Open Baffle Terminology?


I had always understood the baffle to be the mounting for a speaker designed to prevent rear radiation from cancelling front radiation. Practical limitations, i.e. length of the lowest frequency wave of interest, usually argues for some sort of enclosure rather than a huge mounting surface. Do people really mean an enclosure with an open back when they refer to an open baffle? I've seen this now several time on Audiogon. One 'goner emailed photos of his elaborate "open baffle" construction, and indeed the speakers were mounted in baffles that forms a sort of wing open to the back. Such a design may give great dispersion through reflection, but LF response would seem limited.

db
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Showing 1 response by dbphd

Jeff,

I read a number of the posts at the link you kindly provided, but came away with no understanding of the acoustic principles these designs are aimed at. Some of the cabinet bashing seems simple ignorance of acoustics. But at least I now understand that open baffle means parts of the enclosure are absent, not that the baffle itself is open in the general case. Of course, any of us who have played with speakers or considered their physics knows they can be operated without a baffle, but the frequency range will be attenuated by cancellation.

db