Bose engineers faced that challenge in the 1970s when they set out to create a small audio system that could deliver powerful acoustic performance. Finding the right solution took more than a decade, but their discovery continues to play a vital role in Bose® products to this day.
Inspired by music
Recreating a song's full range of sounds once required multiple speakers, powered by a large stack of components. Bose research indicated there was an alternative to traditional engineering practices, but the solution
was far from simple.
Bose engineers found inspiration in music itself, specifically in the way some instruments create sound via an "acoustic waveguide," a simple device that confines sound waves so they travel over a desired path.
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One example is a flute: By blowing a stream of air across the mouthpiece, a musician can fill a large room with sound. Another example is a pipe organ: Moving just a small amount of air through a pipe can permeate a cathedral with music. Forcing a sound wave to travel over a specified path produces enough sound to fill a room. |
How a waveguide works
Waveguides can be utilized to reproduce many sounds across the musical scale, from the deep low notes of a bass guitar to the high notes of a violin. But a single waveguide only helps to reproduce a single set of frequencies. The challenge facing engineers was to capture the efficiencies of a waveguide and utilize it across a wide range of frequencies.
After years of research, Drs. Amar Bose and William Short, along with other Bose engineers, realized they could emulate the effect of air vibrating within a flute by mounting a loudspeaker in a tube. This makes air move more efficiently, producing more sound. And they could achieve a wider frequency reproduction range by matching properties of the loudspeaker to the waveguide.
Delivering natural sound was now possible, but the size of the actual waveguide remained an issue.
An enduring solution
Further studies led to a significant breakthrough—the waveguide tube could be folded into intricate patterns, with no loss in sound quality. In 1984, Bose introduced the first product to incorporate waveguide technology, the Acoustic Wave® music system. |
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Launched to critical acclaim, the Acoustic Wave® music system was the first one-piece system that could reproduce music of clarity and depth, at all sound levels, even in larger rooms or outdoors. With an 80-inch waveguide folded into an enclosure less than one foot high, the system continues to consistently reproduce a wide spectrum of notes.
In recognition of their pioneering work in acoustic waveguide speaker technology, Drs. Bose and Short were jointly named "Inventor of the Year" in 1987. Bose engineers launched the groundbreaking Wave® radio in 1993. Although the system is barely over four inches tall, it delivers detailed sound, thanks to a 34-inch-long acoustic waveguide folded into the interior.
Of course, you can hear the results of this acoustic innovation today, with the lifelike performance of the Wave® music system, containing two 26-inch tapered waveguides. Waveguide technology is also an important element in two newer products: The innovative SoundLink® wireless music system and the powerful SoundDock® 10 digital music system, which features a 75-inch waveguide. |
