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Speaker stacking: what's the deal?

I'm still looking for another pair of JBL L212s - I figure 2 pair would do me just fine!
I saw this triple stack of them once and was very intrigued! (Tho I'd secure them better than this example!)

L212x3a.jpg
 
I ran stacked Clements RT-7 speakers for years, loved it,

Large Scale Sound, twice the normal cone surface area, so the speakers didn't have to travel far in stroke, remaining linear in the gap, lower distortion.
 
I'm kind of surprised that there doesn't seem to be more folks doing what I'm looking to do - running multiple sets of speakers together in order to have more choices, rather than to achieve some kind of larger sound by running them together. I have to wonder if running multiple sets of speakers like that works better for some kinds of music than others. Like, does it work better for music that's supposed to sound big, like rock stuff or orchestral music and not work as great for more intimate music... say a string quartet?
 
Aaron Hayman said:
I'm kind of surprised that there doesn't seem to be more folks doing what I'm looking to do - running multiple sets of speakers together in order to have more choices, rather than to achieve some kind of larger sound by running them together. I have to wonder if running multiple sets of speakers like that works better for some kinds of music than others. Like, does it work better for music that's supposed to sound big, like rock stuff or orchestral music and not work as great for more intimate music... say a string quartet?
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When all in, good for "some" rock and most organ. Not much else.

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Aaron Hayman said:
I'm kind of surprised that there doesn't seem to be more folks doing what I'm looking to do - running multiple sets of speakers together in order to have more choices, rather than to achieve some kind of larger sound by running them together. I have to wonder if running multiple sets of speakers like that works better for some kinds of music than others. Like, does it work better for music that's supposed to sound big, like rock stuff or orchestral music and not work as great for more intimate music... say a string quartet?
Click to expand...

I think quite a few do for your same purpose, but the term "stacking" (due mainly to Advents) has come to usually mean running two (or more) pairs simultaneously.
 
Aaron Hayman said:
I'm kind of surprised that there doesn't seem to be more folks doing what I'm looking to do - running multiple sets of speakers together in order to have more choices, rather than to achieve some kind of larger sound by running them together. I have to wonder if running multiple sets of speakers like that works better for some kinds of music than others. Like, does it work better for music that's supposed to sound big, like rock stuff or orchestral music and not work as great for more intimate music... say a string quartet?
Click to expand...

Hey Aaron, let me briefly share my own experiences.

Personally, I'm listening as I type this to a newly obtained pair of ADS 880's, powered with a Topping TP-60 with a flaky right channel. I do think I could enjoy ANY genre with these amazing little devils.

however, I also am lucky enough to own some Ohm Walsh 300 mk 2's. Nothing, and I mean nothing, makes jazz and classical sound like those beasts.

Then there is my beloved pair of McIntosh XRT20 line arrays. Yeah, I need more house, but damn, what a wallop of sound.

Oh, and I have a restored pair of EV Sentry VI's with a rebuilt crossover (that I've YET to connect, had it since March of this year).

So, I get it. ALL speakers are a compromise. Nothing wrong with wanting different speakers for different types of music.

A man eats steak every day, he eventually wants a pb and J.
 
The problem with stacking speakers is if you introduce different arrival times causing sever destructive interference between drivers covering the same frequencies. Its not so much a problem for woofers as it is for the upper frequencies of mid range drivers and tweeters. Above 2 or 3000 Hz even fractions of inches can create sever dips and peaks. Your ear is very sensitive to arrival times which tells which direction the sound is coming from, so multiple speakers can give your mind a lot of false impressions making the sound very un-natural. Thats why a lot of audiophiles are against line arrays with all the different arrival times.
 
twiiii said:
Your ear is very sensitive to arrival times which tells which direction the sound is coming from, so multiple speakers can give your mind a lot of false impressions making the sound very un-natural. Thats why a lot of audiophiles are against line arrays with all the different arrival times.
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Amen! The term is comb filtering.

Which is one reason why I prefer line arrays using full range electrostatic panels. Every square inch sounds just like every other square inch. ;)
 
z-adamson said:
There are at least a few little things that subtract from a system's performance potential that you see as inconsequential. Some think the little things matter, some don't.
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This side of a megabuck high end system in a professionally designed acoustically ideal environment (which I highly doubt applies to more than a handful of us), the presence of extra loudspeakers is the least of one's worries.

All that really matters in the final analysis is whether the end results are acceptable to the OP as I had stated.
 
Aaron Hayman said:
I'm kind of surprised that there doesn't seem to be more folks doing what I'm looking to do - running multiple sets of speakers together in order to have more choices, rather than to achieve some kind of larger sound by running them together. I have to wonder if running multiple sets of speakers like that works better for some kinds of music than others. Like, does it work better for music that's supposed to sound big, like rock stuff or orchestral music and not work as great for more intimate music... say a string quartet?
Click to expand...

Like such? Altec 14s mainly for jazz/small arrangement music; Boston towers for more complex material.
 

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