Pure Audio Project open baffle speakers

Thanks for everybody’s input - there are certainly a few options to think about and investigate

@kenjit wrote...

You need to know what your goal is. Otherwise you are just going down the rabbit hole.

Agreed - as I said - I had a friend who tried OB designs and he spent a lot of time (down various rabbit holes) pursuing options.

My goal - to find a speaker that offers the most lifelike performance.

However, I’m not into DIY when it comes to speakers and as such I would prefer assembled units.

But I do need to listen to OB models again, to confirm they have something more than what my current speakers offer.

Previous OB models I had listened too lacked bass, but excelled in high/mid range and imaging. Several Models mentioned here sound as though they might fit my requirements from the reviews I have read..

Whilst my listening space is now much larger than before, size is still a significant consideration.

Again - many thanks for all the input - much appreciated - Steve

Might want to watch the almost 1.5 Hour interview with Clayton Shaw/Spatial on youtube that aired just yesterday. Go to the NEW RECORD DAY channel.  Your assumption on lack of Bass couldn't be any further from the truth in his designs...and I prefer a Lack of Bass presentation. He explains the whole process of room interaction with Open Baffle speakers compared to Box speakers. If nothing else you'll learn how these work and if you think they are a good match for your needs.

Williwonka, I am thinking about wavelengths, 100 Hz being about 10 feet.
As you get to the bottom of a drivers response curve it becomes more and more omnidirectional or conversely as you go up the frequency response curve the driver becomes more directional. The most important factor here is the size of the driver. As the woofer goes down it's response curve the front wave cancels out the back wave. When you put the driver in a baffle board you can separate the front wave from the back wave down to a certain frequency depending on the size of the baffle. How is a 24 inch baffle board going to separate wavelengths over two feet? It can't. In open air you get a predictable situation with the response curve falling off as the wavelength exceeds the size of the baffle board. In a room the situation becomes very complex and unpredictable with waves bouncing off walls and interacting with each other in very complex ways. The result is very unpredictable response in the bass, an unhappy situation. I can only guess but I think this passes with many people because they have not ever heard a system that goes flat down to 18 Hz.
This is not easy to achieve. Many very expensive systems do not do bass well and in many instances it is not the system but the room. You can easily get 10 dB aberrations in response in your average listening room. 
With an unbaffled  driver this situation just gets worse. 
Some people deal with this using a "swarm" system where they randomly place multiple drivers throughout the room. I deal with it by using a bass linear array and room control. You could never manage an unbaffled subwoofer system with room control. It is impossible to increase the volume of a frequency that is desperately trying to cancel itself. The response has to be +- 5 dB for room control to work well.  

You have no clue until you hear OB bass done right. And Spatial gets it right. You can speculate all you like, but that's all you are doing.

Oz

There is a company that builds cabinets and puts together speakers using Danny’s parts. I have emailed him a few days ago myself, but have yet to hear from him