GB2345608A

GB2345608A - A loudspeaker

Info

Publication number: GB2345608A
Application number: GB9900155A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Yoshito Maruo
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-01-05
Filing date: 1999-01-05
Publication date: 2000-07-12
Also published as: GB9900155D0

Abstract

The loudspeaker comprises an enclosure 12, a woofer 15 for bass, a compression driver 16 for midrange, and a horn tweeter 17 for treble. The woofer 18 and compression driver 16 are mounted upward on a top wall of the enclosure 12 with the horn tweeter 17 mounted on the top wall thereof in its sideways position. The horn is removed, or offset, from the compression driver 16. An acoustic reflector 37 is attached to the rear wall of the enclosure.

Description

SPEAKER SYSTBM FOR MUSIC APPRECIATION The present invention relates to a speaker system for music appreciation intended mainly for indoor use or home use.

A speaker system shown in FIG. 1 is one of known speaker systems based on the conventional technology. This speaker system 1 is, for example, a three way type, which comprises an enclosure (cabinet) 2; a speaker unit 3 consisting of a woofer 4 for bass, a squawker 5 for midrange, and a tweeter 6 for treble each mounted on a front wall (baffle plate) of the enclosure ; and a network (not shown in the figure) for connecting the speaker unit to an input terminal for amplifier-connection not shown in the figure provided on the rear wall of the enclosure.

The speaker system I described above generally includes two speaker units 3 that are generally arranged with space therebetween so that each unit faces the listener who is supposed to be positioned in front of the space between the two speaker systems. However, as the speaker unit 3 is based on a system that radiatessound frontward, rise of the sound is not sharp although spatial impression of the sound can be somewhat expected. For this reason, in order to resolve this unsharp rise of sound, there has been proposed a high-grade product having a compression driver with a horn for treble mounted thereon, but with this product the spatial impression of sound is not wide enough. As described above, the conventional type of speaker system 1 can not ensure compatibility between the spatial impression of sound and the sharp rise of sound. In addi tion, as all sound from the speaker units 3 is directly outputted toward the listener positioned in front of the units, the listener can only feel the sound as unnatural sound because the sound field is formed with a face in the vertical direction as indicated by the chain line in FIG. 1 with no stereoscopic field. This causes a relation between the sound field and the acoustic image not to be flexible enough to give stereophonic sound to the sound.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a speaker system for music appreciation with which the listen- er can enjoy music with natural and stereophonic sound in the realism of a concert hall by enabling resolution of the conventional two problems as described above, compatibility between spatial impression of sound and sharp rise of sound, and formation of appropriate balance between a sound field and an acoustic image by improving the sound field.

To achieve the object, the speaker system according to the present invention comprises an enclosure, a speaker unit, and a network for connecting the speaker unit to an input terminal for amplifier-connection provided in the enclosure, in which the speaker unit comprises a woofer for bass, a compression driver for midrange, and a horn tweeter for treble, and the woofer and compression driver are mounted upward on a top wall of the enclosure with the horn tweeter mounted on the top wall thereof in Its sideways position, and the horn is removed from the compression driver.

With the speaker system according to the present invention, as described above, the woofer and compression driver are provided upward, the horn tweeter is provided in its sideways position, and the horn is removed from the compression driver, which adds spatial impression to sound, and rise of sound becomes sharper. In addition, the whole sound does not always directly go toward the listener present in front of the systems, but is spread out in balance, so that the listener can feel the sound just like natural sound and the balance between the sound field and acoustic image is also appropriate. For this reason it is possible to ensure compatibility between spatial impression of sound and sharp rise of sound, and also to enjoy music with natural and stereophonic sound, which has not been obtained from the conventional technology, only by providing the speaker without using particular devices such as an amplifier and a processor.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual perspective view for explaining effects of the speaker system based on the conventional technology; FIG. 2 is a partially broken front view showing a speaker system in which the present invention is embodied; FIG. 3 is a partially broken side view of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a partially broken plan view of FIG. 2; FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the key section of a system in which the invention is embodied; and FIG. 6 is a conceptual perspective view for explaining the effects of the present invention.

In FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, the reference numeral 11 indicates a-speaker system, which comprises an enclosure 12, a speaker unit 13, and a network (not shown in the figure) for connecting the speaker unit to an input terminal for amplifier-connection not shown in the figure provided on the rear wall of the enclosure which stands 130 cm high. The speaker unit 13 comprises a woofer 15 for bass, a largesized compression driver 16 for midrange, and a horn tweeter 17 for treble.

The woofer 15 is mounted on a mounting hole 18 made on the top wall (baffle plate) of the enclosure 12 so that an outer peripheral flange 20 provided on the upper edge of the woofer is placed upward thereon and engaged therewith.

Almost all of this woofer 15 is accommodated inside the enclosure 12 when it is mounted thereon. For mounting the woofer thereon, a plurality of vises 22 are screwed into and fixed to screw holes 23 provided on the top wall of the enclosure 12 through mounting holes 21 provided on the outer peripheral flange 20 thereof. The reference numeral 25 indicates a hollow port for outputting sound within the enclosure 12 to the outside, and each upper edge of a plurality of the ports is opened in the same plane as that of the top wall of the enclosure 12 around the woofer 15, and each lower edge thereof reaches a specified length along inside the enclosure and is open.

The large-sized compression driver 16 is mounted upward in a mounting hole 27 made on the top wall of the enclosure 12 with a cork plate 28 provided between the peripheral surface of the driver and the mounting hole and with the bottom surface of the driver placed on and fixed to a height adjusting base 30 fixed to an internal wall of the enclosure 12. This compression driver 16 is provided with a portion of the upper edge thereof alightly higher than the top wall of the enclosure 12, but most of the portion other than that is accommodated in the enclosure 12. The horn is removed from the compression driver 16. The reason the cork plate 28 is provided therebetween is to fis the compression driver 16 to the hole as well as to obtain an effect of sound insulation. A line 32 linking a center of the compression driver 16 to a center of the woofer 15 is not parallel to the front edge of the enclosure 12 when viewed from the plane but is slightly incline so that the center of the compression driver 16 is positioned further to the rear of the enclosure 12 than the centre of the woofer 15.

The horn tweeter 17 is mounted on the top wall of the enclosure 12 between the woofer 15 and the compression driver 16 rearwards ofthe line 32 linking the center of the woofer 15 to the center of the compression driver 16 andsubstantially parallel to thatline. A mounting plate 33 is provided in a substantially upright position and fixed to the top wall rearwardsof the line 32 between the centers through an L-shaped metal fitting not shown in the figure, and the horn tweeter 17, in its sideways position, is inserted into and fitted to a mounting hole 35 made on this mounting plate 33 with its head section facing frontward. An angle of the horn tweeter 17 mounted through the mounting plate 33 is an arbitrary angle preferably in a range, for instance, from 5 to 40 , and more preferably 30 , and as shown in FIG. 6, the angle is made, when two units 11 of the speaker system are spaced, with the two units thereof each facing the listener who is supposed to be positioned in front of the space therebetween.

The reference numeral 37 indicates an acoustic reflecting plate comprising a lower piece 38 and an upper piece 39 bent at a specified angle by forming an obtuse angle to the lower piece, and the acoustic reflecting plate is mounted on the rear wall of the enclosure 12 with vises 40 through the lower piece 38 by fitting the bent side of the upper piece 38 so as to face the front towards the woofer 15, compression driver 16 and horn tweeter 17.

An angle made with the lower piece 38 and upper piece 39 is preferably in a range from 130 to 160 , and more preferably 150 .

