Various implementations include seats and related loudspeakers. In particular cases, a seat includes: a seat headrest portion; a seat backrest portion; and a loudspeaker assembly. The loudspeaker assembly includes at least one driver for generating an acoustic output; and an acoustic exit fixed in the seat backrest portion and angled to provide the acoustic output to a location below a nominal ear position of an occupant of the seat, wherein a firing angle of the at least one driver provides the acoustic output to achieve a consistent frequency response across a range of positions deviating from the nominal ear position.

A compression driver for an omnidirectional loudspeaker includes a motor assembly and a dome diaphragm disposed coaxially above and operably connected to the motor assembly, the diaphragm having a convex surface and a concave surface. The compression driver includes a phasing plug having a top portion and a bottom portion having a concave bottom surface disposed adjacent the convex surface of the diaphragm and defining a compression chamber therebetween. The phasing plug includes a plurality of conduits extending through the bottom portion for sound waves to travel and converging to form an annular exit, the top portion including a plurality of radially expanding channels acoustically connected to the annular exit. Actuation of the diaphragm by the motor assembly generates sound waves within the compression chamber which travel through the annular exit and the radially-expanding channels to create a generally horizontal 360° radiation pattern of the sound waves from the compression driver.

A modular speaker system, comprising an exoskeleton, configured to mechanically support and quick attach and release at least one functional panel and an electrical interface provided within the exoskeleton, configured to mate with a corresponding electrical connector of the functional panel. An optional endoskeleton is provided to support internal components. The system preferably provides a digital electronic controller, and the electrical interface is a digital data and power bus, with multiplexed communications between the elements of the system. The elements of the system preferably include at least one speaker, and other audiovisual and communications components. Multiple modules may be interconnected, communicating through the electrical interface. A base module may be provided to provide power and typical control, user and audiovisual interface connectors.

An acoustic device that is adapted to be worn on the body of a user. The acoustic device has an array of acoustic transducers comprising at least three acoustic radiating surfaces, and a controller that is adapted to provide array control signals that independently control the relative phases and amplitudes of each of the transducers.

A voice controlled assistant has a housing to hold one or more microphones, one or more speakers, and various computing components. The housing has an elongated cylindrical body extending along a center axis between a base end and a top end. The microphone(s) are mounted in the top end and the speaker(s) are mounted proximal to the base end. The microphone(s) and speaker(s) are coaxially aligned along the center axis. The speaker(s) are oriented to output sound directionally toward the base end and opposite to the microphone(s) in the top end. The sound may then be redirected in a radial outward direction from the center axis at the base end so that the sound is output symmetric to, and equidistance from, the microphone(s).

A loudspeaker configured to provide asymmetrical beam coverage. A first group of drivers to outputs a first beam pattern. A second group of drivers, which is different from the first group of drivers, is configured to output a second beam pattern. A transmission line is adapted to output signals to the first driver group and the second driver group to provide an asymmetrical beam pattern. The first driver group outputs a beam pattern different than the second driver group. This can improve acoustic coverage, e.g., sound pressure levels, in the acoustic environment. In an example, the transmission line is separated into two distinct parts that feeds the first driver group and the second driver group respectively.

Provided is a sound collection loudspeaker apparatus that makes it possible to intuitively distinguish which talker is talking, and improve the comfort of conversations, when performing in-vehicle conversation and conversations with people outside of a vehicle. The sound collection loudspeaker apparatus is installed in a vehicle. Two or more sound collection and amplification positions are assumed to be present inside the vehicle. The apparatus includes: a transfer function multiplying unit that, from a transfer function for transfer from a desired sound source position where a sound image of an enhanced signal is localized to both ears of a target person located at the sound collection and amplification position, and a transfer function for transfer from one or more speakers installed for playing back sound at the sound collection and amplification position to the ears, applies a filter for localizing a sound image at the sound source position to an enhanced signal, and outputs the enhanced signal that has been filtered to the speaker. The enhanced signal is a signal in which a target sound emitted from the sound collection and amplification position has been enhanced from a signal collected by the one or more microphones.

Example techniques involve outputting multiple audio channels using a multiple driver playback device. An example playback device receives a first and second channel of audio content. The playback device plays back play back the first channel via a first group of audio transducers such that the first group of audio transducers form, via superposition, a first response lobe having a maximum in a first direction. Further, the playback device plays back the second channel via a second group of audio transducers such that the second group of audio transducers form, via superposition, a second response lobe having a maximum in a second direction that is separated by an angle of at least 45° from the first direction.

A speaker system that reproduces sound inaudible to users around, without using earphones, headphones, or a large-scale speaker array, is provided. Assuming that N is an integer equal to or larger than one, and that a (2n−1)-th sound signal (n=1, . . . , N) is a sound signal obtained based on a subject to be reproduced, a speaker system that emits sound based on a first sound signal, . . . , and sound based on a (2N−1)-th sound signal such that the sound is heard only in a vicinity, includes an n-th speaker unit pair (n=1, . . . , N) including a speaker unit that emits sound based on the (2n−1)-th sound signal (hereinafter, referred to as the positive speaker unit) and a speaker unit that emits sound based on a 2n-th sound signal that is a sound signal with opposite phase to phase of the (2n−1)-th sound signal (hereinafter, referred to as the negative speaker unit).

An example method of operation includes performing a plurality of polar pattern permutations based on a function of an inputted magnitude and phase adjustment range, determining a plurality of polar pattern outputs, creating a list of the polar pattern outputs, and creating a set of FIR filters to apply to a loudspeaker based on a selected one of the list of polar patterns.