JP6530496B2 - Omnidirectional speaker system, related apparatus and method - Google Patents

Description

[Related Application]
This application claims the benefit of US Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 110,493, filed on January 31, 2015, entitled "Acoustic Deflector for Omni-Directional Speaker System", March 10, 2015. No. 14 / 643,216, entitled “Acoustic Deflector for Omni-Directional Speaker System,” filed on Dec. 20, 2004, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. ing.

  Conventional acoustic deflectors in speaker systems can exhibit artefacts in the acoustic spectrum due to the acoustic modes that exist between the acoustic driver and the acoustic deflector. The present disclosure relates to an acoustic deflector for equalizing the resonant response for an omnidirectional speaker system.

  In one aspect, an omnidirectional speaker system comprises a deflector subassembly and a pair of acoustic subassemblies. The deflector subassembly comprises a pair of diametrically opposed acoustic deflectors. Each of the acoustic subassemblies comprises an acoustic driver for emitting acoustic energy towards an associated one of the acoustic deflectors. The acoustic subassemblies are coupled together via the deflector subassembly.

  Implementations may include one of the following features, or any combination of the features.

  In some implementations, each of the acoustic subassemblies comprises an acoustic enclosure, and the deflector subassemblies are each acoustically coupled at a respective connection between an associated one of the acoustic drivers and the acoustic enclosure. Coupled to the acoustic subassembly to enable formation of the seal.

  In a particular implementation, the pair of acoustic subassemblies comprises a first acoustic subassembly. The first acoustic subassembly comprises a first acoustic driver and a first acoustic enclosure. A first acoustic driver is coupled to the first acoustic driver via a first pair of fasteners that partially form a first acoustic seal at a junction between the first acoustic driver and the first acoustic enclosure. Coupled to the acoustic enclosure of The deflector subassembly is coupled to the first acoustic subassembly via a second pair of fasteners to complete the first acoustic seal.

  In some instances, the fasteners of each of the second pair of fasteners pass through respective holes in the deflector subassembly and the first acoustic driver and screw into the first acoustic enclosure.

  In a particular example, the pair of acoustic subassemblies also comprises a second acoustic subassembly. The second acoustic subassembly comprises a second acoustic driver and a second acoustic enclosure. A second acoustic driver is coupled to the second acoustic driver via a third pair of fasteners that partially form a second acoustic seal at a junction between the second acoustic driver and the second acoustic enclosure. Coupled to the acoustic enclosure of The deflector subassembly is coupled to the second acoustic subassembly via a fourth pair of fasteners to complete the second acoustic seal.

  In some cases, the fasteners of each of the fourth pair of fasteners pass through respective holes in the second acoustic enclosure and the second acoustic driver and screw into the deflector subassembly.

  In certain cases, the deflector subassembly comprises a plurality of vertical legs, and the deflector subassembly is coupled to the acoustic subassembly via the vertical legs.

  In some implementations, the deflector subassembly is coupled to the first one of the acoustic subassemblies via a first diametrically opposed pair of vertical legs and the deflector subassembly Is coupled to the second one of the acoustic subassemblies via a second diametrically opposed pair of vertical legs.

  In a particular implementation, a pair of diametrically opposed acoustic deflectors together define a common (shared) acoustic chamber.

  In some cases, the deflector subassembly comprises an acoustic absorbing member disposed within the acoustic chamber.

  In a particular example, the sound absorbing member is held in compression by a pair of diametrically opposed acoustic deflectors.

  In some cases, compression of the sound absorbing member alters the acoustic properties of the sound absorbing member.

  Another aspect features a method of assembling an omnidirectional acoustic assembly. The method comprises: a first acoustic sub-assembly comprising a pair of diametrically opposed acoustic deflectors, a first acoustic sub-assembly comprising a first acoustic enclosure and a first acoustic driver, the first acoustic driver comprising an acoustic Coupling is arranged to emit acoustic energy towards a first acoustic deflector of the deflectors. The method comprises: in a second acoustic subassembly comprising a deflector subassembly, a second acoustic driver and a second acoustic enclosure, the second acoustic driver being the second of the acoustic deflectors The step of coupling is also arranged to emit acoustic energy towards the deflector.

  Implementations may include one or more of the features described above and / or below, or any combination of the features.