The reference numeral 41 indicates a Saran net, which covers the woofer 15, compression driver 16, and horn tweeter 17 on the enclosure 12 to be spread between the upper edge of the upper piece 38 of the reflecting plate 37 and the front edge of the upper wall of the enclosure 12 and faces in both sides thereof. As each of the faces in both sides is difficult to maintain its form only with the Saran net 41, a mounting bar 42 made of a hollow pipe or a stay both with a small diameter is provided at angle from each upper edge in both sides of the upper piece 38 of the reflecting plate 37 toward each front edge in both sides of the enclosure 12, and the Saran net 41 is folded and spread along this mounting bar 42. The reference numeral 43 indicates a rotary screw height adjustable leg section, and the height of the enclosure 12 can be adjusted with this section.

As described above, the woofer 15 and compression driver 16 are provided upward and the horn tweeter is provided in a sideways position, and the horn is removed from the compression driver, so that spatial impression of sound can be obtained due to non-directional property of sound and rise of sound can also be sharpened. Also the horn tweeter 17 is mounted rearward of the line 32 on the top wall of the enclosure 12 between the woofer 15 and the compression driver 16 and substantially parallel to thatline, so that the horn tweeter faces the listener, and for this reason a sense of realism in sound increases. The acoustic reflecting plate 37 is mounted so that it faces frontward towards the speaker unit 13 including the woofer, and with this feature spatial impression can also be added to sound, and the sound also directly reaches the listener, which is resultantly balanced with the sound having spatial impression.

In actual use, as shown in FIG. 6, for example, the two units 11 of the speaker system are spaced along the wall of the room. This arrangement is the same as that of the conventional system. Then the listener sitting on the chair or positioned in front of the space between the speaker systems 11 and 11, and each horn tweeter 17 of the speaker systems 11 and 11'having an angle set as described above faces the listener. Accordingly, when the speaker systems 11 and 11 are used with an amplifier or the like connected thereto, the whole sound is not always directly irradiated toward the listener present in front of the systems, but is spread out in balance, so that the listener can feel the sound just like natural sound because the sound field is specially formed in the lateral direction as indicated by the chain line in FIG. 6 with a stereoscopic field, so that the relation between the sound field and acoustic image is more flexible, which makes the balance therebetween become appropriate.

It should be noted that the embodiment described above is only one of the preferred embodiments, and it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment and embodiments other than the embodiment shown in the figure may be included in the present invention.

Also a part of the configuration in the embodiment is possible to be replaced with some other configuration within the scope equivalent to the present invention.

Claims

1. A speaker system comprising an enclosure, a speaker unit, and a network for connecting the speaker unit to an input terminal for amplifier-connection provided in the enclosure, wherein the speaker unit comprises a woofer for bass, a compression driver for midrange, and a horn tweeter for treble, and the woofer and compression driver are mounted upward on a top wall of the enclosure with the horn tweeter mounted on the top wall thereof in its sideways position and the horn is removed or offset, from the compression driver.

2. A speaker system according to Claim 1, wherein the compression driver is mounted in a mounting hole made on the top wall of the enclosure with a cork plate provided between the peripheral surface of the driver and the mounting hole and with the bottom surface of the driver placed on a height adjusting base.

3. A speaker system according to claim 1 or claim 2; wherein the horn tweeter is mounted rearwards of a line linking the centre of the woofer to the centre of the compression driver on the top wall of the enclosure between the woofer and compression driver and substantially parallel to that line.

4. A speaker system according to Claim 3 comprising two speaker units, each horn tweeter of the speaker units being mounted at an angle so that it faces a listener positioned in front of the space between the speaker units

5. A speaker system according to Claim 3 comprising an acoustic reflecting plate having a lower piece and an upper piece bent at a specified angle, the plate being mounted on the rear wall of the enclosure through the lower piece by setting the bent side of the upper piece so as to face the front towards the woofer, compression driver, and horn tweeter.

6. A speaker system according to Claim 5, wherein a Saran net is spread between the upper edge of the upper piece of the acoustic reflecting plate and the front edge of the upper wall of the enclosure so as to cover the woofer, compression driver, and horn tweeter on the enclosure including faces in both sides thereof