In article ,
Trevor Wilson wrote:
**Not IMO. The big reason why ESLs sound like ESLs, IMO, is the coherent
nature of a single, full range driver and the lack of cabinet diffraction
problems.

IMHO ESLs sound like ESLs because of their radiation pattern.

Where driver directivity is low enough for the front and back waves to meet,
dipoles have a cosine alpha radiation pattern: -3dB 45 degrees off axis,
-6dB at 60 degrees, -12dB @ 75 degrees. Side wall reflections are therefore
weaker than a monopole. Off-axis response anomalies have a lower magnitude.
Power response at low frequencies is closer to that at high frequencies where
the drivers have more directivity. The ratio of on-axis sound to total power
response is 3X (4.8dB) that of a monopole. These are _huge_ differences.

Open baffle dynamic driver dipole midrange sounds a lot like ESLs.

The wide panels also become substantially more directive at high
frequencies compared to a thin ribbon or small dome tweeter.

A monopole dome tweeter on an otherwise dipolar speaker sounds different from
an ESL as one expects.

Very few manufacturers have managed to get moving coil driver
systems to deliver a coherent wave-front. Dunlavy did, with the Crown Prince
(but not the Sovereign).

The result was a very ESL-like speaker system. With bass.

Corelation != causality. Dunlavy also paid close attention to
off-axis response and stored energy...

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