Loudspeaker directivity!

3 Types of loudspeaker cabinets with

different radiation patterns.
Bass Reflex:

This box uses its internal volume

to create a resonance which boosts
lower frequencies.

At the frequency of the resonance

the ports (2) and woofer (3) work
together in unison.

Blue trace - woofer contribution

Red trace - port contribution

Directivity of the Bass reflex

At lower frequencies Bass reflex

boxes produce omnidirectional
sound waves.
Or in other words - bass spreads
in all directions like an
expanding sphere.
The exact frequency at which
they become omnidirectional is
determined by their size.
Larger boxes are more
directional.
This is how most conventional
loudspeakers work.

In short: The Bass Reflex box

creates a resonance that maximises the low frequency output.
Cardioid:

This type of enclosure is filled

with resistive material which
slows down the sound produced by
the back of the speaker membrane
and filters out high frequencies.
The slowed down back wave then
comes out of the side ports (3)
and opposes the sound waves
produced by the woofer (2).
This interaction produces a
radiation pattern known as
Cardioid, named after the heart
shape.
Since the front and back waves
oppose each other, some of the
low frequency output is
sacrificed.

The reduction of low frequency output can be compensated by EQ up

to the point where the woofer runs out of excursion capacity.

Directivity of the Cardioid box

The cardioid box has 15dB less low

frequency energy in the back compared
to the front.
This is very useful for reducing the
reflections caused by the back wall,
which produce peaks and nulls in the
frequency response.
Being able to control the low
frequency direction is a very
powerful tool, since most rooms have
little to no sound absorption below
200hz.

In short: The Cardioid box trades off bass response for directivity
control. This improves clarity in the low frequencies.
This type of box can play low or loud, but not both at the same
time.
Open Baffle:

In this model there is no enclosure, just

a frame holding the woofer in place.
The sound wave produced by the front of
the woofer(2) opposes the sound wave
produced by the back(3).
This causes sound on the sides to be
cancelled, and so this type of speaker
produces sound mostly in forward and
rearward direction.

In room conditions, the rearward wave

will eventually be reflected off the
back wall and then return to meet the
front wave, causing a reduction in the
low frequency response.
This is why OB speakers work best when they are not placed
directly to a wall.

Directivity of the Open Baffle:

The radiation pattern produced by

the OB is known as the “figure of
eight”.
It is very useful in cases where
the side walls produce unwanted
resonances.
A feature of Open baffle speakers
is that they can be rotated in
order to selectively excite parts
of the room to produce a desired
frequency response.

In short: The Open Baffle trades low end for pattern control,
producing bass that is light and transparent and what some
people refer to as “boxless”. Just like the cardioid, this
setup can play loud or low but not both.
The Horn

Horns have been used before

loudspeakers were around.
By limiting the radiation angle
and enclosing the air in front of
a compression driver, they
improve efficiency.
In late years, engineers started
developing horns that produce the
same frequency response across
their operating angle (Controlled
Directivity) Efficiency was
traded for uniform pattern
control.

Horns can only control the

directivity of sound waves that
are “smaller” than the horn.
A 35cm wide horn can control
directivity down to 1kHz. For
500Hz, one needs to double the
size.

My opinion is that for most

domestic uses compression
drivers are plenty efficient.
It’s only for concert use, where
high SPL is needed at long
distances, should one indulge in
maximising sensitivity.

Since most people won’t start

knocking off walls and hanging
acoustic panels all over the
place - it is wise to use the
available technology to direct
sound where we can enjoy it.
Not to overly excite a room we
can do little to control.

Arda Audio