Is this real?

Its still driven the same way. The difference is in the complex vibration of the panel of an NXT, where as a speaker cone should not (theoretically) experience any vibration in its own surface, it is meant to vibrate the air next to the surface.

 

Yes, thank, I did manage to read my own link

 

You said it is not a panel driven pistonically. It is a panel driven pistonically, it just responds to that input in a different way.

 

Yes, a non-pistonic way

 

I must say I'm a bit disappointed. I was hoping after all the promise that by now we'd have proper workable audiophile NXT based wall mounted panel speaker systems - hopefully something that looks proper cool like the old B&O Redline speakers. Instead all we sem to have are those fugly grey Mission things - I've never heard em but it looks like a glorified PC speaker system to me.

Is it a case of NXT not actually living up to its promise or are our speaker manufacturers just too conservative to give it the investment it needs?

 

The way it responds is irrelevant. You were talking about the way it was driven. Anyway, it doesn't matter.

Uncle Ants: Probably a bit of both. It is getting better, like I said, it looks to be big in PA where you can just drop one in in place of a suspended ceiling tile but it does have alot of problems with which material to use etc. in the same way conventional speakers do. Its just a matter of finding which works the best and that is more difficult for nxt than a coil speaker as it has to 'ripple' correctly. Part of the problem with the ceiling tile types is you have to put it in a box as part of the fire regulations and this acts as a cabinet which the nxts don't like so it doesn't work properly. It'll get there though. At the moment it doesn't look as though it'll ever replace conventional hifi loudspeakers but who knows?

 

Aha. Thanks. That makes sense - I was in a restaurant the other Sunday (Cast - next to the Playhouse Theatre in Nottingham where the Hanif Kureishi Pidgeon Zapping Mirror is - highly recommended food wise and ultra cool decor for anyone interested) and was thinking that the music sounded rather good - but couldn't work out where the speakers were hid. There were some ceiling tiles which protruded further out than the rest in a sort of box and I couldn't work out whether they were some sort of panel speaker or something to do with the air conditioning - sounds like I came across some NXT.

It would be a very good thing IMO if they were a viable option for proper audiophile speakers and a shame they currently seem not to be. I'd love to liberate some space in my lounge.

EDIT: Uh that's Anish Kapoor who made the Pidgeon Zapper aka the Sky Mirror (My brain clearly wasn't working Kureishi is of course the author doh! )

 

I don't think you could describe NXT panels as being driven in a pistonic manner.

The exciters are really just vibrators. You could get a similar effect if you pressed the back of a moving coil driver against a polystyrene or cardboard panel - in other words, just work the panel off the vibrations from the driver.

There are serious difficulties with achieving high quality sound from NXT panels:

1. Panel resonances - you get all sorts of resonances which are dependent on the panel material used and the positioning of the exciter on the panel.

2. The attack of a note is quite good but the decay is very dirty.

Flat panel speakers can be optimised to minimise the effect of 1. I'm not sure about 2 though.

Also the sound dissipation within a room is very different to the dispersion of moving coil speakers but this isn't necessarily a bad thing.

As for being 'dead' as a hi-fi concept, well (cough, cough) believe it or not Seventh Veil's R & D department are busy working on a high end application even as we speak.

 

Thats what I meant, as I understand it, the vibrator is just a piston moving in the same way as any other transducer, is that incorrect? I thought they were like compression drivers (sort of).

 

I've got two different exciters that I'm experimenting with. Both look like small, conventional MC drivers. One type has a plastic ring (instead of a cone) held in a traditional spider. The ring moves just like a cone but with very low excursion. The other type has a plastic ring/spider all-in-one mechanism but the ring is still moved like a conventional cone, albeit with a miniscule amount of movement.

The vibrating ring is then fixed to the panel.

 

and back to the original question, a quick search threw up these two http://www.woodynorris.com/Articles/TechnologyReview.htm http://www.gotjuice.org/thesoundwar.pdf

and then onwards to NXT. If I could afford them I'd be plastering the Amina NXT panels into my walls in no time. It's a brilliant concept. Amina

 

Wow those amina's truly are something! Would love those for the home cinema but not for my music. Im currently designing a discrete home cinema instalation, so far the dvd and digi/tuner/HD recorder is hidden under an armchair with the av amp in a wall cavity. The rears are behind the couch, and the centre will be behind the same picture as the plasma and the FL/FR I have an Idea for but those Aminas would be perfect. Thing is I'm not fussy about AV and its sound so Im more interested in not having an extra 5 speakers visable. I don't own a sub, I know it will add but, as I say Im not that bothered.

 

do you mean line arrays? one of the best ive heard is the nexo geo systemm.very small,very directional,and a very nice sound

 

Cool :MILD: Steve. Is this as well as or instead of the "panel speakers" you were prototyping in the kitchen? Are we soon to see a Seventh Veil "Lifestyle" speaker product soon then? All sounds very promising. Don't suppose you can reveal more - industrial secrets and all that ...

 

For anyone interested, the technology I'm pretty sure is being employed to generate the directional sound beams is usually termed a "parametric array". I haven't come across their use in audio before, but they are commonly employed in underwater acoustics. Essentially by transmitting two similar ultrasonic frequencies (f1 and f2) you can generate a very focused acoustic beam at the difference frequency (f2-f1). This effect occurs as a result of non-linear sound propagation.

 

i use mission nxt system on my computer. i have to say that for the sum of the parts they are amazing. also fancy a go with a pair of cyrus icons some time in this life.
anybody heard them???

 

Well just between you and me ...

The latest incarnation of the Nonsuch range will be released in the next two or three months - internal egg as now, but stand mounted with 4, 2 or 1 drive units (the 1 unit model is really, really tiny )

Following that, front centre speakers with 1 or 2 and perhaps 4 drivers will come out to match.

Drive unit development has been progressing well with Doreen of Bandor and new models will take advantage of that.

The Little Awesome bass range will be expanded within a time frame of about 6 months.

The "Panel" range, which you saw a prototype for, will incorporate 1, 2 or 4 new drivers in a 2" thick enclosure for wall mounting and will be for the Home Theatre market. They will use Corian acylic front panels and will be very 'lifestyle', although I wouldn't release a product under the Seventh Veil banner unless it sounded good (to me at least ). I'm probably looking at 6 months until release.

The NXT thing I mentioned is a separate but related project and I can't divulge more details yet because of patent law. I suspect it will come like Monty Python's Spanish Inquisition so don't bother to 2nd guess.

After a relatively long period of quiet, we plan to release products on a monthly basis to make the most of magazine and Internet reviews and press releases. This exciting (for me) period should start soon - depending on a meeting I have next week with the money men.

Fun, fun, fun.

(You asked)

 

I did Thanks for the upddate .Sounds very exciting indeed. Look forward to seeing or maybe even hearing the results. I live in hope that one day I will reclaim my lounge from my speakers.

 

The Fane MiniPro and MicroPro are also interesting.
Fane Flat Panels