  In some implementations, coupling the deflector subassembly to the first acoustic subassembly comprises: coupling the first acoustic seal at a junction between the first acoustic driver and the first acoustic enclosure. Complete.

  In a particular implementation, coupling the deflector subassembly to the first acoustic subassembly includes passing the fastener through respective holes in the deflector subassembly and the first acoustic driver; And screwing into the first acoustic enclosure.

  In some instances, coupling the deflector subassembly to the second acoustic subassembly includes passing a fastener through the respective holes in the second acoustic enclosure and the second acoustic driver. Screwing the fastener into threaded engagement with the deflector subassembly.

  In a particular example, coupling the deflector subassembly to the first acoustic subassembly passes the first pair of fasteners through respective holes in the deflector subassembly and the first acoustic driver. Coupling the deflector subassembly to the second acoustic subassembly including the steps of: screwing the first pair of fasteners into the first acoustic enclosure; Passing the second pair of fasteners through the respective holes in the second acoustic enclosure and the second acoustic driver and twisting the second pair of fasteners into engagement with the deflector subassembly And the step of inserting.

  Another aspect is that a pair of diametrically opposed omnidirectional acoustic deflectors and a first one of the acoustic deflectors are arranged to deflect acoustic energy emitted from the first acoustic subassembly Thus, there is provided an acoustic deflector subassembly comprising a first pair of vertical legs for mounting on a first acoustic subassembly. The acoustic deflector subassembly is arranged such that a second one of the acoustic deflectors is arranged to deflect the acoustic energy emitted from the second acoustic subassembly. There is also provided a second pair of vertical legs for mounting on the assembly.

  Implementations may include one or more of the features described above and / or below, or any combination of the features.

  In some implementations, each of the omnidirectional acoustic deflectors comprises an acoustic reflector having a frusto-conical shape including a generally conical outer surface, an upper surface, and a conical axis. Each acoustic reflector has an opening at the top surface centered on the conical axis. An acoustically absorbing material is disposed at the opening at the top of the acoustic reflector.

  In a particular implementation, each conical axis of the omnidirectional acoustic deflector is coaxial.

  According to still other aspects, the acoustic deflector subassembly comprises a pair of diametrically opposed omnidirectional acoustic deflectors. Each of the omnidirectional acoustic deflectors comprises an acoustic reflector having a frusto-conical shape including a generally conical outer surface, an upper surface, and a conical axis. Each acoustic reflector has an opening at the top surface centered on the conical axis. The acoustic reflector together defines a shared acoustic chamber that is acoustically coupled with the opening in the top surface of the acoustic reflector.

  Implementations may include one or more of the features described above and / or below, or any combination of the features.

  In some implementations, the acoustic reflectors include recesses disposed around their respective generally conical outer surfaces.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an acoustic assembly for an omnidirectional speaker system. FIG. 1B is a side cross-sectional view of the acoustic assembly of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C is a perspective assembly view showing a step-wise assembly of an omnidirectional sound system including the acoustic assembly of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C is a perspective assembly view showing the stepwise assembly of the omnidirectional sound system including the acoustic assembly of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C is a perspective assembly view showing a step-wise assembly of an omnidirectional sound system including the acoustic assembly of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C is a perspective assembly view showing a step-wise assembly of an omnidirectional sound system including the acoustic assembly of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C is a perspective assembly view showing the stepwise assembly of the omnidirectional sound system including the acoustic assembly of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C is a perspective assembly view showing a step-wise assembly of an omnidirectional sound system including the acoustic assembly of FIG. 1A. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view from the side of an omnidirectional speaker system. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the omnidirectional speaker system of FIG. 3;

  Several benefits are known for omnidirectional speaker systems. These benefits include a more spacious sound image due to reflection when the speaker system is placed near a boundary, such as a room wall. Another benefit is that the loudspeaker system does not have to be oriented in a particular direction in order to achieve an optimal high frequency range. This second advantage is particularly desirable for mobile speaker systems where the speaker system and / or the listener may move.

  1A and 1B are perspective and cross-sectional views, respectively, of an acoustic assembly 100 for an omnidirectional speaker system. The acoustic assembly comprises a pair of diametrically opposed acoustic subassemblies 102 a, 102 b (collectively referenced 102) coupled together via a common deflector subassembly 104. Each of the acoustic subassemblies 102 comprises an acoustic enclosure 106a, 106b (collectively referred to as 106) and an acoustic driver 108a, 108b (collectively referred to as 108).

