What does a speaker’s ‘waveguide’ do, and why does it matter?
It s more than just a design flourish or marketing gimmick Napier Lopez is a writer based in New York City. He s interested in all things tech, science, and photography related, and likes to yo-yo in
(show all) Napier Lopez is a writer based in New York City. He s interested in all things tech, science, and photography related, and likes to yo-yo in his free time. Follow him on Twitter.
If youâre in the market for a new set of hi-fi speakers or studio monitors, you might have come across the term âwaveguideâ before. You mightâve seen a photo or illustration in marketing materials pointing to a fancy trim ring or horn-looking-thing around a speakerâs tweeter, as in the header image above. Sometimes a waveguide is even directly integrated into the speakerâs cabinet design itself.
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Iâve reviewed two of JBLâs hi-fi speakers before, the L82 and L100 Classic â speakers I enjoyed for their great sound and retro aesthetics. Over the past month or two, Iâve been able to test one of the companyâs more forward-looking speakers, the $1,800 HDI-1600. After putting it through its paces in my living room and the test bench, itâs clear the HDI deserves its spot in the crowded $2,000 price bracket.
The HDI-1600 is a bookshelf speaker with a 6.5-inch woofer for the lows and a 1-inch compression driver rather than your typical dome tweeter handling the highs. A compression driver is theoretically able to play louder than a standard tweeter with less distortion, but it requires a carefully designed waveguide or horn to shape the sound. So That fancy-looking trim around the compression driver is not just a design flourish â it makes critical contributions to the speakerâs tonality and soundstage.
Focal Chora 826-D, Center & 806 Surround Sound Speaker System Review
Focal Chora 826-D, Center & 806 Surround Sound Speaker System Review
Chris Martens ends a multi-year surround-sound hiatus to audition Focal s Chora Series Dolby Atmos speaker system.
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Focal (rhymes with “So Cal”) is a world-famous French manufacturer of loudspeakers, headphones, and individual loudspeaker drive units used in a number of high-end audio, architectural, and automotive applications. The firm is perhaps best known for its spectacular (and breathtakingly expensive)
reviewed here). Happily, though, design DNA from such unobtanium-class products does trickle down into much more affordable Focal products, such as the
Chora series surround-sound speaker system reviewed here.
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Itâs pretty much impossible to navigate an audiophile forum without somebody mentioning KEFâs LS50 speakers within a few pages. Created in 2012 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of another classic by the venerable audio company, the LS3/5a, the LS50 went on to receive rave reviews by media and users alike. The speakerâs coincident âUni-Qâ driver â in which the tweeter and woofer project sound from the same physical point in space â has become iconic.
But if Iâm being honest, I never really loved them. They were definitely good speakers, and I did love the wireless version which used built-in digital signal processing to refine the sound, but the original LS50 always struck me as a little harsh and bright.