Wide dynamic range and bandwidth

Wide dynamic range and bandwidth

Wide dynamic range is realized through correct design of the driver’s motor system and the loudspeakers impedance match ratio to the room. In the early days of audio, inefficient loudspeaker drivers were made efficient through the use of horns. Horns are acoustic transformers, able to couple a high acoustic impedance like a dynamic driver, to the relatively low impedance of our atmosphere. Western Electric actually hit 50% efficiency with their monumental horn systems designed for the early theaters. But theatrical perfection does not fit in normal homes, and even if it did there would still be fidelity issues, even in the largest of living rooms. Since horns are bandwidth limiting, only able to cover a few octaves at best without introducing high levels of distortion, an array of specific horns must be built to adequately cover the musical scale. The most basic is a two horn system, bass / midrange and midrange / treble. Large systems able to cover the entire musical scale from C-zero, or C-knot (subcontra C) through B-nine were made up of five horns or more. Bandwidth optimization and splitting the music also resulted in timing issues and the introduction of the loudspeaker crossover network. The two technologies did allow for a net improvement in fidelity back in the day, but was more of a work-around than a fundamental solution to basic problems. So, after roughly eighty years of Band-aids and increasing complexity, Zu is looking at real solutions for underlying problems, and is doing so through physics, innovation, the use of highly developed materials; and making their combination repeatable through high-precision manufacturing.