  Each acoustic enclosure 106 includes a base 110a, 110b (collectively referred to as 110) and a plurality of side walls 112a, 112b (collectively referred to as 112) extending from the base to the opposite open end. And The associated acoustic driver 108 is such that the back radiation surface of the driver radiates acoustic energy to the acoustic enclosure 106 and that the acoustic energy radiated from the opposite front radiation surface of the acoustic driver 108 is a deflector subassembly It is fixed at the open end so as to propagate towards 104.

  The deflector subassembly 104 comprises a pair of diametrically opposed omnidirectional acoustic deflectors 114a, 114b (collectively referenced 114). Each of the acoustic deflectors 114 has four vertical legs 116 on which the corresponding ones of the acoustic subassemblies 102 are mounted. The acoustic subassemblies 102 are mounted such that the axes of motion of their respective acoustic drivers 108 are coaxial.

  The acoustic energy generated by the acoustic driver 108 propagates towards the deflector subassembly 104 and is nominally horizontal (i.e., of the acoustic driver 108) by the generally conical outer surface of each of the acoustic deflectors 114. (A direction substantially perpendicular to the movement axis). There are eight substantially rectangular openings 120. Each opening 120 is defined by one of the acoustic subassembly, the base 122 of the deflector subassembly 104, and a pair of vertical legs 116. These eight apertures 120 are acoustic apertures that allow acoustic energy propagating horizontally to pass. It should be understood that the propagation of acoustic energy in a given direction includes the diffusion of propagating acoustic energy, for example by diffraction.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, each of the acoustic deflectors 114 has a nominal truncated cone shape. In another example, the slope of each of the conical outer surfaces between the base and the apex of the cone is not constant. For example, one or both of the outer surfaces of the acoustic deflector 114 may have a non-linear sloped contour, such as a parabolic contour or a contour exhibited by a truncated hyperboloid of curvature. The body of acoustic deflector 114 can be made of any suitable acoustically reflective material. For example, the body can be formed of plastic, stone, metal or other rigid material.

  In the illustrated example, each of the omnidirectional acoustic deflectors 114 includes two features that can contribute to the enhancement of the acoustic spectrum. First, there is an acoustically absorbing area located along the acoustically reflective surface. As shown in FIG. 1B, each of these regions is centered on the cone axis at the top of the truncated cone of the corresponding one of the acoustic deflectors 114, 124b (collectively labeled An acoustic absorbing material 126 is disposed in the acoustic deflector 114, which is disposed at 124). The sound absorbing material 126 attenuates the energy present at or near the peak of the lowest degree of circularly symmetric resonant mode. In some implementations, the diameter of each of the openings 126 is such as to achieve the desired level of smoothing of the acoustic spectrum while the resulting attenuation of the acoustic energy by the acoustic driver 108 is limited to an acceptable level. , Is selected.

  In the illustrated implementation, the sound absorbing material 126 is a foam (eg, a melamine foam). In particular, the bodies of the acoustic deflectors 114 together form a common body cavity 128 (also known as an acoustic chamber), such that in the example shown, the foam is adjacent to the opening Or, filled with a single volume of foam so that the foam extends into the opening. Alternatively, separate foam elements may be disposed at each opening such that only a portion of the body cavity 128 is occupied by the foam. In one implementation, the foam present in each of the central openings 124 is at one end of a cylindrical foam element disposed within the body cavity 128. In some cases, the foam element is oversized and compressed between the bodies of the acoustic deflectors 114 to achieve the desired acoustical properties (eg, desired acoustic absorption).

  The body cavity 128, in conjunction with the aperture 124, acts as a Helmholtz resonator (ie, a shared or dual Helmholtz resonator) to attenuate certain acoustic modes. By combining the volume between the two acoustic deflectors, there is a larger volume that works in the sense of the capture of the energy that makes the Helmholtz resonator work. Such sharing a common acoustic chamber effectively increases the volume available to each one of the deflectors individually, thereby increasing the volume size for extinguishing the acoustic modes.

