CERWIN VEGA! Sulfur Hexafluoride Gas bag loaded speakers & Darth Vader Orchestra

Harvestor

Harvestor

Addicted Member

Cerwin Vega loaded their s1 or S2 speakers with this sulfur hexafluoride gas bags in the late 70s, but I still have to wonder if the plastic bags by their own very nature lessened the internal volume of the cabinet enclosure..?... kind of like putting a pillow inside the cabinet.. it almost seems like the plastic would negate the advantages of this gas...?

https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/subwoofers/255130-filling-subwoofer-box-sulfur-hexafluoride-5.html

It would be an interesting experiment to load a room with sulfur hexafluoride gas and have an orchestra play music, how would the horn section sound? Or the woodwinds flutes and oboe?.. how would the percussion section sound? Or the string section? A room filled with this gas with music a live orchestra or even a rock band would be an interesting experiment.

https://images.app.goo.gl/VLkgfSVKgdDr7fcg9

cerwin.jpg
 
Register to hide this ad
Or let's assume this room pictured is a sound chamber filled with sulfur hexafluoride gas, how would each of these speakers react and sound if you were inside the chamber with them as they played music?

IMG_20190530_160746869.jpg
 
I do not think speakers have vocal cords........Helium and SF6, having different densities compared to the complex mix of gases that make up air, resonant quite differently.

Since SF6 is much denser than air you could extend the thought to something we all are more familar with, sound moving thru water......of coarse breathing will always be a issue.
 
c_dk said:
I do not think speakers have vocal cords........Helium and SF6, having different densities compared to the complex mix of gases that make up air, resonant quite differently.

Since SF6 is much denser than air you could extend the thought to something we all are more familar with, sound moving thru water......of coarse breathing will always be a issue.
Click to expand...
We could have one of those little James Bond small bottle oxygen masks to breathe air..
I can imagine it would have a similar sound like being in water..
 
Owned "Dayton Wright" Electrostatic speakers.

The panels were suspended in a Sulfur Hexafluorine-6 gas to prevent the 10,000 volt charge from shorting out the panels.

We measured 22,000 volt peaks at 200 watts.

Bass impact that would crush your chest.

Crazy cool speakers. Gas tank was 146$ at the local welding supply house.

The power supply was about 125 lbs.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OLp4Vh8WX...-dayton_wright_xg_8_mk_iii_wleaf_tweeters.jpg
 
Listened to them at the Chicago CES say in 1979 or so. In the Pick Congress and due to the heat and ozone smell had to have the windows open....they did not like the wind that gave us relief. That and the warm Scotch made for a disappointing demo!

Reread post.....they weren't the dayton wrights but the plasmatronics?
 
Buck Rogers said:
Owned "Dayton Wright" Electrostatic speakers.
Click to expand...
It was an earlier model of Dayton-Wrights I heard in '76 that turned me into an electrostatic speaker fancier. They defined the term "coherency" to me. And were also the poster child for a challenging speaker. Many amps of that day did not like driving the highly reactive load.

They belonged to former TAS reviewer Dr. Cooledge who is also a baritone in the Atlanta Symphony Chorus. I assisted him replace one of the panels which meant re-sealing the outer diaphragm once the surgery was complete and recharging the gas. He put some SF6 in a cup, inhaled it and sang a few bars from an aria. Sounded like Lurch at the Met.

They did suffer reliability issues in time. Nelson Pass used to demo his Threshold amplifiers in the 80s with stacked pairs.

c_dk said:
Listened to them at the Chicago CES say in 1979 or so. In the Pick Congress and due to the heat and ozone smell had to have the windows open....they did not like the wind that gave us relief.
Click to expand...
Yes, you are likely thinking of Dr. Hill's Plasmatronics with the ionic tweeter that consumed helium.
 
Worked on the Hill Plasmatronics a few times.

Great tweeter.

Each speaker takes 220 volts at 12 amps!

Plus a bottle of Helium.
 
Harvestor said:

Cerwin Vega loaded their s1 or S2 speakers with this sulfur hexafluoride gas bags in the late 70s, but I still have to wonder if the plastic bags by their own very nature lessened the internal volume of the cabinet enclosure..?... kind of like putting a pillow inside the cabinet.. it almost seems like the plastic would negate the advantages of this gas...?

https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/subwoofers/255130-filling-subwoofer-box-sulfur-hexafluoride-5.html

It would be an interesting experiment to load a room with sulfur hexafluoride gas and have an orchestra play music, how would the horn section sound? Or the woodwinds flutes and oboe?.. how would the percussion section sound? Or the string section? A room filled with this gas with music a live orchestra or even a rock band would be an interesting experiment.

https://images.app.goo.gl/VLkgfSVKgdDr7fcg9

View attachment 1523818
Click to expand...
BITD, we used to joke about filling subwoofer enclosures with nitrous oxide, etc. I had no idea anyone actually attempted this - how long would it take for the gas to escape under normal circumstances? Obviously, if you pull a woofer ....
 
Harvestor said:

Cerwin Vega loaded their s1 or S2 speakers with this sulfur hexafluoride gas bags in the late 70s, but I still have to wonder if the plastic bags by their own very nature lessened the internal volume of the cabinet enclosure..?... kind of like putting a pillow inside the cabinet.. it almost seems like the plastic would negate the advantages of this gas...?

https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/subwoofers/255130-filling-subwoofer-box-sulfur-hexafluoride-5.html

It would be an interesting experiment to load a room with sulfur hexafluoride gas and have an orchestra play music, how would the horn section sound? Or the woodwinds flutes and oboe?.. how would the percussion section sound? Or the string section? A room filled with this gas with music a live orchestra or even a rock band would be an interesting experiment.

https://images.app.goo.gl/VLkgfSVKgdDr7fcg9

View attachment 1523818
Click to expand...
Isn’t hexafluride toxic ? Fluoride is more toxic then lead usually .
 
damacman said:
BITD, we used to joke about filling subwoofer enclosures with nitrous oxide, etc. I had no idea anyone actually attempted this - how long would it take for the gas to escape under normal circumstances? Obviously, if you pull a woofer ....
Click to expand...
The trick is to use plastic bags like balloons that's how they loaded the s1 Cerwin Vega cabinets with balloons basically full of the gas
 
Buck Rogers said:
Great tweeter
Click to expand...
In search of the rest of a speaker.

One of the funniest reviews I've read was Harry Pearson's take on it. While he acknowledged the purity of the plasma tweeter, he hated the midrange. His wording was something like this:

...the obnoxious "My Heart Goes Where the Wild Goose Goes" honking of the midrange "...

Dr. Hill was not amused and responded with a sophomoric poem criticizing HP's hearing. Unfazed, HP penned his own poem in response.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom