Some tweeter failures are also caused by defective associated components.  CD players, tuners, tape decks, preamps, receivers, or power amplifiers  can "oscillate," or produce inaudible high frequency signals that can destroy tweeters  These same components can also produce direct current (DC), which is especially damaging to woofers.  Not even the most expensive and exotic components are immune to these potential defects.  If your speaker has become damaged for no apparent reason, it may be that a piece of associated equipment is at fault.  Enlist the assistance of your dealer in troubleshooting your system.  Most audio dealers can easily test your components for these two problems.

     Your high-end loudspeaker has been carefully designed to provide years of consistent, superior  performance.  In the unlikely event that you do require service, you can give us a call directly or by email.  We are unique in the world in providing this level of service.  Our goal is your continued satisfaction, and we work hard to make this happen.

     To maximize your enjoyment of these speakers over the years and, even more significantly, to avoid damaging them, please implement the cautionary suggestions outlined in our newsletter.  Be sure to use an amplifier sufficiently powerful to reach the volume level you desire.  Feel confident to reproduce live acoustic levels (given a powerful enough amplifier), but avoid live rock concert levels.  If you have any doubt as to whether your current amplifier is sufficiently powerful, or would like to learn more about this subject, we encourage you to contact us, Fred's Sound Of Music (503)234-5341

Emerging recently to the forefront of speaker technology have been two diverse designs of speaker systems called bipolar and dipolar.  These speakers look similar from the outside with two complete sets of drivers, one set on the front and the other set on the rear.  But each speaker system functions differently. 

The bipolar speakers front and back drivers move at the same time with the music and are used as your main speakers in stereo and your front right/left speakers in a home theater system.  The front output sound provides direct information that is crucial to detail, focus and localization.  The radiated output from the rear of the speaker provide reflected information that creates added spatial realism.  A well designed bipolar speaker will give you a 3-D sound without losing the main focus of exact placement of the sound of instruments, singing, dialogue and movie sound track pin pointing.

     The dipolar speakers on the other hand have come into existence primarily within the home theater realm.  Surround speakers have slowly moved from the back or rear of the seating area to directly on the sides of the listener.  At the same time, the sound of the surround speakers has been diffused and non-focused using

dipolar speakers.  Unlike the bipolar speaker, the dipole surround speaker fires information both to the front and back at opposing times of each other, reflecting off the walls and into the room.  Since the front and back of this speaker are out of phase of each other, the surround speaker has a null or cancellation zone within the movie viewing area.  Thus, the focus of sound transcends forward to the movie screen with the surround speakers enveloping the listening area.

Sound is vibration and in a room these vibrations will tend to gather against, and move along the large, uninterrupted flat surfaces such as the walls and  ceilings.  When these wall and ceiling surfaces meet at the corners and seams of the room, acoustic pressure builds.  The most important of these "pressure zones" are the upper corners of the room, where three of these flat surfaces will build pressure, which is then reflected back into the room with a horn-loading effect.

Home Theater systems' sound performance is not just placing the speakers at the proper position and angle.  Reducing or eliminating reflective sounds in the room for pin-point sound accuracy is most critical for the
"Best Theater Performance"

A Must For Tweaking Any Stereo Or Home Theater System!

Want to Borrow A Sound Meter?

The sound pressure level meter from Radio Shack is an inexpensive and invaluable tool for measuring sound levels in your listening room. It is an indispensable aid when optimizing loudspeaker and listening positions and it allows audiophiles to quickly measure sound levels to ensure they are within safe levels. It is truly an essential audiophile accessory.  The Radio Shack sound pressure level meter is a small hand-held device for measuring the pressure level of a sound wave in an acoustic environment such as your listening room.  The meter can be used to measure