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Conventional direct firing speakers placed to the sides of the listener can create a
“hot spot,” overcooking the listener seated in proximity and thus drawing
attention to itself. Mounting the speaker higher on the side wall can reduce this
problem but may lead to vertical lobing error in the polar pattern.
Dipolar arrays offer an improved sense of ambience, but can appear phasey when
positioned to the side of a near listener. Small movements of the listener’s head
within the high Q null region can result in tonal aberrations and abrupt apparent
level changes as a function of position. Such arrays also suffer from reduced
dynamic range and poor bass extensions due to the anti-phased woofers.
Our research has shown that a controlled directivity quasi-bipolar array can result
in a radiation pattern which minimizes such phasiness and provides better
continuity in the ambient field. MiST takes advantage of a directivity controlled
bipolar array to fill dead spots and prevent near field listener burnout. The polar
characteristics of MiST are similar to that of a figure-of-8 microphone
arrangement combined with a center omni at -6 dB, reminiscent of Mid-Side
Technique that audiophiles have touted for decades.
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