Tapered glass speakers amplify a full 360 degrees of sound
Posted 01.18.2011 at 11:03 am
18 Comments
GreenSound Technology Frazil Speaker Set
Frequency response: 300 hertz-15 kilohertz; Dimensions: 49 x 18 x 18; Price: $8,000. Find more info here.
Danny Schumpert
A speaker’s sound comes from the diaphragm, a flat or cone-shaped piece that pushes air. It can be made from almost anything: metal, carbon, fabric, paper, even wood. California-based Greensound Technology, however, has taken a new approach, sending vibrations pulsing through a half-inch pane of tempered glass.
Since sound comes off both sides of the glass, the speaker projects a full 360 degrees of sound that envelops listeners. By design, this glass sheet can reproduce notes from nearly every instrument, from an upright bass to a piccolo. A sound generator in its 10-inch-tall base sends the pane vibrating, and its sail-like shape helps it handle varied tones: Bass emanates from the lower portion, midrange comes off the midsection, and high frequencies radiate from the tip. The heft of the base deepens low frequencies, while three holes near the top cut mass to tune high notes.
The glass’s range and wide reach replicate a studio soundstage better than other speakers—a pair of these and a subwoofer can put you virtually dead center at a concert hall.
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only if I had 16 grand to drop on some of these. I would buy a set of two of them.
Very neat approach, I would love to hear them. Would be a problem if someone stumbled into them and knocked them over though. Wouldn't be like breaking your average dinner plate.
no kidding!
to both of you.
How come that the sound coming from both, front and back of the vibrating panes, doesn't cancel itself out?
"Learn to Live & Live to Learn"
Alexander von Humboldt
It's .5in thick glass. You'd have to stumble pretty hard. Probably about as hard as I'd stumble into you after breaking my $8000 speakers ;)
@JPnyc:
to cancel itself out, the sound waves would have to be the "opposite" frequency (or the right kind to cause destructive interference)
it is a great tech but why is it so expensive
and could it be smaller
What about gorilla glass?
So what happens when an opera singer with a glass breaking v oice is played? Uh oh.!
Lol...nice one
did anyone pay attention to the "tempered" designation? As johnT said, it would take a decidely hard stumble to break .5 inch thick tempered glass. think how hard it is to break a car window which is usually less than a quarter inch thick. frankly it would probably have to be intentional vandalism to break one of those suckers
Stumbling into it is one thing...if it fell down because you had the bass to loud watching that action movie, then that's a different story.
I just got the headphone version of these. they are amazing.
@ gizmowiz. the resonate would be at a very high and specific pitch which would be specific to each speaker, so you again need a generator to intentionally try break these.
@inaka_rob:
was that a joke. Because I would like to see these headphone versions you're talking about.
This is so wicked!! this goes next to the dyson air multiplier in my Santa's wish list.....
-=SisaR=-
i got an idea... wouldnt it be cool if the glass could play music videos and be use as a speaker at the same time, like a monitor and and speaker in one...
two stones with one bird... HAHA!!