Omnidirectional speakers. The future?

Muralman1: The radiation pattern and phase relationship you describe is dipole, not bipole.

This would be a good thread for Roy Johnson to chime in on. Roy, you out there? It sounds like Opalchip is of the phase coherent and time alignment (1st order XO) camp.

Opalchip, have you heard Green Mountain Audio speakers? It sounds like they'd be right up your alley. Besides the Sequerra's what other speakers currently on the market do like?

Zaikesman: I probably have the terms switched. The Scintilla ribbon wraps over. The back trace ribbon is pushing outward at the same time as the forward facing ribbon. The part that confuses me is while they are both pushing, the rear is pushing backwards.

A panel pushes forward while pulling the opposite direction.

Which type is in phase, and which is out of phase?

I just had what is probably an absurd idea. There is a parallel thread which has created as much diverse opinion as this thread. In it folks are discussing the pros and cons of multi channel. Why not combine the two threads so we can discuss in a multi channel set up, should we use planers, electrostats, bipolars, direct radiators, whatever. I'm sitting here visualizing a room with Shahanian speakers set up in all five (or 6) positions. Mind boggling. :-)

GMA Continuum 3's - Just listened to a pair that's for sale near Modesto, CA which I probably should buy - but I'll have to go back again. My initial impressions, without being able to hear vinyl which is pretty much all I listen to (I brought a TT but we hadn't realized that the owner had no phono section) -

Overall, really great speakers. Some of the best I've heard.
Dynamic and immediate is an understatement.

My main concern is they seemed a bit bright in the upper-mids for my tastes, as many of the modern designs seem to be. For example, the female chorus in Steely Dan's Babylon Sisters didn't have that sweet, smooth, harmonic sound that they should - they were somewhat etched and stinging especially as volume went up. (Don't worry - I don't listen to a lot of Steely Dan, but there's a couple of tracks I use for evelauation purposes...)

The Mid-mids and Low-mids and Bass were SPECTACULAR, as was imaging and coherence. I'm not generally a fan of ported bass designs and this one is not only ported - but ported UP directly into the open-baffle rear wave of the midrange driver. An odd decision designwise. Do you think Roy would let me just shove a dark gray towel in there?

When I get a chance to go back, which is about a 2 hour drive, I'll bring a tube pre-amp (Granite Audio) with a phono section and see if the vinyl/tube combo tames the upper-mids.

All in all, though, when I got home I was very happy to be back with my trusty DQ-20i's. They lack serious "punch" but they are so neutral and so listenable, they've proven hard to give up. (Just spent 4 days intensively A/B'ing against Alon V Mk. 2's and I like the DQ's better - mostly because the Alons pass too much rear wave out to bounce off the back wall.) Also - believe it or not - the DQ tweeter is better.

BTW - If I don't buy evetually those GMA's somebody else out there ought to - at $4000 they're a steal compared to the new price, and these really are like new (+ already broken in!).