, but the bipole still qualifies as an omnidirectional speaker especially in relation to a dipole. You still have to treat your room as if the speaker were omnidirectional. Toeing in just changes the position of the first reflection points. This will change the reflections in the room dramatically. You are left with either your hearing to adjust it or digital room control.  

Great HiFi is always an evolutionary product. Some issues require a degree of experimentation and you hardly ever get it right the first time around. Is old goats are worth listening to because we have already made most of the mistakes:-) It never stops either until you run out of money or die