If
there were an award for
Most Relentless R&D -
this speaker would be a
top contender. The
first model appeared on
the scene in 1998 based on
a proprietary radial
driver technology invented
by Steve Deckert and
manufactured by Bob
Ziegler.
This technology spawned a
host of different
loudspeakers starting with
the RL-1's which we'll
sadly always remember as
the speaker that debuted
on the very day the Twin
Towers Collapsed on
9-11-2001.
In the eleven years that
followed there have been
four models of the Radial
Loudspeaker, each
receiving rave reviews and
all of them still in
service today. But
behind the scenes was a
secret model that no one
knew about because it was
constantly being perfected
so it was never
released. Fully
qualifying as the product
of an obsessed mad
scientist's dream this is
the phenomenal result of
Bob Ziegler's ten year
secret project that
consumed literally tens of
thousands of hours of his
time.
The HR-1's come from a
long lineage of Radial
loudspeakers and are
clearly a product that
exemplifies the technology
to it highest potential.
Read the rest of this
page and find out why
we've gone to so much
effort to bring this
nearly perfect speaker
to market.
Steve Deckert -
owner DECWARE High
Fidelity Engineering
The secret is the the omni 360 degree
wave front made possible by the hand
built Radial Drivers. Because the
energy from the driver is spread across
360 degrees, wall reflections will have
only a fraction of the energy that
regular loudspeakers have in any of the
typical reflection points.
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Of course we
all know wall reflections are
what kill a well focused sound
stage and prevent pin point
imaging with regular
loudspeakers and that putting
acoustic treatments on your
walls (that actually work) can
cost more than the speakers
themselves! Since very few
people want to hang ugly
quadratic diffusers on all four
walls, the Radial driver
technology is going to sound
superior in the vast majority of
rooms. Regular speakers
simply can't compete and this is
how we know it has better sound.
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92.5 dB with 1 watt at
1 meter
32Hz
~ 22kHz
4 ohm nominal impedance
50 watts RMS/150 watt PEAKS
Minimum amplifier size 2 watts.
14 x 14 x 38 inches
41 lbs ea.
6 inch radial driver
6 inch mid-range driver
4 inch ribbon planar tweeter
8 inch passive radiator
Pre-loaded plinth bass design
As good as the Radial design is, when
compared to an articulate forward firing
driver in a conventional cabinet where
the driver is pointing directly at you,
there is a loss of mid-range
presence. The Radials have an
organic and laid back mid-range... one
that lives in a huge three dimensional
space. That said, the
original radial designs would often put
you in the tenth row back from center
stage even if the recording was more up
front and immediate. For this
reason we tried combining the radial
driver running full range as it always
has, with a forward firing mid-range
driver.
Our first attempt was the RL-3's which
got rave
reviews, but despite the positive
press, still had minor issues with the
blending of the different drivers on
different axis's. This made it
somewhat troublesome to set up right in
a given room. Getting it right would
give the same insane imaging of the
original Radial, same organic mid-range
but with a tangible mid-range presence
that remains true to the recording. It
only took another 8 years of relentless
development and several UN-named
prototypes to get it perfect. But
with the HR-1's it is, and you have
truly the best of both technologies
blended so seamlessly you will never
hear the speaker itself, only the sound
hanging in the space called your room.
These speakers are so neutral they truly
ARE difficult to hear. They simply
vanish as soon as you turn them
on. Excellent at low levels, great
micro detail, but very surprising
dynamics and scale when turned up a
touch... and from such a modest sized
speaker. You won't find anything
lacking, nor will you need a sub-woofer.
These are not "hi-fi" speakers of the
typical stereotype, you know, smooth and
beautiful but you always know your
listening to a speaker... the
HR-1's have the speed and refinement to
resolve some amazing fidelity - so
much so that audiophiles from the world
of great horns and audiophiles from the
world of great electrostatic panels will
both feel very pleased when listening to
the HR-1's
- A
speaker worthy of
the very best -
even insanely
expensive
amplifiers.
- A
speaker smaller in
size for a perfect
disappearing act.
- You
won't find many
speakers that look
better than these.
- A
sound based on
perfect frequency
balance, time
alignment, and
imaging.
- High
efficiency so you
can now own a
really good lower
power amplifier.
- Super
easy setup - they
disappear so well
you can't screw it
up!
- Nothing
images better, not
other omni's, not
other conventional
speakers.
The radial project started in 1996 as
part of our room acoustic tests.
Turning
Point Audio, appropriately named in
this time of diminishing expectations,
is dedicated to preserving the Art and
Old World Craftsmanship that is the
polar opposite of most of today's mass
production.
All TPA loudspeakers are hand made by
the same master craftsman
that produce Decware Loudspeakers.
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