Loudspeaker design with Chris

In this impromptu lunch meeting PS Audio's Senior Loudspeaker Designer, Chris Brunhaver explains passive radiators, the design of the FR30, and driver configuration.

[@lloydfirchau6100]

I could nerd out listening to Chris B talk about speaker design all day. He's an encyclopedia of knowledge and a joy to listen to.

[@cardo1111]

Imagine buying a pair of speakers (granted they're nearly $30,000. USD for a pair) and having the company owner and the speaker designer set them up at your home, fine tune them, have lunch with you and explain the logic of their design in great detail as well. Most companies even at this price point would never do that. I realize it is a new product launch and PSA wants to explain the tech behind them in an effort to educate the high end consumer on what went into their design and development. I wish them the best of luck selling many pairs of these painstakingly designed speakers. Obviously a great deal of R&D went into them and they are built using among the best materials/tech available. Customer support is clearly next level.

[@steveodian6008]

The smile would never leave my face 😄

[@screamallyouwant]

It’s impossible not to be a fan of Chris.

[@simonmoseley2198]

You’ve got to love and respect a guy who clearly knows his onions and can explain it so well

[@VOLKOV9]

More Chris! So clear and instructive

[@FractalWaveBass]

I agree! I would like to watch a course from him, about speaker box enclosures. He's an audio-monster!

[@reinenorrbin5120]

Imagine spending a day with Chris. A DIYers dream

[@joz411no8]

I don't think there's been a more up-close and personal video about hi end stereo components. I'm not sure there is a better way to connect with your public and your customers, Paul. A great and many thanks to Greg for his hospitality and tremendous engagement.

[@savvassidiropoulos5952]

I like Chris. He knows his stuff, explains things simply, has an easy demeanor that makes it fun to listen to. Not your typical "socially incompetent" tech-nerd. What he described was not black magic or well kept secrets. But he has a great way of combining bits into a big picture and present it in an understandable way. Now that loudspeakers is a product line, how about an "Ask Chris" series?

[@scottrussell2281]

The feeling of family between Paul and his employees and his customers (along with the outstanding quality of the gear) has led me to spend way more than I had planned to achieve the synergy they build into their products. At 57 years old, I've had better gains in sound quality in the last few months with PS Audio products than I have in the previous 40+ years. I still have more to buy, but will be with PS Audio products as long as Paul stays active in the company. Their equipment sounds fantastic and the personalities and support are rare in today's businesses.

[@NickP333]

I’d love to see more videos with Chris. He explains speaker design and theory in a way that most people can likely understand somewhat easily. It was great to be a proverbial fly on the wall. Great chat, guys. Thanks, Chris and Paul.

[@kenhiett5266]

It's disappointing he didn't opt for paper cones though.

[@faludabutt8253]

He needs to lose weight before he become a woofer himself 😁

[@googoo-gjoob]

@@faludabutt8253 , does Faluda stand for "my head is up my"

[@mattuw82]

@@kenhiett5266 Why?

[@kenhiett5266]

@@mattuw82 The downside to paper is less longevity, (humid climates especially), but paper based cones definitely sound better for midrange and woofers. More detail/clarity.

[@jamesplotkin4674]

Chris is brilliant.

[@MrPeeBeeDeeBee]

It's great to hear from Chris again! What a wealth of knowledge... I sure would love a tour of Chris's home system - especially the speakers he likes to listen to.

[@AS-gp9kg]

As an audio spec nerd this made my morning. Thanks Chris. Hope to see another one soon

[@Impackon]

Very interesting and informative. I agree with the others, please more of this speaker tech insight

[@budgetaudiophilelife-long5461]

🤗 THANK GREG …FOR SHARING HIS HOME AND BEAUTIFUL 🤩 KITCHEN WE REALLY FEEL LIKE PART OF THE FAMILY 🤗 …GETTING TO 👂🏻 HEAR CHRIS EXPLAIN HOW THEY ARE DESIGNED 🤗CAN’T WAIT TO HEAR THEM 😍😍😍

[@larrysmith5695]

PS Audio's customer support is first rate. I own several of their products and my experience with their support has been excellent in every way.

