Is this real?

Is this real?

 

Somebody is playing an early april fouls joke. If thing really exists then everything I have learn't about science is wrong.

If the sound dosn't escape then how to sound waves reach the human ears?

The whole add reads like an early april fools joke. Also if it was real this thing would not be sold on ebay, you would hear about it else where, there would also be a lot more pictures.

A happy early april fools - unless he is a con artist.

Edit I may be wrong but I am convinced this just an april fools joke or some kind of 7V style advertising compagin.

 

Seems a bit unreal ha.

Mind you what was the speaker panel in development a few years ago. It basically used hundreds of imac speakers from harmon kardon that could beam sound anywhere into the room for true surround sound. Can't think of the name now though.

It was about 20k though as I remember.

 

Not NXT technology? I am not sure whats happened to that now, NXT was such big hpye but I think at least in HIFI terms its dead.

 

I saw a program on the development of the technology.

Its incredibly directional. You can literally 'walk' into the sound, and walk out the other side again.

It's a real development alright, but for hifi - is a sweet spot - an only spot if you like - of less than a metre a good thing?

 

How does the sound not leak out then? I just don't understand how you can beam a sound without physical bounderies such as walls.

 

Yeah right... new seller with zero feedback. We were not born yesterday. I have a feeling we should report this to eBay.

JJ

 

I remember being told several years ago about a speaker system that used intersecting directed beams of ultrasonic sound to create an interference pattern that resulted in real sound apparently emanating from thin air where the beams intersected. I then never heard anything more about it, so thought it was just a load of cobblers. I wondered if this might be a similar thing.... but if this is real why is it being sold on ebay?
Must try some searches on it...

 

It is a real technology.. though if this person is really selling it for £500 is a good question!

I do not know exactly how this one works but I have seen another where it uses a laser. The laser heats the air to create vibration and thus produces a HIGHLY directional sound source.

I suppose this works in a similar way using ultrasonics to either heat the air or perhaps what you are hearing is in fact a lower harmonic of the ultrasonic?

You will be able to hear the sound outside of the beam, but only very slightly and it will drop off very fast. Air can act surprisingly separately (now thats not a good sentence!) I think with the laser technology as each bit of air is heated directly the sound stays only in that area. There isn't so much of a 'wave' of sound going through the air.

Thinking about it, with the laser technology the sound will travel at the speed of light rather than 'the speed of sound' as it is the laser vibrating the air not carrying a vibration.

 

ther was a hi-fi news about sound 'beaming' a while ago, it is a real technology but very impractical - or it was then. if you think about it you get some of the effect with room modes and 'the sweet spot'. the thing that gary mentioned has been taken up by yamaha i think and is available for about 800 quid. i heard it at heathrow and it was surprisingly good at what it did. it does need bare walls to bounce the sound off of though.
cheers

julian

 

here you go http://www.avreview.co.uk/news/article.asp?UAN=251
cheers

julian

 

I think most of this sort of new technology has problems generating any sort of highly directional low frequency (i.e. large wavelength) energy. Sure they will probably overcome it somehow though.

 

andy,
to be honest the yamaha wasn't earthshaking but add a little sub from ma or rel and you'd be laughing. bass gets less 'directional' the lower you go and with the 2 11cm 'woofers' helping out it's surprisingly able. no it's not as good as a true audiphile 5.1+ system but for joe yuppie with his plasma and tyranical significant other it's great - or if you just want to rid yourself of wires and speakers.
cheers


julian

 

Julian,

I was talking more about the systems in development that pop up on those Techie shows that appear to be able to "beam" sound to specific areas whilst leaving everywhere else silent. The ones shown seem to have very limited bandwidth which is what I would expect. All fun stuff though.

 

NXT is going to be huge in PA. No its not NXT, it uses lots of conventional drivers mounted in set positions. Its just an array really like those big curved speakers that are in the MEN and piccadilly station.

 

So whats the difference? Just smaller cabinet sizes?

 

I thought NXT basically excited a surface area with and exciter?

This is different its a large array of small speakers (it looks like Julians link is using the HArmon KArdon ones) then basically a computer controls which of the speakers fires and how hard to give surround sound effect or to put sound in specific parts of the rooms, although Julian pointed out the cavet, it needs walls to bounce off.

 

I've done a little work on a very large out out door Pro audio application. these systems are highly directional and the technology is quite amazing. the control does, amongst loads of other stuff i'm sure , cut down on noise polution outside the venue. also a highly controlled field of sound will also do less to excite the building/area from a verberation point of view.

 

Yup thats pretty much it. You don't always need a computer though, it depends on the application (the pseudo-surround stuff is almost certainly processed) which is why big PA arrays are curved as it sets the delay.
Yes, an NXT panel is just a panel with an exciter stuck to it. For example a ceiling tile.

 

There's more to it than meets the eye - not a simple driven panel driven pistonically - that would in effect be a conventional speaker - see http://www.vxm.com/NXT.html