Om One: Floating speaker?

[ferrix]

http://bgr.com/2014/08/12/om-one-levitating-speaker/

http://www.omone.com/om-one

I thought part of making speakers work well was thinking about how they would resonate with their case and surroundings.  Don't some speakers purposefully drive the surface they are placed on, in place of even having a cone?

It seems to me like this floating one would just be wasting power for a quieter sound.  Please, people who know more than I do: opinionate.

[Richard Crowley]

Is it a unique "art piece" and "technical novelty"?  No question.  It is cool and who wouldn't want such a thing on their desk?
Is there something about using a sphere to diffuse and distribute sound waves in an omnidirectional pattern?  Yes, but only at high frequencies for something that small.
Does the diffusion sphere have to be levitated with no physical support to be effective?  Certainly not.  This principle has been used for many decades via conventional technology.
Is the significant extra power required by levitation justified?  Not on the basis of any acoustic performance. It is only for show.
Are the claims made in the video logical?  Not IMHO.  They are full of marketing wank, doublespeak, and steam is still rising from the piles of animal waste.

[Refrigerator]

They are full of marketing wank, doublespeak, and steam is still rising from the piles of animal waste.

What People Are Saying.

    "I didn't believe it until I saw it -- there's something weird about walking toward a beat, only to realize that it's coming out of a rotating orb, floating in mid air. That's some cool sh*t. This will make a great gift!"

Nope, it's already cold.

[Whales]

The Dre-Bose law of speakers: it probably sounds bad, especially compared to other items of the same price.

(albeit the competitors probably can't levitate)

[Refrigerator]

It's cool that it can levitate, but it's lame that it can only rotate over one axis.

[jackbrouno]

That suppose to be lame that it only rotates

[Richard Crowley]

Now, if it looked like the fictional "Mueller Device" invented by Milo Rambaldi, I would buy one in a second.



Reference: TV show "Alias"