[@glmaughan]

Chris is great as he understands that speaker design is all about compromises to the art you want to achieve. Thanks to PS Audio to use someone as Chris.

[@wramaccorsi1357]

Wow this is an elaborate and seasoned lesson on speaker design. I did learn a lot from this, rich content!

[@0robbi0]

lol when technical meets costs and salesmanship lol Wonderfully funny, thank you, Paul.

[@ThePurpleLordLeoAnansi]

That's what I'm talking about!!! More Chris, not less!

[@johndavies6253]

Paul, Chris deserves a raise!!! He’s awesome!!

[@Nixima81]

Love to hear stuff like this even do i don't understand most of it. When you know some of it you rely appreciate the work that gone in the the finished product.

[@russellbrikowski6139]

Great customer service love to hear your speakers.

[@thobekanikhoza4038]

such a pleasure listening to this guy, well done Chris, like his ettiquette as well.

[@timleelim9930]

More, please.

[@scottscottsdale7868]

Wow. Chris B is fantastic. This should help sell these speakers. I mean why would anyone want any others?

[@adrianadrianp5305]

Very interesting discussion, fascinated to understand more about speaker design. I made my own sub and did spend a lot of time making sure it was very well internally braced and extremely rigid. I must admit this was from an engineering principle rather than a frequency resonance point of view. I now know I did the right thing - more luck than judgement, and it sounds great adding the super lows in a home cinema and music system

[@bhmptn2006]

Loved this- No doubt some will find this level of info too nitty gritty and geekout level, but anyone who has watched any amount of Paul's videos and other more review oriented folks like John Darko, Steve Guttenberg and the Audioholics crew will surely be able to appreciate Chris' straightforward explanations of speaker design. Double thumbs up! Hopefully sooner than later all this co v 2 crap will be behind us and I can make a visit to hear the IRS system as well as these :fingers crossed:

[@jsfotografie]

awesome video i could listen chris for hours :)

[@georgelien]

Very good sound recording ! Very high quality.

[@JeanKatana]

Great Video! Since I found out how to calculate Pr right, I've been building my stuff only with Pr instead of Port.

[@Tuberhead1000]

Nice to hear someone talk knowledgeably about speaker design! I always thought a passive radiator behaved like a very large port - where the port dimensions are impractical for a given tuning, woofer, and box size. Thus implemented by a mass with the suitable compliance. Main problem with port tuning is the degradation in transient response, and that can be much more of an issue with a passive radiator.

[@cbrunhaver]

That’s a good explanation. However, if the PR is really soft (and the self resonance down in the 3 hz range or something) they track the same frequency response (and transient response) as a port but sound better because of the freedom from compression and resonances

[@fixnreview]

I love the topic today

[@mikaelmllersnnichsen539]

I'd love to be a fly on the wall with these conversations for much longer..

[@lonniefarmer7067]

Thanks for the great info!

[@georgemiller8329]

Floor bounce woofer vrs midbass cancellations old stuff addressed well by acoustic research in my Ar9s from the early 80s , also addressed by Roy Alison around the same time .

[@twostepped999]

I am in Chicago Greg…when can I come over!? On a serious note I really enjoy the engineering side of this and learning from the designer. The best experiences I have had in this hobby have been interacting w engineers who have either designed or service the products. While I love the subjective, warm fuzzies of review literature and culture, in truth we know it’s just straight up science, and this cuts through so much bullshit that is out there in this hobby.

[@thunderpooch]

I like Chris. I was skeptical at first because he doesn't have a highly prestigious engineering background. But you can tell he completely digs everything about speakers and keeps up with all the tech and nuances of design. Sometimes an enthusiast wins the day because they'll keep learning on their own time and networking with anybody who also shares the passion.

[@simonheffernan1767]

My DM620'S B&W have passive radiators, and I'm happy with the bass and the overall natural sound.

[@Pete.across.the.street]

We need Paul telling us the exact same thing, he's got a way with words and very entertaining.

