T Annoy' S Dual Concentric by Definition

Tannoy’s Dual Concentric by Definition TM
The term "Dual Concentric™" is defined by Tannoy as a coincident

point source, where the low frequency cone acts as a seamless,
direct extension of the high frequency waveguide, yielding a con-
stant directivity pattern with linear amplitude and phase response
on both the horizontal and vertical axis.
Tannoy’s Concentric Sound - What to Expect

An acclimation period is needed when a Dual Concentric™ is first installed in your
system, unless you are already in the know. This is due to the inherent blended power
characteristic with frequency for a single-source drive unit of this type. Here we have a
310 mm - 12 inch driver working up to a relatively low (for mid driver) 1.1 kHz
crossover point, low enough for a good distributio of energy over a 90 degree angle.
Aboe 1.1 kHz the concentric hor n tweeter in the centre continues the range precisely, the
main cone flare providing a closely matched distribution, and thus maintaining smooth
on- and off-axis responses. Such a power trend has a distinctive sound in the listening
room and differs from the commonly-found alter native where the crossover, from a
smaller bass/mid unit, is set at around 3 kHz, above which point that 90 degree window
increases abruptly to almost 180 degrees as the usual 25 mm - 1 inch dome tweeter
takes over. Designers work hard to smooth out the r eslting power transition but it’s
difficult to wholly disguise this. It may leave more than a trace of nasality and
hardness in the sound, and add drama to transients, a bit of extra percussive attack
and excitement; but this in reality is an exaggeration. Since nearly all speakers are
made this way, we are more or less adjusted to this kind of sound. This is why a truly
neutral speaker such as the Quad ESL63 electrostatic can sound “dull” and “lacking
attack” by comparison. Tannoy’s Dual Concentric™ sound also falls into this category
and listeners may need a little time to appreciate its instrinsic tonal accuracy.
Tannoy North America Inc. 335 Gage Ave., Kitchener, ON Canada N2M 5E1
T: (519)745-1158 • F: (519)745-2364 • E: inquiries@tannoyna.com
DUAL CONCENTRIC™
Integral diffraction ring
blends HF wavefront for
better imaging and smoother
State-of-the-art voice coils are treble.
immersed in cooling magnetic
liquid, for very high thermal power
handling wide dynamic range.
Rigid low frequency paper
continues hyperbolic
Massive waveguide for controlled
Twin propagation of treble
Magnet wavefront.
design.
HF Tulip wave-guide
gives ideal sphericalwavefront
for point source stereo imaging.
Stiff, light weight

tweeter diaphragm
for true piston
movement ensures
smooth, detailed
Coincident acoustic treble.
point source ensuring
razor-sharp holistic Vented
suspension
sound field.
chamber reduces
distortion.
High rigidity cast

chassis eliminates and permits
large open area behind cone Nitrile rubber
preventing unwanted reflections. surround eliminates
resonances and
improves linearity.
AllegroSound.com
INTRODUCTION
For over 40 years Tannoy has been manufacturing Dual Concentric drive units and loudspeak-
er systems. Over that time the loudspeaker industry has developed increasingly sophisticat-
ed drive units and horn systems to control the way sound is dispersed into the world. They
have tried, in part, to duplicate the inherent advantages of the true point source – the
Tannoy Dual Concentric.
Tannoy has continued to develop the Dual Concentric concept, even when other more overtly
‘modern’ products such as the constant directivity horn were capturing the headlines.
It is popular to say that loudspeakers haven’t changed at all in the last half century. But
there have been a huge number of incremental improvements produced by better under-
standing of the nature of sound propagation, the use of vastly improved development tools
and computers, and the use of ever more sophisticated materials and manufacturing tech-
niques. As well as sounding so much better, today’s drive units have the power, reliability
and SPL capabilities of a dozen of their earlier predecessors.
Whilst standing the test of time, the Tannoy Dual Concentric has not stood still. Tannoy has
been constantly improving the capabilities of the drive units, and recently our engineers
returned to first principles and designed an entirely new drive unit. This new unit applies
Tannoy’s long experience and advanced understanding of loudspeaker and acoustic theory
taking the Dual Concentric into the next century.
In this White Paper some of the inherent advantages of using a point source, and why the
Dual Concentric is seeing a renaissance in the contractor industry, are explained.
® © Tannoy Ltd May 1992/June 1996 Part No. 6483 0283 Page 1
ONE SOURCE IS BETTER THAN TWO
In the ideal world manufacturers would like to produce a single drive unit that copes with all of the
frequency range. But the laws of physics being what they are, a driver that works well for low frequen-
cies will not work well for high frequencies and visa versa. So separate drive units are used for differ-
ent areas of the frequency band. Most manufacturers have developed completely different drive units
and placed them in a single box or in several boxes to create a full range system.
Unfortunately as soon as you break the audio signal into separate sections and transmit it from dif-
ferent points in space all sorts of problems occur.
LARGE PISTON AREA SMALLER PISTON AREA

