Enhancing the directivity of your existing loudspeakers
Even high-quality loudspeakers can suffer from edge diffraction, which causes irregularities in the off-axis response and can negatively affect tonal balance. Metadir provides a practical and elegant solution to address these directivity issues.
In this example, we demonstrate how Metadir can improve the directivity of a commercial rectangular loudspeaker. The speaker is a typical two-way system with a woofer and a tweeter, and a crossover frequency of 3 kHz.
The original loudspeaker exhibited a series of irregularities across the frequency band, particularly at angles between 45° and 90°. These irregularities are caused by edge diffraction at the cabinet boundaries.
To address this, we designed a Metadir piece operating between 2.5 kHz and 20 kHz. The design consists of four concentric annular resonators placed flush with the front baffle, surrounding the tweeter. When Metadir is installed, these diffraction effects are effectively eliminated, resulting in a much more uniform radiation pattern. The crossover transition becomes smoother, while rear radiation (angles greater than 90°) is significantly attenuated.
Achieving this remarkable improvement was possible with just one design iteration. With further optimization, the radiation pattern can become even more uniform, and the beamwidth can be fine-tuned to suit specific listening environments or applications.
For audio enthusiasts looking to refine the performance of their existing speakers, Metadir provides a powerful and practical way to elevate your loudspeakers to the next level.
Feel free to contact us to learn more about how Metadir can enhance the directivity of your loudspeakers.