Tech That Flopped!

Intelligent Chip inside joke: at one time I halfway considered offering a recharging service for the Original Intelligent Chip, for which I was Principal Shill. My recharging service would have been $25. One of the perplexities of the Intelligent Chip was why it ran out of hits. It appeared to behave like a battery. The basic chip gave 10 hits then could be thrown away. The Original Intelligent Chip sold for $16. Anyone who doesn't see the joke raise your hand.

Good suggestion on the Transmission Line.

Some of the best bass one will encounter, though not in the way most would expect and incredibly difficult to put into words.  But actually far more important on the midrange, and also far simpler to get right.

Speaking of technology Bud Fried espoused, series crossovers.  More important and impactful than transmission line.  Imparts a coherence / seamlessness and naturalness that the parallel network 99+% of crossovers never can.  Yet obviously, a technology that flopped...

Which is bizarre in that it is so vitally important an attribute/feature for a coned speaker with multiple drivers for various frequencies.

Apparently not. I have to say, I am one who has hear Vandersteen and Thiel and not found this attribute so overwhelming. The marketplace agrees with me.

Mind you, a well designed, multi-way speaker IS phase and amplitude aligned. It is not however necessarily time co-incident, which is what Thiel/Vandersteen and a handful of other multi-way designs attempt.

If you like it, that’s fine, and if you think it is a must, well, OK! But the market and my ears have not felt this is an overwhelmingly important attribute. If it were truly an overwhelming advantage others would do it too.

Best,

E

ESL!  Are you kidding?