The bespoke, hand-made speaker box is an iconic feature of reggae sound systems. Since the scoop bass bin replaced the quad speaker box in the 1960s there has been comparatively little change in speaker box design. Amplifying however, has gone through several technological revolutions from valves in the early days to the highly efficient and powerful class D amps we can use in the present day. Now, for the second time ever, there has been a significant innovation in speaker box design. But this aligns Paraflex sound system designs, as they are called, more closely with PA technology. Tom Hagan investigates.

by Tom Hagan

(Cover Image: Sinai sound system’s Paraflex boxes, from Outlook Festival website)

The debated ‘Paraflex’ range of speakers have become the box of choice for many crews across the globe. Emerging from the car audio industry, the relatively new type of speaker has created new conversations and tensions in how sound system culture is changing and evolving. My recent research has attempted to find out more about what Paraflex is, how it is being developed and how it could affect sound system culture in the future.

Image 1: Paraflex C-2E.3 CAD plan by Calum Audio   

Image 2: Traditional Mogale Super Scoop plan, source: speakerplans.com

Paraflex speakers are based upon the compound quarter-wave resonator principle which was shared by a Facebook group called the High Order Quarterwave Society (HOQS). These designs have captured considerable attention within the sound system community, although some individuals have voiced scepticism, suggesting they might be ‘overhyped’. The first time I experienced a fully Paraflex stack was at Boomtown festival with Sinai sound system in 2023. Despite being aware of the depth and sophistication of Sinai’s equipment, I was still astounded by the unparalleled output and clarity of the sound produced by the boxes. I was continually impressed throughout the festival every time I came back to find Sinai playing a different genre of music from ragga to dubstep and jungle, while still maintaining the same output and clarity.

At the Tangled Roots stage, Sinai sat in between two stacks of the more traditionally designed Lionpulse sound system that played simultaneously. I found myself moving around the floor, switching between the two different sounds, trying to determine the differences and qualities of the two. Lionpulse had a warmth I was familiar with but the sheer level of output coming from Sinai was astounding.  These differences in character are what initially set me off wanting to find out more about the differences of Paraflex design.

Image 3: Sinai sound system at Boomtown 2023 (Image: Tom Hagan)

Image 4: Lionpulse sound system at Boomtown festival 2023 (Image: Tom Hagan)

My research led me on a journey up to Sheffield in November of 2023 to meet with Calum Young. He is the renowned speaker manufacturer responsible for building sounds such as the Sheffield local Sinai sound system – as well as manufacturing and shipping speakers around the world in Europe, Canada and Australia.

Calum is undoubtedly one of the most skilled, efficient box builders in the UK. He is also a pivotal figure in sharing technical advice and recommendations with those navigating audio related choices. His YouTube channel provides a space for people to learn about speaker manufacture, featuring videos that range from workshop tours to tutorials on CNC machining. As well as sharing recordings of talks in which he discusses intentional sound system design. I was very happy that he agreed for me to come up to his workshop to talk more about his thoughts and opinions on the future of sound system design.

Screen grab from Calum’s YouTube channel

A Trip to Calum Audio Workshop, November 2023

A twenty-minute train journey outside of Sheffield led me to a small village in the Peak District called Brough. A beautiful, calm, serene village with a small train station, fresh air and a stream slowly flowing through it. I walked for a short while across the fields and a few bridges, until I arrived at the small industrial estate where Calum runs his workshop – being greeted with the enriched smell of fresh birch ply in the air. After I knocked on the front door, Calum appeared from the workshop’s small door and explained that I could not come in yet due to a secret project involving a client who had asked for a strict non-disclosure agreement. I suggested we get lunch in the local village; it was a 20-minute walk through the fields of Hope to get to the cafe. The following reflects thoughts from my conversation with Calum.

Walking through Hope (Images: Tom Hagan)

A New Generation of Pro Reggae Sound Systems

The integration of cutting-edge technology into reggae inspired sound system has produced a new generation of ‘pro’ sound systems that bridge the realms of PA accuracy with traditional reggae sound system design. With advancements in both audio software and hardware, these ‘pro’ sound systems now have the versatility to adapt to different listening environments and crowd sizes. For example, when Sinai Sound System played to a crowd of three thousand for HVYWGT at Troxy in East London in December of last year, their setup included 12x 21” subs, 12x 18” kicks, and 10x midtops (each of which has 2x 12” drivers and 2x coaxial compression drivers), all powered by 140,000 watts of amplification.