LARGE POWER INPUT LESS POWER INPUT
MORE OMNIDIRECTIONAL CONTROLLED DISPERSION
CABINET NEEDED DIFFRACTION CONSIDERATIONS
Sound pressure (dB)
DISPLACEMENT OF SOURCES
TIME ALIGNMENT
PHASE DIFFERENCES
10 100 1000 10000 20000

Frequency (Hz)
• Covering the whole audio spectrum requires different approaches at different

frequencies for optimum solutions.
• A seamless joining together at crossover is essential.
Interference over the critical crossover area
Over the crossover area, both HF and LF drive units are producing acoustic energy. Since the drive
units are a little (or sometime large) distance away from each other, the signal path to the listener
from the HF and LF drive units will be slightly different. The sound from the more distant driver will
take slightly more time to reach the listener than from the nearer one.
In one seat, the sound from the two drive units will be in phase with excellent perceived level, but in
a nearby seat they could be out of phase and the level will be down or even reduced to zero over a
narrow band of frequencies. Consequently when separated HF and LF drive units are used, the sound
coverage in the crossover area will always be somewhat inconsistent.
One way to get over this is to use very steep crossover slopes, so the crossover area, where both
drive units are working, is minimised. However, steep filters can create phase errors and other elec-
tronic artefacts generating more problems than they solve.
Phase Error Changes with Position
HF LF
VER
SOURCE SOURCE
O SSO
CR
AT
H ASE
FP
TO
OU
IN PHASE AT CROSSOVER
OU
TO
FP
HA
SE
AT
CR
OS
HF horn SO
Bass Cab VE
R
Plan View
Very Steep Filter Slopes Less Steep Filter Slopes

Very Steep Filter Slopes Less Steep Filter Slopes
AMPLITUDE
AMPLITUDE
PHASE
PHASE
0 0
• A true Point Source gives the same sound from seat to seat.
• Dual Concentrics can use simpler, better sounding and more efficient crossovers.
Harmonics
Every sound created in the natural world has harmonics that give us clues to the type and quality of
the signal source. The harmonics of a single note may extend beyond the limits of hearing.
A fundamental note, with fundamental frequency lying within the range of the LF driver, will have
many harmonics reproduced through the HF driver. If these are separated, either in time or space,
then in most listening positions the fundamental of the note will be heard at a slightly different time
to its harmonics, which does not lead to the most accurate reproduction of the sound.
The Tannoy Dual Concentric Preserves the Harmonic Structure of Complex Sounds
RESULTANT
POINT FUNDAMENTAL
SOURCE SECOND HARMONIC
Time
THIRD HARMONIC
Harmonic relationships preserved using a single point source
DIFFERENT RESULTANT
DISPLACED
SOURCES
Time
Harmonic relationships using multiple sources
DISTORTED MULTIPLE-SOURCE RESULTANT

ORIGINAL SINGLE-SOURCE RESULTANT
Time
Signal
Original versus distorted resultant
• Dual Concentrics have better harmonic alignment.

