Meeting Topic: Design Techniques for Loudspeaker Systems
Moderator Name: Mark Edwards
Speaker Name: David Murphy, Krix Loudspeakers
Other business or activities at the meeting:
Annual General Meeting.
The Melbourne Section held its Annual General Meeting on Mon August 13th at Swinburne Uni.
Vice-Chairman Jim Barbour, a past Chairman and long-time worker for the Section did not stand for re-election this time around. Chairman Mark Edwards paid tribute to Jim's contribution to the Section, and indicated that Jim was welcome to return to the Committee at any time he wished. Jim assured the meeting that he would still remain active in the Section.
Visiting speaker David Murphy conducted the election, which re-elected all the Committee Members who were standing for re-election, and two new Committee Members (Michail Barabsz and Paolo Menolotto).
As well as the Committee Election, the meeting was asked to vote on the changes to our Association Rules (ByLaws). The Chairman explained that changes were aimed at bringing the Rules up to date by taking into account modern communications technologies like email and websites; as well as updating references to State Government legislations under which we operate as an Incorporated Association. He also indicated that the new Draft Rules had been approved last year by the AES Board of Governors. The meeting voted unanimously to approve the new Rules.
Meeting Location: Swinburne University
Following the AGM David Murphy of Krix Loudspeakers gave a very interesting presentation on "Design Techniques for Loudspeaker Systems".
David, in addition to his wide-ranging AES activities, is a loudspeaker designer at Adelaide-based Krix Loudspeakers — a pre-eminent supplier of loudspeakers to the Cinema Industry in Australia and the region.
David took us through the design process he uses to achieve the excellent results his designs realize — highlighting the differing requirements of cinema and hi-fi loudspeakers.
He covered the software he uses in the design phase, the driver characteristics- and how they have improved over the years, and the demands of the cinema application (like flat frequency response, high power handling, low distortion, and wide HF directivity — horizontal & vertical).
The talk was interspersed with anecdotes of troubleshooting experiences in some cases where the installation did not do justice to the quality of the loudspeakers, leading to less than satisfactory results.
At the end of the talk the audience engaged in a lively Q&A session with David, which lasted even longer than David's talk. All who attended left the meeting with a far better understanding of the design requirements for loudspeakers in both cinema and hi-fi applications, and we thank David for journeying from Adelaide to speak to us and assist us with our AGM.
Written By: Peter Smerdon
