Recent content by Bob Rapoport

Thanks Mike, its one of those shows I go back to again and again. Check out the Simon & Garfunkel tracks in my reply to Todd, I just added it because for me it was truly memorable.

St. Petersburg, FL — October 2025 — To celebrate four decades of the iconic AE1, Acoustic Energy has released a very special 40th Anniversary Edition. This limited-production model re-imagines the classic studio monitor that started it all in 1987 — refined with today’s materials, voicing, and...

In 1988, Acoustic Energy’s original AE1 monitor redefined what a compact loudspeaker could achieve. It became a benchmark in recording studios and audiophile systems worldwide, known for its speed, transparency, and wide dynamic range. Now, 40 years on, the AE1 40th Anniversary Edition...

October Hi-Fi News & Blu-ray Review Explore AE speakers, Essence DACs, and the Rock Hall 25th Anniversary Concert on Blu-ray Review Click here to learn more

Thanks Todd, glad you liked it. While 2.35:1 works for the grand, epic scale of a Hollywood blockbuster, a live concert is often a mix of epic and intimate moments. One of the highlights of this show was the last performance of Simon & Garfunkel, they do a mini-set of 3 songs. I was 18 at the...

Concert: :5stars: Video: :5stars: Audio: :5stars: Final Score: :5stars: On October 29–30, 2009, Madison Square Garden became the epicenter of rock history. To celebrate the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 25th Anniversary, two nights of music brought together legends spanning five decades — an...

When most people say “digital room correction,” using DSP, they’re usually talking about EQ filters that notch down peaks in the frequency response. The challenge is: EQ can’t remove the physics of a standing wave. It can only reduce energy at certain frequencies, and in the process it often...

Thanks for your thoughtful input — you’re absolutely right that the room, treatments, and digital correction are all major factors in sound quality, and I definitely plan to cover those in a future follow-up. For this first piece I deliberately kept the focus narrow: on-axis listening. That’s...

That’s a great example of how designers use waveguides and lenses to manage dispersion and integrate tweeters with midrange drivers — no doubt it improves smoothness and room-friendliness. I’d just add that while uniform dispersion is valuable, especially for tonal balance off-axis, there’s...

This post was meant to be informative, it does not mention the hardware I manufacture and sell. About 75% of the consumers I talk too are not as well informed as you are and have never heard precision stereo imaging and don't know why proper speaker setup is important.

I hear you, and I appreciate the chance to clarify. I’m not actually conflating the two — wavelength and dispersion (or beamwidth) are directly connected. The physics are straightforward: as frequency goes up, the wavelength gets shorter (10 kHz ≈ 1.35″, 15 kHz ≈ 0.9″, 20 kHz ≈ 0.67″). When the...

Thanks for your thoughtful follow-up — no worries at all, this is exactly the kind of discussion that helps everyone sharpen their understanding. On the physics: the wavelength at 15 kHz is about 0.9 inches (speed of sound ÷ frequency). That means if you move just an inch or so off the...

AS you mentioned earlier, taste is a factor that cant be measured, its personal. Electrostats are famously directional and deliver pin-point imaging. They're also dipoles, creating a first early reflection from the wall behind them. 1/2 the output goes backwards. I had Final Electrostats for...

You make a good point about starting on-axis. Just to clarify the physics: wavelength is the speed of sound divided by frequency. At 10 kHz it’s about 1.35 inches, at 15 kHz around 0.9 inches, and at 20 kHz only 0.67 inches. That’s why tweeters beam like a laser beam at the top end — the...