TDL RTL3

Floor standing loudspeaker

Made in U.K.

(1990’s)

TDL Electronics is one of the best manufacturers of transmission line speakers in U.K. (Buckinghamshire).   

“ TDL Electronics has a pedigree stretching back over thirty years, to when John Wright first introduced ‘transmission line’ speakers to the discerning audiophile.

Transmission line loudspeaker systems incorporate a complex and potentially expensive method of reproducing lower bass frequencies then other speakers of a similar size.

The RTL series were developed using TDL's ‘reflex transmission line system’, acoustics developed to deliver optimum sound within a smaller cabinet.

The new line of speaker was smaller and more affordable than the previous beefy £1000 speakers, but without compromising on sound quality. The RTL3’s large footprint and dominance saw it as award winner at What Hi-Fi’s 1995 awards.

The RTL3’s high sensitivity at 90dB meant that even the smallest of amplifier could produce serious sound levels, down to it’s two bass units. Ideal for a larger room, the Floor standing speaker was a highly recommend choice against its competitors.” (from original TDL brochure)

TRANSMISSION LINE

“An acoustic transmission line is the acoustic analog of the electrical transmission line, typically thought of as a rigid-walled tube that is long and thin relative to the wavelength of sound present in it. Pipe organs, woodwinds, and the like can be modeled as transmission lines.” (from Wikipedia)

“Transmission line (TL) was first described in 1965 by Dr A.R. Bailey and A.H.Radford in an article in Wireless world (p483-486),  the pre-eminent British magazine for radio and electronics.

It was known that the rear wave of the loudspeaker needed to be completely absorbed without damping the loudspeaker's motion or modulating it from internal reflections and resonance, so A Bailey / A Radford reasoned that the rear wave had to be channelled down a pipe or line, long enough to resist resonance below the desired frequency (e.g., 8 feet for 30 Hz). Dr A Bailey / A Radford reasoned that if the rear wave resonanted the enclosure it would cause interference, which a line would not. If the line were sufficiently long but evenly stuffed with wadding, then the exiting wave would be relatively inaudible. The difference between a Transmission Line loudspeaker and a Reflex or Labyrinth is clear: the rear wave is audibly absorbed and not used for reinforcement. Also the resonance of the enclosure is virtually gone.” (from Wikipedia)

TDL RTL3 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Is available on request the original TDL brochure about its own transmission line system.

Is available on request the abstract of testing performed by Italian hifi magazine Suono (no.250,1994)

E' disponibile a richiesta l'estratto della prova tecnica della rivista Suono (n.250,1994)

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