• Better harmonic alignment results in a clearer, more intelligible, more natural sound.
Constant Time Delay
A single pulse of sound, such as a drum beat can be considered a combination of many acoustic ele-
ments up and down the frequency spectrum. A loudspeaker system should behave as a constant
time delay with every element of the audio spectrum being delayed by the same amount as it passes
through the driver and crossover.
If, as is often the case with complex crossovers and separate drive units, the delays are different for
different areas of the audio spectrum then these elements will be heard slightly staggered. The
‘crack’ of the stick hitting the drum skin from the ‘thump’ of the lower frequencies produced by the
drum skin vibrating will be heard as separate events.
This can only be partially resolved by introducing delay processing to re-align the elements. Additional
processing, with its associated signal degradation, is made unnecessary by using a Dual Concentric.
Phase Response of a Typical Discrete Non-Aligned System
(180°)
=/ K
df
0
100 Hz FDS 20 kHz
Phase not independent of frequency
(-180°)
Phase Response of a Typical Tannoy Dual Concentric System
(180°)
.
=K
df .
0
100 Hz FDC 20 kHz
Phase substantially independent of frequency
(-180°)
• An integrated Dual Concentric approach provides a constant time delay.

• Constant time delays over the frequency spectrum give better overall sound quality and tran-
sient performance.
• Constant time delay behaviour removes the need for separate HF delay lines that need care-
ful and time consuming on-site adjustments.
Attempts to emulate the Dual Concentric
There have been two trends in system design to try and emulate the single source approach. The
first is to bolt the HF horn in front of the LF or MF sections. This places the two sources in the same
axis but only in two planes – one driver is still in front of the other. To integrate the signals, some
form of delay has to be applied to one unit to make it coherent with the signals coming from the
other unit. This is costly to do well, making the crossover very complex – and complex crossovers
can affect sound quality or use up power that could be better used powering the driver.
As well as creating problems within the electronics, placing the HF driver and horn directly in front of
a low frequency driver produces a whole set of non-linearities caused by the LF waves being masked
and reflected back onto the driver cone.
Engineers are increasingly concerned with the acoustic effects of relatively acoustically transparent
obstacles such as the grilles. Placing a large solid HF driver or a less solid (and more resonant) horn
with all the associated mounting hardware directly in the way of the LF driver is not a satisfactory
engineering solution.
A Tannoy Dual Concentric does not suffer from reflected energy storage or mid-range
shadowing
LF LF
Obstruction and
interference
Single
horn profile
HF HF
Discontinuity
of HF
Typical Coaxial unit Tannoy Dual Concentric
• A Point Source driver simplifies nearly every aspect of a system installation.

