FRFR and Speaker directivity...

[Bantam Menace]

...does a 2-way speaker cabinet exhibit the same problems as a 4x12 cab? Or is speaker directivity a symptom of 4 of the same speakers in one cab?

And...is 'directivity' even a word? :?:

 

[<MACHINE>]

And...is 'directivity' even a word? :?:

I was bored again

The term directivity is also used in acoustics, as is a measure of the radiation pattern from a source indicating how much of the total energy from the source is radiating in a particular direction. In electro-acoustics, these patterns commonly include omni-directional, cardioid and hyper-cardioid microphone polar patterns. A loudspeaker with a high degree of directivity (narrow dispersion pattern) can be said to have a high Q.

 

[Jay Mitchell]

...does a 2-way speaker cabinet exhibit the same problems as a 4x12 cab?

No.

Or is speaker directivity a symptom of 4 of the same speakers in one cab?

That is one contributor in the case of a 4x12. All speakers have some directivity, however.

And...is 'directivity' even a word? :?:

Yes.

 

[Bantam Menace]

[quote="Bantam Menace":3u9m27ii]...does a 2-way speaker cabinet exhibit the same problems as a 4x12 cab?

No.

Or is speaker directivity a symptom of 4 of the same speakers in one cab?

That is one contributor in the case of a 4x12. All speakers have some directivity, however.

And...is 'directivity' even a word? :?:

Yes.[/quote:3u9m27ii]

Sooo....directivity is less of an issue with a 2-way full range speaker?

Although I gig quite a bit I never use a monitor so I'm not all that familiar with how that sounds...

 

[joegold]

Sooo....directivity is less of an issue with a 2-way full range speaker?

Although I gig quite a bit I never use a monitor so I'm not all that familiar with how that sounds...

My experience using the Axe live via FRFR is limited to theatre gigs using a Traynor K1 keyboard amp.
I find that in order for me to have any satisfaction at all playing like this that the speakers have to pretty much be pointing at my ears the same way I would point my EVM-12Ls in open back cabinets.
I.e. If the speaker is pointed right at my head it sounds bad. Too much highs. If the speaker is pointed toward my shoulders or chest (or even lower) it's much better.

I also find that the coupling effect (increase in bass response when the speaker is on the floor) is greatly exaggerated with the K1s compared to the open back cabs with EVMs. Of course this might be mostly the difference between open back and closed back cabs.
I found that other FRFR systems I've tried work better too if the cab is off of the floor.

So, in my limited experience FRFR systems are equally problematic as far as directivity is concerned compared with closed back guitar cabs.
Since open back guitar cabinets disperse the sound in more directions I'd say that FRFR systems have more directivity issues than open back cabs..

Anybody know of a FRFR cabinet that's got an open back?
Probably not. Just thought I'd ask.

 

[Jay Mitchell]

Sooo....directivity is less of an issue with a 2-way full range speaker?

It can be less an issue with an FRFR speaker, but that assumes a decently-implemented one, i.e., better than the typical keyboard amp or music store wedge.

At present, Verve coaxial designs are getting excellent reviews among Axe-Fx users.

FWIW, open back cabinets are no less directional than closed ones. They have a different type of directivity behavior, but they are nonetheless highly directional.