[@mattuw82]

I don't think Paul has the same knowledge base as Chris. Chris seems to be able to speak off the cuff so effortlessly because he's so knowledgeable about speakers. I think Paul's expertise is more amps, dacs, etc.

[@Pete.across.the.street]

@@mattuw82 I know, but he sounds like a college professor whose class I'd fall asleep in. Paul makes learning fun. I'm sure Chris is a great guy and super knowledgeable though.

[@mattuw82]

@@Pete.across.the.street Yeah! Their styles are totally different. Wasn't Paul a radio host before he had PS Audio? And Chris was musician before he was an engineer.

[@brs2c]

More Chris. We need more Chris vids!

[@janinapalmer8368]

I like Chris ... he gets stuck into the nitty gritty stuff of speaker design and construction... the real hard part is that of testing and evaluation while keeping within budget parameters!

[@cbrunhaver]

Well, it depends on the project. This is our flagship reference speaker and compromising the design to hit a particular point wasn’t the primary goal. We of course will be scaling this down a great deal where making artful engineering compromises will be the first order of business but this design wasn’t that.

[@Canadian_Eh_I]

@@cbrunhaver Did you give much thought to the polar response of the speaker? Just wondering how it performs off axis. Thanks for the interesting design.

[@janinapalmer8368]

@@cbrunhaver oh yes ... I'm very aware that the FR30 was an all out design in order to hit the market with a new look and new approach to audio quality and performance... a labor of love in fact ... I'd LOVE a pair !! I am an audio engineer and a recording engineer by trade and over the past 12 years I've turned my hand towards loudspeaker design and construction.... adopting a no holds bared technique... I know only too well what it's like perfecting a design . I'm lucky to be able to perform free field testing along with polar plotting. I do know one thing however ... getting the last 'drop' out of a design becomes exponentially more difficult as you progress... 😃 I'm sure you and I could chat all day about electro acoustics ... I wish I lived in Boulder .. I'd pop in and pay you guys a visit ! The only trouble will be pushing me out the door 😂😂😂

[@chefchutardo5215]

Please have Chris explain more speaker stuff to us. T/S parameters, setup guides, soundstage, etc.

[@doylewayne3940]

fascinating conversation, explains alot about what i found as a audiophile tweak🙂 long ago of my advent speakers stacked and the top pair enverted, sounded great with a large sound stage. 😉

[@tutnallman]

A Conversation with Chris and Gilbert Briggs would be educational.

[@TheWizardofMNT]

I think we all need to see Chris' setup now. Unless I missed that video...

[@iancano]

I love these discussions. Is there a part 2?

[@janus1977]

Great video guys!

[@RickMahoney2013]

How do they TUNE a speaker ? Great conversation.

[@doublet147]

You need more informational videos with Chris explaining.

[@Projacked1]

I like it, to see normal life around a few audio-freaks, it's more natural....

[@SudburyMan]

More content like this please 😎👌🏻

[@albertcastells4630]

Chris is all I wanted to be when I was younger....

[@richardpeace4724]

Thanks guys - what a fascinating video, thoroughly enjoyed every second, great insight and knowledge.

[@thomasandersen1784]

Hey Chris. From what you told about bass driver vs cabinet, i think u should check out the French speaker company: LeConture, a sister company to the French amp manufacturer: Lavardin. I own the whole set, but check out the way they make speakers. Mine are one of the first created, starting as a project for the owner him self, to match the Lavardin amps. That model is the first floorstander Madrid and Called: Stabile 160. I think with your interrest in building something a bit off, in terms of "normal", u will find these very interresting, and check a lot of the "boxes" your talking about, when talking low end. BTW, this set i own, is some of the most musical systems iv'e ever owned and heard. Not that known in the US? But try looking them Up? ✌️❤️🇩🇰

[@D800Lover]

I don't want to sound pedantic, at 3:30 we hear that the cone doesn't move at the tuning frequency in a reflex enclosure. But physics tells us that there has to be *_some_* movement since the active driver is the source of the mechanical energy that we are discussing. So the movement is *_minimal_* and yet the forces involved are incredible and *_huge._* It is these forces that pull in the opposite direction (phase) that cause the passive radiator (or the air in a vent) to move and fill in the near null effect on the main driver. When I see that some say that there is no movement, I would rather have them qualify that there is just a bit and that this is a null and there is no perfect null.