• The Dual Concentric is the only practical way of creating a full frequency range Point Source
driver.
• Other ways of approaching the Point Source goal suffer from identifiable drawbacks.
More attempts to emulate the Dual Concentric
Another trend in system design is to create systems from full-range cabinets, rather than separate
bass, mid and HF cabinets, which were the fashion in the 70s and early 80s. For both hire and
installation work the convenience of the compact full range cabinet, inherent in the Dual Concentric
approach, is becoming increasingly appreciated. But bringing the drive units closer together in small-
er boxes offers only partial solutions to the problems of time domain, phase, directivity, crossover
complexities.
A well designed Dual Concentric drive unit resolves these problems by being a true point source.
HF SOURCE
MF SOURCE
LF SOURCE
HF, MF AND
LF SOURCE
• Compact, full range boxes are the system design route for the 90s.
• Even in a small box, separated drive units cannot emulate a true point source unit, they will
still suffer from all the problems of being of non Dual Concentric design.
ONE DRIVER – ONE DIRECTIVITY
A lot of energy has gone into the design of constant directivity horns that control the acoustic disper-
sion from the HF driver. This is important to maintain an even coverage at all frequencies over the
target area.
Controlling the directivity also allows the sound from the speaker to be more accurately targeted to
where it is needed. Targeting keeps the sound where you want it, and away from the walls and ceil-
ing. This cuts down the amount of high level reflections that cause at best, reduced intelligibility, and
at worse, resonances and feedback.
In this age of tighter controls on working conditions it is also important to keep sound levels down in
work areas. Levels that are acceptable on a discotheque floor, will not be acceptable in the nearby
bar area where staff are working all the time.
Dispersion pattern for Constant Directivity
0° 0° 0°
30° 30° 30°
60° 60° 60°
270° 90° 270° 90° 270° 90°
1kHz 5kHz 10kHz
Dispersion pattern for Non-Constant Directivity
0° 0° 0°
30° 30° 30°
60° 60° 60°
270° 90° 270° 90° 270° 90°
1kHz 5kHz 10kHz
• The ideal system is one where the sound dispersion is well controlled, and does not dramati-
cally alter with frequency.
• Dispersion control must be achieved without introducing problems in other areas
Two drive units – two directivities.
At very low frequencies all systems radiate omni-directionally. From a few hundred Hertz and above,
dispersion control can be introduced by mechanically and acoustically adjusting the radiated wave-
front.
The problem with most two or three-way speaker solutions is that while the HF is correctly controlled
with a constant directivity horn, the mid and mid/low frequency speakers are left to fend for them-
selves. Consequently the radiation pattern for the high frequencies is completely different to the radi-
ation pattern produced by the lower frequency drive units.
With different dispersions at different frequencies, the off-axis frequency versus amplitude response
will be quite different to the on-axis response. The difference in sound balance will also not be con-
sistent. It will depend on where you are sitting, and what frequencies are being handled at the time.
Also with widely differing dispersion patterns the amount of energy being radiated into the room
varies enormously with frequency. Peaks and troughs of energy aggravate the unpredictability of a
room’s performance, making it impossible to introduce equalisation that meets the requirements
both of on-axis response and even room energy performance.
By designing the Dual Concentric as an integrated full range driver, Tannoy can produce a consistent
conical directivity pattern uniquely across a much larger portion of the frequency range. Except for
the very low omni-directional frequencies, what you get on axis is an even response; what you get
off-axis is the same even response. The energy going into the room is controlled, for natural and
highly intelligible sound reproduction.
Typical Discrete system with horn HF Typical Tannoy Dual Concentric
PROPAGATES
FULL BANDWIDTH
PHASE COHERENT
WAVEFRONT
HF SOURCE
ACOUSTIC
POINT
SOURCE
LF SOURCE
• With a Dual Concentric the dispersion is smooth and consistent down to the point at which
the speaker starts behaving omni-directionally.
• Varying dispersion aggravates room response problems making it more difficult to set up the
system.
• Uneven dispersion gives unpredictable sound balances.
• Controlled, even dispersion gives greater intelligibility in difficult reverberant rooms.
Spherical Wavefront Generation
The Tannoy Dual Concentric high frequency waveguide ensures that spherical wavefronts and a good
acoustic directivity match with the low frequency driver. In this way there are no discontinuities in the
dispersion characteristics of the cone driver and the HF horn, in the critical crossover area. This is
simply not possible to achieve with separated drive units.
Spherical radiation provides a perfectly even and predictable dispersion symmetrically in both hori-
zontal and vertical planes. It controls the sound precisely to where you want it, and ensures that the
coverage is the same over the majority of the frequency range.
Truly Spherical Wavefront Generation
Waveguide
Spherical
wavefront
Diaphragm
• The Dual Concentric has a spherical dispersion for consistent performance vertically and hor-
izontally.
• The Dual Concentric’s spherical dispersion is symmetrical.
• On-axis and off-axis performance remains consistent across the frequency spectrum.
• The audience hears the same high quality performance wherever they are.
Better control where you want sound
With essentially one directivity pattern across the low/mid, mid and high frequency spectrum, the
amount of energy being placed anywhere within the speaker’s coverage area will be consistent. With
a true conical dispersion, coverage will not seriously vary with frequency.
Typical Tannoy Dual Concentric
ACOUSTIC
POINT
SOURCE
• Even dispersion means even coverage.

