(The battlefield horn photo I posted in the debate thread............)
(The battlefield horn photo I posted in the debate thread............)
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Big Speaker
Deep in the Wilds of Northern Ontario, is a group of scientists and dedicated audiophiles seeking to expand the limits in bass reproduction. A shroud of secrecy blankets the entire project, but late in september 97 we were allowed in to visit ,and were allowed the following exclusive shots. After months of preliminary testing, the group began construction of what is without doubt the largest speaker installation in the world.
We departed from Kenora Ontario (120 miles west of Winnipeg Manitoba) by boat to a small fishing camp about 20 miles out on the beautiful lake of the woods. Early the next morning we boarded a beaver float plane and after a scenic 2 hour flight due north arrived seemingly in the middle of nowhere, a vast mosaic of lake and forested wilderness.
Here you see the island from the air (sorry, photo not available) as we land in the beaver float plane. The mouth of the horn can clearly be distinguished. the box- like structure is the elevator shaft & control center. Early on the team tested a single driver system, but many obstacles (heat, piston size, etc.) could not be surmounted. The current design, finalized ,and nearing completion, ,is exotic and complex. The Design uses three turbine driven, phase coupling engines, Three massive horn loaded bass drivers, in subterranean chambers blasted and drilled out of bedrock 200 feet under ground, All on an island!
The team came up with some innovations that are at the core of the shroud of secrecy that we encountered. We were to see the bass horn structures, the acoustic Eigen-surge tank and the phase engines but not the bass drivers, nor were many details available... look and listen this time, we were told.
In this shot, taken at the assembly plant in Winnipeg ,Gerhart, chief of final assembly stands with one of the three bass horns, with one of the three turbine phase coupling engines in front. A massive bass driver will be mounted face down in the opening with the ladder sticking up.
Below you can see the immense scale of the Horn Eigen-surge chamber This picture was taken from the mouth of one of the three bass horn throats looking into the Eigen-surge tank .Directly in front of you is one of the phase coupler throats with two of the bass horn throats, one to the left and one to the right. Just visible down the right bass opening, can be seen the end of one of the actual bass horn mouths. 2 more phase couplers are on your near left and right, out of frame. Looking up, you see the throat of the main horn structure, which terminates some 200 feet above you on the surface of the island. The scale and scope of this thing left us stunned...
We were informed that large pumps work constantly and that lake water is part of the overall method for tuning and cooling the beast! as mentioned earlier we were not able to see the bass drivers, the control room, amplifiers or cooling systems ,but were promised that we would see and hear all on our next trip.
In late 1999 the installation should be up and woofin' so keep on hitting this page and we'll report about our next visit (july 1998
last photo
Not big enough...
see also.............
http://www.victorysiren.com/x/index.htm
The Canadian effort even beats the famous "Royal Device"sub, except theirs actually fits inside a building...............
http://www.royaldevice.com/custom3.htm
Ill be hunting Ebay for one of these! The Ultimate noisemaker!
Great for signaling the begining of the summer season at Coney Island!
You think apartment buildings in the area might object to testing this out?
I've got an air raid siren on a sound effects recording; I fired it up once with the 4560's outside..........it was great...........
There is a fairly new outside warning siren about 1/3 mile from my house; I was outside once when they tested it. It rotates about twice a minute; when the horn was aimed in my direction, it drove me inside off the back deck. Unreal, and it ain't nothing like the Chrysler.
And Ill crank that sucker till Im heard all the way to Ohio!
Yesssssssssssssssssssssssss, check THIS photo out!!
and THEN!!
This is one neat photo; look how high up they are!!! I wonder what building they are on.........? Empire State building??
"Get the hell away from the rail, Frank.........."
Last edited by mikebake; 10-09-2004 at 12:16 PM.
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