  A second feature of the acoustic deflector 114 which may contribute to the enhancement in the acoustic spectrum is the recesses 130a, 130b (collectively shown as ring-shaped valleys, located along the periphery of the nominally conical outer surface) (Also known as 130). In one example, the recesses 130 are each arranged at the periphery of the second harmonic peak of the resonant mode. In another example, one or both of the recesses 130 may be arranged at a radius that is approximately one half of the radius of the base of the cone.

  Alternatively or additionally, the recess 130 may match / correspond with the features of the acoustic driver. That is, a recess may be provided to receive movement of the acoustic driver's features relative to the omnidirectional acoustic deflector (eg, movement of the acoustic driver's diaphragm).

  FIGS. 2A-2F illustrate the stepwise assembly of an omnidirectional speaker system including the acoustic assembly 100. FIG. Beginning with FIG. 2A, the bodies of acoustic deflector 114 are united, for example, in a welding operation, to define a body cavity 128 (FIG. 1B) therebetween. In some cases, a weld line 132 (FIG. 1B) that the hot plate welding procedure couples the deflector bodies together and acoustically seals the body cavity 128 at the junction between the two deflector bodies. Used to form The weld line 132 can be formed by a rib (eg, a plastic rib) that is heated during the hot plate welding operation. A cylindrical piece of acoustically absorbing material 126 (eg, foam) is disposed between the bodies and compressed during the assembly operation to provide the completed deflector subassembly 104 with the desired acoustical absorption characteristics. Ru.

  FIG. 2B shows the assembly of the first acoustic subassembly 102a. The first end of the electrical wiring 200 is passed through the opening 202 in the first acoustic enclosure 106a via the grommet 204 and connected to a terminal (not shown) in the first acoustic driver 108a. The electrical wiring 200 provides an electrical signal to the first acoustic driver 108a to drive the first acoustic driver 108a. The grommets 204 help to ensure that the openings 202 in the first acoustic enclosure 106a are acoustically sealed in the final assembly.

  Next, the first acoustic driver 108a is secured to the first acoustic enclosure 106a via a pair of fasteners 206 that pass through holes in the mounting bracket of the first acoustic driver 108a to provide a first acoustic enclosure. Screws together with the body 106a. In that regard, the fastener 206 can engage a pre-formed threaded hole in the first acoustic enclosure 106a, or can form a threaded hole when engaged with the first acoustic enclosure 106a. . A perimeter gasket 208 is provided at the open end of the first acoustic enclosure 106a to help provide an acoustic seal at the junction between the first acoustic driver 108a and the first acoustic enclosure 106a. . The assembly of the second acoustic subassembly 102b (FIG. 1A) is substantially identical to the assembly of the first acoustic subassembly 102a, and is therefore not described for the sake of brevity.

  Next, referring to FIG. 2C, through the holes in the first pair of diametrically opposed legs of the vertical legs 116, then through the holes in the mounting bracket of the first acoustic driver 108a, and then The deflector subassembly 104 is secured to the first acoustic subassembly 102a via a pair of fasteners 210 threadedly engaged with the first acoustic enclosure 106a. In that regard, the fastener 210 can engage a pre-formed threaded hole in the first acoustic enclosure 106a, or can form a threaded hole when engaging the first acoustic enclosure 106a. . This completes the coupling of the deflector subassembly 104 to the first acoustic subassembly 102a and the acoustic seal at the junction between the first acoustic driver 108a and the first acoustic enclosure 106a. Complete.

  Referring to FIG. 2D, when the deflector subassembly 104 is fastened to the first acoustic subassembly 102a, the second acoustic subassembly 102b passes through the holes in the second acoustic enclosure 106b. Next, another pair of fasteners 212 (shown in the figure, passing through the holes in the mounting bracket of the second acoustic driver 108b, and then screwing with the second pair of diametrically opposed legs of the vertical legs 116). And is coupled to the deflector subassembly 104. In that regard, the fasteners 212 can engage with pre-formed threaded holes in the vertical legs 116 or can form threaded holes when engaged with the vertical legs 116. This completes the coupling of the second acoustic subassembly 102b to the deflector subassembly 104, the acoustic seal at the junction between the second acoustic driver 108b and the second acoustic enclosure 106b. Complete. In this manner, coupling the acoustic subassemblies 102 through the deflector subassemblies can help eliminate the need for visible fasteners in the finished assembly.