• Sound quality is consistent across the floor area.
• Designing the HF and cone drive units as a single system resolves dispersion disparities at
the crossover area.
The problems of sound where you don’t want it
It is impossible to stop some sound radiating onto the walls and ceilings. With a radically changing
dispersion characteristic, a speaker system that measures quite flat on-axis may be putting substan-
tially more energy into the surrounding area at one frequency and considerably less energy into the
room at another frequency. This causes intelligibility problems in most rooms.
An uneven power radiation can aggravate existing room related problems. If peaks of energy radiation
coincide with room peaks then there is an increased likelihood of feedback. This reduces the overall
amount of gain that can be obtained from the system. Even with relatively well behaved rooms and
spaces, an uneven power response, especially from component based systems where the reflections
will also have erratic phase relationships, will reduce intelligibility. Unless the off-axis power
response is even, there will be no direct or predictable relationship between the on-axis response
and the total amount of energy being put into the room at any given frequency.
Typical Discrete System with controlled dispersion HF units
HF SOURCE
LF SOURCE
• Erratic off-axis dispersion increases room related problems.

• Discrete systems become more prone to feedback, with lower overall gain and intelligibility.
Resolving the problems of sound where you don’t want it
With the Dual Concentric you know that for the mid/bass upwards in the audio spectrum the loud-
speaker will be putting a similar amount of energy into the room. With this consistent control of
acoustic radiation, a Dual Concentric performance is less likely to be affected by the peculiarities of
the room or where it is positioned in that room.
There are several significant advantages of even power radiation. Gain before feedback can be
increased and intelligibility maintained. Using a Tannoy Dual Concentric the amount of equalisation,
with its associated power losses, and phase and distortion problems, can be reduced significantly.
Typical Tannoy Dual Concentric
ACOUSTIC
POINT
SOURCE
Propagates full bandwidth

phase coherent spherical
wavefront
• Even off-axis dispersion reduces room related problems.

• More flexibility of placement, less feedback, higher gain.
• Less EQ makes for a better sounding, more efficient system.
• Less time spent EQ’ing the system.
• Less money spent on equalisers and amplifier power.
Wider dispersion – fewer speakers
The Dual Concentric dispersion characteristic gives a fairly wide yet always fully controlled spread of
sound. Except for the largest auditorium systems, most applications require loudspeakers to be
short or medium throw because the problems are not so much ones of overall high SPLs but of get-
ting adequate coverage for the whole floor area. A wide dispersion is desirable to reduce the number
of speaker systems needed to cover a specific area.
So in many installations, fewer Dual Concentric systems are required to cover an area, but without
sacrificing smooth and accurate overall coverage.
The Tannoy Dual Concentric covers broader areas of the listening environment
Coverage 160˚
Two-way or Typical Coaxial - 5 drivers needed
Coverage 160˚
Tannoy Dual Concentric - 3 drivers needed
• Controlled wide dispersion means even coverage over large areas.