[@mattuw82]

He says "the cone basically doesn't move right where it's tuned". Yes, you're being pedantic.

[@D800Lover]

@@mattuw82 - Now please, don't be nasty. That was a typical KZbin reply from you. OTOH, I made a very considerate comment and it was pretty much correct. But the _doesn't move"_ is something I have heard many times and at least we can agree that is not totally correct. BTW, I do have a history of designing loudspeakers for something like fifty years.

[@larrygaines7462]

Finally some folks that realize what 50 years tech has taught me , I only do hobby lol, my duo 2in open baffle at top 1 meter from wall then titanium 1in with 8 in usher in low resonance .80 cu ft sealed. Fmod 70hz hi pass,douk pre amp to blend with subwoofer s Duodayton18s an 500watt amp Any suggestions a13 sound source, need dac. Poverty build❤

[@cdelapaz5]

What about open baffle design? Kinda like to hear Chris talk about that

[@winky32174]

I think I learned more from that than a lot of other vlogs combined!

[@mysock351C]

Seeing the video sort of confirms my suspicions about the 10” planar, in that it’s response really gets a bit nasty above 1 kHz in the vertical direction. In the horizontal plane it’s mostly ok at the crossover point, and there will be some, but not extreme variations in the tonality. However vertically it goes bananas due to its length and this causes quite a lot of beaming and other misbehavior. Here they put the crossover right in the middle of all that messiness. It’s actually a nice driver, and would work well as something like an MTM with a conventional tweeter with a 1.5 kHz crossover to keep it out of the rough. In the first demo the vocals in the video were quite neutral due to the camera being on-axis. But in the second demo with the camera off to the side the issues with the midrange in the vocals could be heard. How much of an issue it will be depends on how much you want to dink with it. In Greg’s case it sounds like they got it dialed in, but still without the directivity issues much of the acoustic paneling can be dispensed with since you don’t need to throw away so many of the early reflections that don’t jive with the on-axis response. The problem with designing speakers is that the radiation patterns can only really be visualized with numerical simulation during the design phase

[@Simon-dn9kv]

There is a Sprout speaker coming with a passive radiator?! Sounds exciting!

[@MassimoDagostin]

Paul had a prototype in a video a couple of years ago, but then nothing came of it. I was excited about it, even sent Paul a question about the status of the Sprout speaker but never got a response. Might still be in the pipeline, who knows... Maybe Paul can chime in. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHjTYWZ9es-Kja8

[@ikemi1]

What happened to the video about speaker spikes? It was there last night.

[@navinadv]

@15 when they are discussing 2 x 8” vs a larger woofer, isn’t a 12” at least in Sd equivalent to 2 x 8”? A 15” would be closer to 2 x 10”. Also I think it was Roy Allison of Allison Acoustics who first wrote a paper on floor bounce for low frequency. This was sometime in the early 80s or maybe late 70s?

[@kirkbobo1363]

The dialog regarding the PR's and Mid/tweeter placement was most valuable. I personally do not like PR's or ported speakers The mid-over the tweeter placement and "lobe" to the listener were interesting?? Not sure what "lobe" is?? In the end, the Line source of mids, tweeters, and woofers will always be better sounding than point source speakers like the FR30's. The Problem today, only Genesis speakers are the only line source speaker manufacturer I am knowledgeable of. Here they used rectangle-shaped ribbon mids and tweeters which disperse the sound better than a circle-shaped mid or tweeter. IMHO Arnie N. was an awesome speaker designer. Tip my hat to PS audio for the FR30 sales and installation. Unique in it of it selves!!

[@musijl]

Paul, have you noticed the resemblance between Chris and Seth Rogen? They look like brothers. Even their voices sound alike. Love your videos. Saludos desde México.

[@steverogers7611]

Chris is the best I am a fan

[@bayoff]

Perhaps Chris has an opinion why the Jamo R 909 is no longer for sale. What is their miscalculation?