  Referring to FIG. 2E, the second free end of the electrical wiring 200 for the acoustic driver is attached to the printed wiring board (PWB) 214, the PWB 214 providing an external electrical connection (eg, a source of audio signals (see FIG. It also supports an electrical connector 216 for provision (not shown). The PWB 214 is disposed adjacent to the base 110b of the second acoustic enclosure 106b. A flexible member 218 (eg, a piece of foam) is disposed between the base 110b of the second acoustic enclosure 106b and the PWB 214. As described below, the flexible member 218 functions to bias the PWB 214 against the end cap (230b, FIG. 2F) in the completed assembly.

  Referring to FIGS. 2F and 3, a band of vibration absorbing material 220 is wound around each of the acoustic subassemblies 102 and a hollow outer sleeve 222 is slid over the acoustic assembly 100. The sleeve 222 rests on a lip 226 having a first recess 224 (FIG. 3) formed in the first open end of the sleeve 222 formed around the base 110a of the first acoustic enclosure 106a. As it is being carried out, it is slipped over the sound assembly from the second sound subassembly 102b towards the first sound subassembly 102a. In this respect, the lip 226 is only used as a strong stop for drop-in and there is a gap for vibration noise prevention. The sleeve 222 can be formed from a rigid material such as plastic or metal (eg, aluminum) and is acoustically coupled to allow passage of acoustic energy emitted from the acoustic driver 108 and deflected by the deflector subassembly 104. It includes an area of perforations 228 aligned with the openings 120 in the solid 100. Vibration absorbing material 220 suppresses vibration noise (undesired noise) that may otherwise be caused by relative movement of acoustic assembly 100 and sleeve 222 during operation of omnidirectional speaker system 300 (FIG. 3). Help.

  Finally, a first end cap 230a and a second end cap 230b are respectively disposed at the first open end and the second open end of the sleeve 222 to provide a finished appearance. In this regard, the first end cap 230a is coupled to the base 110a of the first acoustic enclosure 106a (eg, via an adhesive such as a pressure sensitive adhesive) and the second end cap 230b is The second open end of the sleeve 222 and the second acoustic enclosure 106b are coupled to the sleeve 222 (eg, via an adhesive such as hot melt polyethylene).

  The second end cap 230 b includes an opening 232 through which the terminal 234 of the electrical connector 216 can pass. As mentioned above, the flexible member 218 has the terminal 234 project through the opening 232 at a sufficient distance to allow a sufficient electrical connection, with a sufficient preload to prevent vibration noise. The PWB 214 is biased against the second end cap 230b to help secure.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the assembled omnidirectional speaker system 300 has a smooth appearance with no seams along the length of the sleeve and no visible mechanical fasteners.

  In general, an omnidirectional acoustic deflector according to the principles described herein acts as an acoustic smoothing filter by providing an improved acoustic resonant volume between an acoustic driver and an acoustic deflector. It is understood that by adjusting the size and location of the acoustically absorbing area, the acoustic spectrum can be adjusted to alter the acoustic spectrum. Similarly, the contour of the acoustically reflective surface can be non-linear (i.e. different from a perfect conical surface) and can be defined to change the acoustic spectrum. Also, non-circular symmetrical extensions in the acoustically reflecting surface, such as the radial extensions described above, may be utilized to achieve an acceptable acoustic spectrum.

  Several implementations have been described. However, it is understood that additional modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the inventive concepts described herein.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 sound assembly 102 sound subassembly 102a 1st sound subassembly 102b 2nd sound subassembly 104 deflector subassembly 106 sound enclosure 106a 1st sound enclosure 106b 2nd sound enclosure 108 Acoustic driver 108a First acoustic driver 108b Second acoustic driver 110, 110a, 110b Base 112, 112a, 112b Sidewall 114, 114a, 114b Omnidirectional acoustic deflector 116 Leg 120 Opening 122 Base 124, 124a, 124b Opening 126 Acoustics Absorbent material 128 Body cavity 130, 130a, 130b Recess 132 Welding wire 200 Electrical wiring 202 Opening 204 Grommet 206 Fastener 208 Peripheral gasket 210 Fastener 212 Fastener 214 Printed wiring board (PWB)
216 electrical connector 218 flexible member 220 vibration absorbing material 222 sleeve 224 recess 226 lip 228 area 230 a first end cap 230 b second end cap 232 opening 234 terminal 300 omnidirectional speaker system

Claims (28)

