11. Future directions: How does this journey end?

The designs on these pages first took shape around 17 years ago, when I was making analog crossover boards with ExpressPCB.  I had latched onto the idea of making a loudspeaker testbed that would allow comparing drivers under controlled conditions. I had blocked out a design for a 6-way loudspeaker in which the drivers could be switched with others, while using steep filters and volume compensation to ensure a “fair” comparison.  This would be a “listening test” to help myself and others understand what matters most in loudspeaker design.

What started out as a rather ambitious 6-way analog crossover with volume controls and relay switching ended up as a series of DSP boards with constantly evolving software for control.  Most of those designs are documented in these pages.  It feels like a long journey driven by technology but not necessarily targeted to solve real problems.  So, it’s worth re-evaluating the end goals and put some thought into how these designs will achieve those goals.

The four main thrusts

  1. 2.1 systems for PC’s
  2. 2-way or 3-way full-featured active speakers
  3. Micro speakers for near-field listening
  4. Line arrays