• Wider dispersion means fewer boxes to cover an area – lower systems cost with fewer loud-
speakers, less wiring and lower installation time.
Fewer lobes – fewer problems horizontally
When several speakers are used in an array, there is an additional important advantage of using cab-
inets with a true point source driver. In arrays of the same cabinets there will always be some inter-
ference between the signal sources. This causes lobes with peaks and troughs of level that, as well
as giving uneven coverage, also increases the likelihood of feedback. This means the amount of gain
that the system has before feedback will be restricted.
A carefully created array of Dual Concentrics, produces considerably fewer lobes, giving better cover-
age and potentially greater gain.
Horizontal Lobing Reduction
-80° +80°
Two-way or Typical Coaxial
-80° +80°
Tannoy Dual Concentric
• Spherical wavefront Point Source drive units are the only way to achieve a Point Source
Array.
• Arrays of Dual Concentrics are less prone to lobes leading to a more even spread of sound,
less feedback and more gain.
• Dual Concentrics array equally well horizontally as vertically.
Fewer lobes – fewer problems vertically
The Tannoy Dual Concentric has a spherical dispersion, which is symmetric in both horizontal and ver-
tical planes, they will array as well vertically as they do horizontally, which cannot be said of any horn
and cone system.
Vertical Lobing Shows Significant Reduction
Two-way or Typical Coaxial
ILL-DEFINED ACOUSTIC
VIRTUAL SOURCE
WELL-DEFINED
ACOUSTIC VIRTUAL
SOURCE
• Spherical wavefront Point Source drive units are the only way to achieve a Point Source
Array.
• Arrays of Dual Concentrics are less prone to lobes leading to a more even spread of sound,
less feedback and more gain.
• Dual Concentrics array equally well vertically as horizontally.
A SINGLE DRIVER – AN INTEGRATED SOLUTION
An often ignored but crucial feature of the Dual Concentric is that it is designed as a fully integrated
unit, with every important aspect of its performance controlled at the design stage. Tannoy engineers
are continually applying the basic principles of the Dual Concentric and producing designs where
every aspect – from the waveguide design to impedance control – is being addressed.
The Tannoy Dual Concentric merges high quality driver design and manufacturing with innovative and
original technology.
The Tannoy Dual Concentric designed as a Point Source from First Principles
HF SOURCE HF AND LF SOURCE

LF SOURCE COINCIDENT
ERROR
ERROR = Ø
Horn in cone
Rear cover
HF magnet
LF magnet
Tannoy
Typical Coaxial Dual Concentric
Note error in source Coincident Point Source
alignment
• Coincident Point Source.

• Large throat area for high power and unrestricted dynamics.
• Lower HF compression gives lower distortion, higher power handling and SPLs.
• Precision moulded waveguide and diaphragm carrier.
• Edge wound ribbon voice coil.
• Open, cast chassis.
CAD waveguide – lower compression lower distortion
HF compression drive units which used a variety of separate horns always have to have one eye on
physical compatibility, they have to use a standardised throat diameters (usually 1” or 2”). This is
regardless of what the designer would prefer to use in the ideal world.
By being free of this requirement, the HF waveguide system used by the Tannoy Dual Concentric can
be designed purely to meet the requirements of the whole loudspeaker’s performance.
The new wave guide developed using sophisticated computer aided design technique is a lot more
open in structure, substantially decreasing the compression ratio. Lower compression means that
the diaphragm can make larger excursions, with lower even order harmonic distortion.
Significantly Lower HF Compression Ratio Driver
Standard Throat
Matching Diameter
High Compression
Throat Area
SMALLER SPACING:
LESS POWER HANDLI
LESS EXCURSION
MORE DISTORTION
Diaphragm
LARGER SPACING:
Typical Coaxial with Slotted Phase Plug MORE POWER HANDLING
MORE EXCURSION
LESS 2ND HARMONIC
‘Tulip’ Waveguide
• An integrated approach can concentrate on solving driver problems.

• Much lower HF compression ratios gives lower distortion, higher power handling and SPLs.
Horn and cone – a single system
The Tannoy Dual Concentric uses the cone as an extension of the HF horn. By working this way, inte-
grating the cone and HF horn, there is no jump in acoustic impedance as the HF wavefront leaves the
horn. The acoustic load impedance offered to the driver changes smoothly and gently. Smooth
acoustic impedance means that there will be no large swings in electrical impedance, so making the
speaker easier to drive.
LF Cone is an Extension of the HF Waveguide
Large mouth = Low cutoff