A deflector subassembly comprising a pair of diametrically opposed acoustic deflectors;
A pair of acoustic subassemblies, each comprising an acoustic driver for emitting acoustic energy towards an associated one of the acoustic deflectors;
Equipped with
The acoustic subassemblies are coupled together via the deflector subassembly ,
Each of the acoustic deflectors comprises an acoustic reflector having a frusto-conical shape including a generally conical outer surface, an upper surface and a conical axis, each acoustic reflector being the upper surface centered on the conical axis Have an opening at
The acoustic reflector together define a shared acoustic chamber acoustically coupled to the aperture in the top surface of the acoustic reflector;
The acoustic reflector includes a recess disposed around the generally conical outer surface of each of the acoustic reflectors,
An omnidirectional speaker system , wherein each of the recesses is arranged to correspond to one feature of the acoustic driver . Each of the acoustic subassemblies comprises an acoustic enclosure;
The deflector subassembly is adapted to the acoustic subassembly so as to allow the formation of a respective acoustic seal at the respective connection between the associated one of the acoustic drivers and the acoustic enclosure. The omnidirectional speaker system of claim 1 coupled. The pair of acoustic subassemblies comprises a first acoustic subassembly comprising a first acoustic driver and a first acoustic enclosure.
The first acoustic driver is via a first pair of fasteners that partially form a first acoustic seal at the junction between the first acoustic driver and the first acoustic enclosure. , Coupled to the first acoustic enclosure,
2. The all-in-one according to claim 1, wherein said deflector subassembly is coupled to said first acoustic subassembly via a second pair of fasteners to complete said first acoustic seal. Direction speaker system.   The fasteners of each of the second pair of fasteners pass through respective holes in the deflector subassembly and the first acoustic driver and screw into engagement with the first acoustic enclosure. The omnidirectional speaker system according to 3. The pair of acoustic subassemblies further comprise a second acoustic subassembly comprising a second acoustic driver and a second acoustic enclosure.
The second acoustic driver is via a third pair of fasteners that partially form a second acoustic seal at the junction between the second acoustic driver and the second acoustic enclosure. , Coupled to the second acoustic enclosure,
5. The whole deflector as claimed in claim 4, wherein the deflector subassembly is coupled to the second acoustic subassembly via a fourth pair of fasteners to complete the second acoustic seal. Direction speaker system.   The fastener of each of the fourth pair of fasteners passes through respective holes in the second acoustic enclosure and the second acoustic driver and is screwed into the deflector subassembly. The omnidirectional speaker system according to 5.   The omnidirectional speaker system according to claim 1, wherein said deflector subassembly comprises a plurality of vertical legs, said deflector subassembly being coupled to said acoustic subassembly via said vertical legs. . The deflector subassembly is coupled to a first one of the pair of acoustic subassemblies via a first diametrically opposed pair of vertical legs.
8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the deflector subassembly is coupled to a second one of the pair of acoustic subassemblies via a second, diametrically opposed pair of the vertical legs. Omnidirectional speaker system.   The omnidirectional speaker system of claim 1, wherein the pair of diametrically opposed acoustic deflectors define a common acoustic chamber together.   10. The omnidirectional speaker system of claim 9, wherein the deflector subassembly comprises an acoustic absorbing member disposed within the acoustic chamber.   11. The omnidirectional speaker system of claim 10, wherein the sound absorbing member is held in compression by the pair of diametrically opposed sound deflectors.   The omnidirectional speaker system according to claim 11, wherein compression of the sound absorbing member changes acoustic characteristics of the sound absorbing member. A method of assembling an omnidirectional acoustic assembly for an omnidirectional speaker system according to claim 1 , comprising
A first acoustic subassembly comprising a first acoustic enclosure and a first acoustic driver, wherein the first acoustic driver comprises a pair of diametrically opposed acoustic deflectors; Coupling so as to be arranged to emit acoustic energy towards a first acoustic deflector of the opposite acoustic deflectors;
In a second acoustic subassembly comprising the deflector subassembly, a second acoustic driver and a second acoustic enclosure, the second acoustic driver comprises one of the pair of diametrically opposed acoustic deflectors. Coupling so as to be arranged to emit acoustic energy towards the second acoustic deflector;