[@bmj4052]

odd question for you but it's been bugging me. can speakers specifically made to be center channel speakers be used as front speakers. for example: if someone only had two good center channel speakers and a subwoofer, could they set up a 2.1 music system. basically is there some tweaking or something that makes a center channel speaker not belong as a front? welcome to all answers

[@karstenkrause8737]

Then i learned something new again. No wonder why it tok so long to build the FR30'ties i'll love to hear them, but going to USA just to listen to a pair of speakers might be a little overkill

[@scottscottsdale7868]

I mean who knew that putting the mid range on top of the tweeter had a specific a caustic benefit. How can I now go back knowing that?

[@tomehCanada]

If you get a chance listen to some 47 year old Electro Voice "Interface Series" models with passive radiators. They still stand up well when the surrounds are replaced.

[@editorjuno]

I had a pair of the original Interface "A" and they had all the "high impact" performance of JBL's L-100s, but with very smooth and deep bass extension. After two trips back to E-V for new foam -- DIY refoaming wasn't much of a thing back then -- I had to give up on them. That said, my modern system with active 3-way L+R speakers and sub is much, much better in every way. Guys like Chris have the advantage of all the research done over the past 50 years and have a much more extensive design tool set than E-V's Ray Newman could access back in the day, and I'm confident those decades of technical advancements show up in the better high-end stuff just as they do in my much more modestly priced system.

[@tomehCanada]

@@editorjuno Yes, well said, they should be taking advantage of the advancements and the technology that improves the sound. I'm still shocked to see foam surrounds on some very expensive speakers BTW. I still have a close friend that has the A's and does the DIY foams as needed. He will never give them up. :-) I use Kii Three's with four subs (only active 15 to 24 hz). So active, DSP, modern dedicated integrated amps, digital front end and modern measurement system employed in a 756 square foot room. Sounds like we are on the same track? BTW my friends set of A's cost $450 CAD to purchase. AT our inflation rate that is $1,600 CAD and even at the $750SRP is is $2,400 CAD. I think they were a bargain?

[@editorjuno]

@@tomehCanada -- We're basically on the same train, but you're in the luxury coach with those Kii 3s! Are you using their controller/DAC too? Did choosing your own subs save $$$$ over Kii's BXT option or was something else involved in that decision? If/when I hit the lottery, I'm going to wait for the (very hypothetical) next-generation Kii systems, hopefully with Purifi's bass drivers and amp modules -- I can dream, can't I?

[@tomehCanada]

@@editorjuno Hi Bruce. Yes I use their "controller" as well. I have a recording studio and I had Newform Research's Triple Linesource speakers (highly recommended with 45' ribbon tweeter) with 6 rack units of external DSP and active crossover's along with the four subs (evens out low and large room modes) and of course 7 channels of 250W to 500W amplification. I have waited 10 years for advancement and Kii Audio came along. A 12 year jump in technology and Bruno Putsey's smarts to apply and advance it. So I already had the subs and unless I want to go deaf quickly, I don't need any more spl level or bass extension. My subs also take that lowest frequency load off of the Kii three's and that lowers their bass distortion even lower than stock. Their controller is very convenient and technically useful to me. I use the optical output of my professional interfaces at 96k, 24 bit to feed the Kii three's and I can zero it's display after I've completed a K14 (or K20 for classical mastering) monitor calibration. No danger of noise pickup on the way tp the Kii Three's.

[@editorjuno]

@@tomehCanada -- That's both impressive and entirely sensible. Thanks for sharing!

[@dougg1075]

Even has the high dollar Fair Life Milk. Nice

[@petekeeler9704]

Was that plate annoying him when he moved it a few times

[@jamesplotkin4674]

Greg and Paul could be brothers ;-)

[@bevrek]

Chris, come over to the dark side and feel the "POWER" of the sound-sytem world. Search your feelings Chris, you know it to be true.

[@Selene_M3]

Is this why the MTM is quite popular in towers?

[@alferro3149]

Totem made an amazing woofer that doesn't need a low pass and then there's only a capacitor for the tweeter.