HF mouth diameter
HF horn
• Designing the cone as an extension of the HF horn ensures a smooth acoustic impedance
transition.
• Smoother acoustic impedance means smoother electrical impedance curves and more pre-
dictable powering requirements, making better use of the available amplifier power.
Smoother impedance and easier to drive
Speakers are driven by voltage swings produced by the amplifier – the greater the voltage swing, the
greater the cone excursion, the louder the sound.
However, the current drawn from the amplifier is dependant on the speaker’s impedance. As the
impedance drops then more current is drawn.
Amplifiers have a finite limit to the amount of current they can deliver and modern installation ampli-
fiers integrate protection systems to stop the amplifier trying to deliver too much current.
These have varying effects from restricting the dynamic range, to temporarily shutting down. So it is
important that the loudspeaker presents a smooth impedance curve with no dramatic dips, that
might push an already hard working amplifier into protection mode.
The Tannoy Dual Concentric Offers Smooth and Gentle Impedance Changes
No discontinuity
Discontinuity
in HF horn
in HF horn
Peaks due to Low Q fundamental

Iz1 discontinuity Iz1 resonance only
1 kHz FS 20 kHz 1 kHz FS 20 kHz
Impedance of Typical Coaxial Impedance of Dual Concentric
• Smoother impedance for less strain on the amplifiers.

• Better controlled impedance dips give less likelihood of amplifier protection circuits operat-
ing.
• Smooth impedance makes for more accurate prediction of power requirements, less incen-
tive to over-specify amplifier powers.
Higher heat dissipation – more accurate dynamics
Because of the large magnets and pole pieces used in the Tannoy Dual Concentric, the driver has a
high thermal mass. This, linked with the use of magnetic fluid, gives better control over the coil’s
temperature.
If the coil temperature increases significantly then its resistance goes up, it draws less current, and
the upper levels of dynamic range are compressed. For a loudspeaker designed to accurately repro-
duce live performance, it is critical to have accurate dynamic performance if the sound isn’t going to
become flat and uninteresting.
Keeping the temperature stable also helps with reliability, especially at high power levels.
High Thermal Mass and Power Dissipation
Heat dissipation from large area of LF and HF magnets and chassis
• Lower acoustic compression for better live sound.

• Better heat dissipation means better long term reliability.
• Better heat dissipation – greater tolerance of accidental overdriving.
Addressing the crossover area
The crossover area is critical to the performance of a loudspeaker system, and when separate drive
units are used to cover the audio spectrum, this is the one area that the design engineer has least
control over.
The Tannoy Dual Concentric is designed as an entire system. This means that problems, like the
smooth transition of level and dispersion over the crossover area, can be resolved in the driver
design.
As the two driver sections are designed to work inseparably Tannoy designers are able to modify the
physical characteristics of the cone and diaphragms so that they work in a symbiotic manner, gener-
ating a perfectly even amplitude and dispersion characteristic at the crossover area.
Typical Coaxial Response Showing LF and HF Drivers Before Crossover Equalisation
HF
LF
Sound pressure (dB)
10 100 1000 10000 20000

Frequency (Hz)
Tannoy Dual Concentric Showing Before Crossover Equalisation
LF HF
Sound pressure (dB)
10 100 1000 10000 20000

Frequency (Hz)
• An integrated driver design can address major problems at the design/manufacturing stage.
• Problems associated with the crossover area can be designed out in an integrated driver.
Better driver integration – simpler crossovers
In the Dual Concentric, the integration of LF/HF drive units and horn is predetermined in the design
stage. There are no unpredictable elements, such as how far the HF and LF drive units are placed
away from each other and how coherent they are.
Consequently the crossover has to deal only with the smooth filtering of the signal to each section of
the loudspeaker. It does not have to add components to deal with time anomalies in the crossover
area and it does not need components to delay one of the signal paths. It also does not need to
apply steep filtering to reduce the size of the crossover area.
Simpler crossovers are more reliable and do less damage to the sound especially at high powers.
When active crossovers are being used they result in a better response shape, and there is no
requirement for additional digital delay circuits.
Since there are no ‘variables’ when using a Dual Concentric there is less crossover alignment work
to be done on site. This will substantially reduce the time spent equalising and remove any need to
introduce and then adjust HF delay line times.
Typical Coaxial Crossover Incorporating HF Time Delay
HF
HF In
Typical Tannoy Dual Concentric Crossover
HF In
• Full control of the speaker design makes crossover design simpler.