Method including.   The step of coupling the deflector subassembly to the first acoustic subassembly completes a first acoustic seal at the junction between the first acoustic driver and the first acoustic enclosure. The method according to claim 13, wherein:   The step of coupling the deflector subassembly to the first acoustic subassembly includes passing a fastener through respective holes in the deflector subassembly and the first acoustic driver; And b. Screwing the tool into threaded engagement with the first acoustic enclosure.   The step of coupling the deflector subassembly to the second acoustic subassembly includes passing a fastener through respective holes in the second acoustic enclosure and the second acoustic driver; And c. Screwing a fastener into threaded engagement with the deflector subassembly. The step of coupling the deflector subassembly to the first acoustic subassembly passes a first pair of fasteners through respective holes in the deflector subassembly and the first acoustic driver. Including the steps of: screwing the first pair of fasteners into threaded engagement with the first acoustic enclosure;
The step of coupling the deflector subassembly to the second acoustic subassembly passes a second pair of fasteners through respective holes in the second acoustic enclosure and the second acoustic driver. 14. The method of claim 13, including the steps of: causing the second pair of fasteners to be screwed into threaded engagement with the deflector subassembly. A pair of diametrically opposed omnidirectional acoustic deflectors,
The first acoustic subassembly such that a first one of the omnidirectional acoustic deflectors is arranged to deflect acoustic energy emitted from a first acoustic subassembly. A first pair of vertical legs, for loading on
The second acoustic subassembly is arranged such that a second one of the omnidirectional acoustic deflectors is arranged to deflect the acoustic energy emitted from the second acoustic subassembly. A second pair of vertical legs, for loading on
Bei to give a,
Each of the omnidirectional acoustic deflectors comprises an acoustic reflector having a frusto-conical shape including a generally conical outer surface, an upper surface, and a conical axis, each acoustic reflector centered on the conical axis Has an opening at the top surface,
The acoustic reflector together define a shared acoustic chamber acoustically coupled to the aperture in the top surface of the acoustic reflector;
The acoustic reflector includes a recess disposed around the generally conical outer surface of each of the acoustic reflectors,
An acoustic deflector subassembly , wherein each of the recesses is arranged to correspond to one feature of the acoustic driver . 19. The acoustic deflector subassembly of claim 18, wherein the pair of diametrically opposed omnidirectional acoustic deflectors share a common acoustic chamber.   20. The acoustic deflector subassembly of claim 19, wherein the acoustic deflector subassembly comprises an acoustic absorbing member disposed within the acoustic chamber.   21. The acoustic deflector subassembly of claim 20, wherein the acoustic absorbing member is held in compression by the pair of diametrically opposed acoustic deflectors.   22. The acoustic deflector subassembly of claim 21, wherein compression of the acoustical absorbing member alters the acoustical properties of the acoustical absorbing member.   Each of the omnidirectional acoustic deflectors comprises an acoustic reflector having a frusto-conical shape including a generally conical outer surface, an upper surface, and a conical axis, each acoustic reflector centered on the conical axis 19. An acoustic deflector subassembly according to claim 18, having an opening at the top surface, wherein an acoustically absorbing material is disposed at the opening in the top surface of the acoustic reflector.   The acoustic deflector subassembly according to claim 23, wherein the respective conical axes of the omnidirectional acoustic deflector are coaxial. A pair of diametrically opposed omnidirectional acoustic deflectors,
Each of the omnidirectional acoustic deflectors comprises an acoustic reflector having a frusto-conical shape including a generally conical outer surface, an upper surface, and a conical axis, each acoustic reflector centered on the conical axis Has an opening at the top surface,
The acoustic reflector constant because the opening and acoustic chamber, which is shared is acoustically coupled in the upper surface of the acoustic reflector together,
The acoustic reflector includes a recess disposed around the generally conical outer surface of each of the acoustic reflectors,
An acoustic deflector subassembly , wherein each of the recesses is arranged to correspond to one feature of the acoustic driver .   26. The acoustic deflector subassembly of claim 25, wherein the acoustic deflector subassembly comprises an acoustic absorbing member disposed within the acoustic chamber. 27. An acoustic deflector subassembly according to claim 26 , wherein the acoustic absorbing member is held in compression by the pair of diametrically opposed acoustic deflectors. 28. The acoustic deflector subassembly of claim 27 , wherein compression of the acoustical absorber changes acoustic characteristics of the acoustical absorber.

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