latest pro sound speaker technology

The information below was taken from HPV etchnologies LLC on their surface array system.

Sound Radiation

There are three types of ideal sound sources:
• Point Source - most common
• Line Source - recently common in professional sound reinforcement Applications
• Plane Source - new, unique technology on the market

Point Source.
A Point Source can be imagined as a small pulsating sphere that radiates sound all around. Imagine a ripple on water. Every closed woofer cabinet at low frequencies represents a Point Source. Point Source radiates circular conical sound waves.

Line Source
Line Source can be imagined as an infinitely long, small diameter pulsating cylinder that radiates sound. A practical example for the line source would be traffic noise radiated from the busy highway. A Line Source radiates cylindrical sound waves. The energy radiated from the Line Source is evenly distributed over the surface of an expanding cylinder. The surface area of the cylinder is directly proportional to the distance (radius) of the cylinder. If we double the distance, the surface of the cylinder will be twice the size. Since the sound intensity is directly proportional to the covered surface, converting Sound Intensity into SPL (in dB), SPL from an ideal Line Source radiator will fall at the rate of 3 dB per doubling of distance. If the Lines Source has limited size, it will behave as a Line Source in a limited frequency range and throw distance.

Plane Source
Plane Source can be imagined as infinitely large flat surface that radiates sound. Real life example for plane source would be traffic noise generated in the middle of the long tunnel that propagates towards the tunnel exits. As the sound waves propagate from the plane sound source, they do not expand but continue to pass through the same area as the source itself. Therefore, the energy density at any point in space is equal to the energy density at the sound source plane itself. The sound pressure level is constant everywhere in the vicinity of a plane sound source. SPL is independent of the distance from the plane assuming that there is no loss in acoustic energy due to environmental conditions.