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Gobel and the Bending Wave

An article at Stereophile regarding the Gobel Divin Noblesse speaker caught my eye recently:

https://www.stereophile.com/content/g%C3%B6bel-loudspeakers-cables-engstr%C3%B6m-pre-and-power-wadax...


Jason Victor Serinus made a simple mistake and listed the AMT tweeter as a "bending wave" transducer. He's corrected the error, but the "fix" was just as curious. According to the Gobel website, and JVS's correction, the midrange drivers, which for all the world look like FaitalPro 8" mids to me are "bending wave" transducers in this model.


http://www.goebel-highend.de/products/divin-noblesse.html


These midranges look nothing like the bending wave planar transducers used in the Epoque line, or described by their technology page here:

http://www.goebel-highend.de/technology.html

So, without being able to order and disassemble these $190K speakers, I'm really skeptical that this description of the midrange drivers is accurate.


That is all,

Erik
erik_squires
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,838 posts
 
No contradiction. The driver modulation is pistonic with sound produced via wave bending as described. The current Walsh model speakers produce lower frequencies pistonically and the higher frequencies through the midrange via wave bending.

erik_squires OP
15,657 posts
 
Yeah, if you say so.
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,838 posts
 
That is my understanding. I have two pair of Ohm Walsh in my home for many years that demonstrate it. It was discussed to some degree a few years back on the Ohm Microwalsh who’s heard them thread. Should still be on the record. One of the contributors was Dale Harder who designs Walsh style speakers and is probably  about as much of an expert on Walsh drivers these days as there is.
erik_squires OP
15,657 posts
 
I don’t have a problem with the text regarding Ohm Walsh. I have a problem with this self contradictory line:

Walsh style drivers are essentially specially designed cones that operate pistonically just like traditional dynamic drivers.

Pistonically means the cone acts like a rigid piston. You can’t be pistonic and bending wave at the same time, but you can be pistonic for some frequencies and bending wave at others.
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,838 posts
 
It would seem apparent that for wave  bending the cone cannot be a "rigid" piston.  
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