The Ariel - Mark 5b

The Ariel seeks the elusive middle ground between low-efficiency audiophile speakers and refrigerator-sized high-efficiency horn systems, using twin transmission-line bass loading to get the deepest bass and clearest midrange. But I'd be the first to admit it's a challenging speaker to build - so I created a companion speaker, the ME2, which is more compact and a lot easier to construct. The ME2 uses the same overall design principles as the Ariel, it just sacrifices a bit of midrange clarity and bass depth. On the other hand, it works a lot better in smaller rooms, where the Ariel can sound bass-heavy due to floor coupling of the vent.

Over the last ten years both designs have evolved and grown in response to feedback from enthusiast builders all over the world. (See the Ariel Builder's Club for pictures and comments from readers.) Then again, maybe you just want to read about what goes into high-end speaker design. Whatever your interest, you'll want to warm up the printer and read the Web page at your leisure. (Printer and modem-friendly; no cookies, Javascript, ActiveX, or PDF files anywhere, just text, HTML, and pictures. Old-fashioned but effective.)