[@jeanjacquesleeuwen1015]

Very interesting !

[@haberdasherrykr8886]

Fun evening

[@NathanOakley1980]

Clicked the video thinking it was a TCAP clip. Might want to change the thumbnail.

[@NathanOakley1980]

Great video.

[@thefloop2813]

Chris always looks uncertain and tense/anxious lol.

[@net_news]

chris is god 🙌🏻

[@hugobloemers4425]

Lets call it "good"

[@bartkdt]

Can Chris come to my house? Take on and tune my Elac Alex Jones’?

[@tutnallman]

And, Cake!

[@jeanjacquesleeuwen1015]

Speaker genius ( unique !!)

[@Tuberhead1000]

What Chris did not mention perhaps about driver placement, conventional round drivers have axial symmetry in the radiation pattern, thus may not make much difference if the tweeter is above or below - one still has lobing in the integrated response patterns. But the FR30 drivers are rectangular and do not have symmetrical radiation vertical & horizontal, thus Chris most likely did a lot of work to determine the "best" approach. What is best? Probably the closest to constant dispersion on the overall pattern, just a guess. Hopefully one day I'll get to listen though a pair of FR30's....

[@mattuw82]

He explains this in the video at around 10:30. The lobe in the response is due to the phase cancellation caused by the crossover. It's not due to the lack of axial symmetry of the radiation pattern of the drivers. This phenomenon occurs with round drivers too. It happens for every driver configuration that's not coaxial.

[@dougbaker9473]

We need a new 15 inch 3way design .I Don't like subs or powered speakers .

[@vortexan9804]

CERWIN VEGA....makes those. And Pi Speakers.

[@dougbaker9473]

@@vortexan9804 we need more than one company to make them . I am a 2 channel person who hates having to add a subwoofer . If they made some 15 inch three-way speakers they would make a killing !!! Not every is into the surround sound digital junk !!!

[@revelry1969]

Chris seems like a guy who worked at Best Buy in the car audio section in the 2000s. What’s his background?

[@rentabomb]

The PR has poor transient response and exhibits an elliptical type filter response with a notch in the response. It's only advantage compared to a ported enclosure is lack of port noise. It's great for a home theater subwoofer but not recommended for hifi. Sorry for the sake of an extra 3dB in efficiency you are losing a hell of a lot compared to a well damped sealed enclosure.

[@FOH3663]

For Chris' narrow, multi-woofer cabinet, to be implemented in a sealed alignment, it'd need a Linkwitz Transform to address the inherent modest -3dB point in sealed. A design goal extension spec'd in the 20's, in a passive loudspeaker, ... needs a resonant alignment to compensate. I too prefer the tech merit of sealed, but Hoffman's a bitch.

[@mattuw82]

Did you watch the video? He explains all this from about 2:15 until about 5:50.

[@mattuw82]

Here's the issue with damping and transient response: different woofer drivers need different amounts of damping. High Q woofers need a lot of damping and need to be in a sealed box to be sufficiently damped. Woofers with lower Q need less damping and the port or PR need to be tuned to match that. Paul mentions how bad incorrectly tuned PR's can sound, and Chris goes on to describe the engineering behind tuning the correct amount of damping in the design of the PR. Asserting that sealed boxes are better because they provide more damping doesn't make sense. It's individual to the needs of the woofer, and a woofer can just as easily be over damped.

[@tutnallman]

His eyes keep looking at the cake.......

[@byronb.]

Beautiful home. Nice HiFi gear. Speaking as someone whose life is being destroyed... enjoy it! ❤️

[@AllboroLCD]

Sooooo, a faraday ring is used for MORE than just shielding a transducer. Interesting.....

[@jremii]

First like, first comment, send me ps audio equipment for my home and business!

[@hugobloemers4425]

Look mum: *No face diapers!!!*

[@samuelsalins8309]

Room mattress 😴

[@Jigaboo1929]

And acoustic most important thing ever

[@anthonycyr9657]

Its too bad they dont produce any actually affordable gear, guess they dont want our business, heard a P.S audio amp, sounded great but not what he paid for it great..