• Simple crossovers sound better.
• Simple crossovers are less expensive.
• Simple crossovers take less time to set up on site.
DUAL CONCENTRICS – HISTORY IN THE MAKING
It is interesting to see increasing numbers of our competitors moving slowly towards the idea
of a point source system. They are reducing box size, squeezing drive units closer together
and using delay lines to ‘recreate’ a coincident source.
Tannoy has always believed that the obvious and natural way of solving the problems of sep-
arated drive units is not to separate them in the first place.
Throwing more and more technology at the problem can cause more difficulties than it
cures.
But Tannoy’s Dual Concentric is more than a Point Source, it is a fully integrated full range
loudspeaker system that maintains complete control over the system design.
The principle has been established for decades, but the technology and materials are more
advanced than any of the competition.
The signal being fed to the speaker is completely homogeneous. Splitting it into different fre-
quencies to be delivered from different positions in space, can only create problems.
The Dual Concentric is simply the right way to deliver a homogeneous signal.

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Tannoy’s Dual Concentric by Definition TM

The term "Dual Concentric™" is defined by Tannoy as a coincident

Tannoy’s Concentric Sound - What to Expect

Stiff, light weight

High rigidity cast

LARGE PISTON AREA SMALLER PISTON AREA

10 100 1000 10000 20000

• Covering the whole audio spectrum requires different approaches at different

Phase Error Changes with Position

Very Steep Filter Slopes Less Steep Filter Slopes

Harmonic relationships preserved using a single point source

Harmonic relationships using multiple sources

DISTORTED MULTIPLE-SOURCE RESULTANT

Original versus distorted resultant

• Dual Concentrics have better harmonic alignment.

Phase Response of a Typical Discrete Non-Aligned System

Phase not independent of frequency

Phase Response of a Typical Tannoy Dual Concentric System

Phase substantially independent of frequency

• An integrated Dual Concentric approach provides a constant time delay.

Typical Coaxial unit Tannoy Dual Concentric

• A Point Source driver simplifies nearly every aspect of a system installation.

Dispersion pattern for Constant Directivity

60° 60° 60°

270° 90° 270° 90° 270° 90°

1kHz 5kHz 10kHz

Dispersion pattern for Non-Constant Directivity

60° 60° 60°

270° 90° 270° 90° 270° 90°

1kHz 5kHz 10kHz

Typical Discrete system with horn HF Typical Tannoy Dual Concentric

Truly Spherical Wavefront Generation

Typical Tannoy Dual Concentric

• Even dispersion means even coverage.

Typical Discrete System with controlled dispersion HF units

• Erratic off-axis dispersion increases room related problems.

Typical Tannoy Dual Concentric

Propagates full bandwidth

• Even off-axis dispersion reduces room related problems.

Two-way or Typical Coaxial - 5 drivers needed

Tannoy Dual Concentric - 3 drivers needed

• Controlled wide dispersion means even coverage over large areas.

Horizontal Lobing Reduction

Two-way or Typical Coaxial

Tannoy Dual Concentric

Vertical Lobing Shows Significant Reduction

Two-way or Typical Coaxial

Tannoy Dual Concentric

HF SOURCE HF AND LF SOURCE

• Coincident Point Source.

Significantly Lower HF Compression Ratio Driver

• An integrated approach can concentrate on solving driver problems.

LF Cone is an Extension of the HF Waveguide

Large mouth = Low cutoff

Peaks due to Low Q fundamental

1 kHz FS 20 kHz 1 kHz FS 20 kHz

Impedance of Typical Coaxial Impedance of Dual Concentric

• Smoother impedance for less strain on the amplifiers.

High Thermal Mass and Power Dissipation