HD Radio? What's That??

[LinoNYC]

I find Bose Wave radio audio to be annoying because it is really boomy at about 300 Hz down to 100 Hz - they may tune the resonance to 52Hz but that doesn't mean you can actually HEAR 52 Hz out of the thing

In reading your remarks I realize we are talking about different products. The item you are mentioning (I believe) is the small, clockradio type device which truly does qualify as "trendy junk".

I was referring to: http://www.bose.com/controller?event=VIEW_PRODUCT_PAGE_EVENT&product=awms_wave_index&ck=0

The difference in rf/af performance is dramatic. My only direct exposure to the smaller one was recently when a restaurant owner asked if I would like to take his early 1980s Pioneer stereo system as his wife was intending to replace it with a more 'sightly" Bose wonder box. This is what happens when a woman is isolated in an expensive home (Douglas Manor, Queens) with nothing to do but figure ways to spend her husband's money in keeping up with her "friends" -one of whom she told me "already has five of them, and I don't even have one".

Amar Bose has made a fortune on people like this.

I convinced my friend to ignore his wife and re-locate his stereo to another room.

Lino

 

[Mike Walker]

rbrucecarter5 writes "2 1/2 or 3 inch woofer in a small case with a tuned duct? Give me a break - that isn't bass."

Actually it IS possible to get deep bass from a small enclosure with a small driver, and a "tuned duct" is one way to do it, if it's tuned PROPERLY.

In designing small speakers, the three items which must be traded off are bass extension, sensitivity, and the ability to play LOUD in the bass. You may choose TWO, but never all three.

Bass may be extended by lowering the resonant frequency of the cone, and/or by using a LONG tuned port. The longer the air travels through the port, the lower the frequency at which this back wave emerges in phase with the front wave, reinforcing it, and extending bass...exactly what Bose (and others) attempt. Rbruce is right that Bose (and others) tune things to be a little "ripe" in the upper bass.

So while these small drivers CAN produce deep bass (if tuned that way), the real difficulty for small cones is that they travel move h-u-g-e distances to move enough air so that any VOLUME of bass is reproduced. And there's no way around it...a small cone traveling over huge excursions WILL produce more distortion.

Designing any speaker system is akin to juggling. But the juggling becomes much more difficult when the designer wants the system to be small, AND produce decent bass extension.

The 6 1/2 inch woofers in my Energy C3 speakers are quite capable of reaching 30hz in my room. But they sure as hell can't do it at any significant volume, and it's quite dangerous to their health listening to percussive/explosive movie soundtracks at high volume (sans subwoofer). Still, keeping in mind their volume limits, with the vast majority of music recordings I'm not missing ANYTHING in the "bassment" by using these small speakers.