When you hear the word "speaker", you're likely picturing a rectangular box with five enclosed sides and a front baffle carrying the drivers. If not, you're either a true high-end enthusiast or a specialist who knows a speaker isn't just a box.
Granted, in most cases that box is precisely what speakers look like—and operate like. It has dominated the market for decades. Yet alternative designs persist. Among them are horn systems, panel speakers, and open baffle designs. The latter two share a dipole radiation pattern: they emit sound in a figure-eight pattern, projecting both forward and backward, unlike conventional direct-radiator systems that send sound mostly forward. This concept is far from new. In fact, the original full-range electrostatic panel speaker—the QUAD-ESL®—debuted as early as 1957. It laid the groundwork for what was to come.
What Makes Dipole Systems So Special?
Dipole speakers are enjoying a renaissance among purists simply because they offer an impressively wide and immersive soundstage. Unlike forward-aiming box speakers, they are remarkably room-friendly—drastically reducing the need for complex acoustic treatment. And they eliminate all enclosure-related issues like resonant frequencies, material flex, and cabinet compression effects."But box speakers must have their advantages too," you might say. Absolutely. Boxes are often compact, shelf-friendly, and deliver strong bass response with minimal effort. For music driven by deep electronic bass that literally shakes the room, sealed enclosures have long been the go-to solution.
Great Dipole Speakers Deliver Powerful Bass Too
Practical experience, however, proves that impactful bass is not limited to large bulky cabinets. German manufacturer Spatial Europe from Ingolstadt demonstrates this convincingly. As reviewer Helmut Hack wrote in image hifi 5/2020: “Anyone who believes open baffles kill bass energy should think again after hearing Spatial Europe’s MC Series No. 4.” His colleague Volker Frech added in lite magazine, February 2021, that the bass is “fantastic and startlingly effortless… remarkably dry, without the bloat and bloom typical of box enclosures. The sound is free from coloration, resonances, vibrations, and box-volume compression effects.”
Spatial Europe: High-End Open Baffle Made in Germany
The visionary behind Spatial Europe is Robert Andorf, head of Mach One Classics in Ingolstadt. “Life’s too short for boring hi-fi,” reads the company’s slogan. Since 2010, Andorf has distributed products from Spatial Audio USA, making quality and sustainable adaptations along the way. In 2016, he launched Spatial Europe, producing locally and by hand using premium components sourced from small regional suppliers—carpenters, metalworkers, upholsterers.
Naturally, the acoustic fabric on Andorf’s elegant open-baffle systems also comes from Akustikstoff.com. You might wonder how fabric fits with the minimalist design of open baffles, especially since high-end purists often criticise the idea of hiding drivers behind cloth. But if the fabric is sufficiently transparent to sound, there is no compromise.That's why Akustikstoff.com’s textiles are fitted to many of Spatial Europe's speaker fronts—subtle in black to complement wood, or bold in striking carmine to contrast matte ceramic finishes, and even on the artist-edition MC Series No. 7 designed by Ingolstadt-based artist Stephan Korisanski.