Loudspeaker Free Cinema

[Martin McCaffery]

They don’t?

Do they? That would be surprising, but then I'm in Alabama.

A couple of years ago a 20-something TV reporter interviewed me about the theatre. I was giving the history of it, and said we were a porno theatre for about 8 months in the 80s. He got a very confused look on his face and asked "Why would anyone go to a theatre to see porn?" To which I replied "Because the internet hadn't been invented." It was a revelation to him.

I've seen millenials on line express similar thoughts about the existence of porn theatres.

If any still exist, they must be pretty rare and maybe should be the target of a preservation drive

[Steve Kraus]

There are a few. Depends on how expansive your definition of theatre is. I’d go with a room, rows of seats, and a projected image.

Here is one that apparently offers those things plus being in a classical cinema (even has a balcony).

http://www.theartcinema.com

[Gordon McLeod]

Plus someone who knows how to play it. Still, those 32' ranks of open diapasons could kick the ass of any subwoofer that JBL or QSC makes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09d251j2puU

[Marcel Birgelen]

One of my Sony OLED TVs uses three transducers (Left, Center and Right) coupled to the back of the screen and a proper speaker as a subwoofer. It essentially uses the thin and sturdy OLED surface as the cone.

While this surely doesn't beat a properly dimensioned sound bar or even fully fledged home cinema setup with dedicated speakers, it surely beats many of those tiny "rim speakers". For me, it's a clear indication that a speaker doesn't always need to look like a speaker to work like a speaker.

Putting subwoofers in or underneath seats in a cinema is nothing new, but I'm wondering how they'll make the higher frequencies work, because transducers or not, you still need a free, uncovered surface to vibrate to create sound. How does this work with a person occupying the seat? How are they able to produce a believable surround field and sound that's supposed to come from the direction of the screen.

[Martin McCaffery]

There are a few. Depends on how expansive your definition of theatre is. I’d go with a room, rows of seats, and a projected image.

Here is one that apparently offers those things plus being in a classical cinema (even has a balcony).

http://www.theartcinema.com

In Hartford, CT, soy know it's got to be classy.

Their ticket pricing seems to leave them open to a huge discrimination lawsuit. I also wonder if they are paying for whatever unlisted stuff they are putting on screen. Does modern porn even have exhibition rights attached and a distributor to handle them?

Oh well, good luck to them.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

kinda reminds me of the accoustic soundwall panels a couple guys were developing at the old aerojet site in sacramento...their panels were speakerless and only 1 1/2" thick, they actually ( i think they were ribbons) but they were secretive on what made them work. they did sound ok but had no dynamic range...they couldnt achieve over 60 db..they were trying to market through ORC....never went anywhere!

John, lookup Magnaplanar Speakers. They are magnetic planar type speakers.

[John Eickhof]

thanks mark, my old memory is getting feeble! i thought they worked by magnetism....

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

I had a pair back in the 80's. The antique pocket watch I generally carried always became magnetized if I moved them around at all.