The ability to put on larger events draws in more money that is put into this circulation, benefitting artists, musicians, promoters, and the sound system itself. This economic boost enables these ‘pro’ sound systems to stay at the forefront of innovation. Paraflex designs are also easier to manufacture than other designs. Using only straight edges and lines to construct, the designs are not as technically demanding to construct but often require the same or more amount of material which becomes an issue for people on a budget due to rocketing prices of birch plyboard in the last few years.

The other factor of versatility is the ability to play a largely more diverse, eclectic, technical range of music that appeals to a new, younger generation of sound interested people. Along with new genres of bass-oriented music comes new ideas that stretch further away from the traditional concept of a reggae sound system. Both forms of evolution have generated new, diverse types of sound system sub-cultures.

Subjectivity and Preference

Within the PA industry, sound reproduction is grounded in a level of objectivity that differs from the subjective nature of sound reproduction within sound system culture.

Sonic street technologies have always been empowered by repurposing, misusing, and experimenting with available, self-built and sometimes old equipment. This creates imperfections or an identification to the sound which, in its subjective form, can be preferred to an accurate sounding PA system. The availability of this type of equipment gives sound systems a character.

Calum explained to me a time when he was engineering sound for Trojan Explosion, where the age of the records being played produced a crackle on the sound.

“My internal battle was weighing up the authenticity of the crackle, vs what sounded ‘good’. To this day I have not found an answer to this.” – Calum.

The crowd was still tuned into the music despite these imperfections because they appreciate the characteristics that give Trojan Explosion their unique sound.

There is, however, a fundamental understanding of sound reproduction that we have reached at this point in time. Access to online forums and resources along with academic availability of knowledge makes it difficult to reproduce sound that is unpleasant or even unbearable to listen to. This is a benefit of standardization. The downside is that we risk losing the unique tone and colour that has in the past characterised not only reggae sound systems but also distinguished one from another set of equipment.

HOQS Politics

The HOQS Facebook group has over fifty free-to-use types of early Paraflex speaker plans online. Calum has condensed down these plans into ten key plans that are, in his own words, “capable of covering the vast majority of sound reinforcement applications.” He has also edited these plans to make them ergonomic and efficient to be “touring ready.”

In our conversation, Calum explained the difficulties he has had with the HOQS group, having been abruptly removed from all HOQS related group chats without any warning or chance to resolve issues before the ban. Calum’s claims his apparent success was misunderstood, with many mistakenly believing he had designed the Paraflex speakers and being “solely known as the paraflex guy”. Although he always credited HOQS in his social media posts, website, and YouTube videos, it was decided that public perception equated to him taking credit, which led to internal discussions about his removal without his knowledge.

Despite Calum claiming to have offered HOQS a percentage of his profits, which they denied, there have still been attempts to capitalize further on Paraflex plans. The most recent Paraflex plans have been released under a restrictive Creative Commons license, preventing the public from editing or tweaking the plans, which undermines the core principle of an open-source community who would otherwise have the freedom to edit, tweak and collaborate on plans. The new plans under this license have “poor 2D drawings, lack information on frequency response, suitable drivers, crossover or EQ settings, and assembly instructions but still have multiple pages of legal text restricting the public from editing plans.”

Calum was on the verge of releasing all his work as open-source, including CAD files and build instructions, but his announcement coincided with his public banning from the HOQS group, where he was wrongly accused of claiming the designs as his own, despite following the correct process of attaching CC (creative commons) Licenses to the plans which lead to a wave of backlash globally and Calum being banned, undoing years of work.

Image 9: Calum in Workshop (Image: Tom Hagan)

Image 10: Paraflex 2×12″ speakers (Image: Calum Young)

Tensions in the Scene

The clash of traditional methods with scientific evidence often sparks debates about the subjective ideologies surrounding the “correct” or optimal approach to sound system design. Calum shared with me an incident when he made a post online speaking about the arrangement of bullet tweeters in a row, explaining how we can calculate the physics of sound using computers to show that using bullet tweeters in this set-up is bad for sound reproduction. On two separate occasions, Calum was approached in public by different individuals who were angry about a post he had made. Both argued that he had no right to criticize original reggae sound system design. Calum quickly apologized for the post and clarified that it was not his intention to say that anyone was wrong.

New sound systems and sub-cultures face different challenges to previous generations but also new opportunities to push their scene into different, experimental areas. The transition from generation to generation has been examined in previous SST events such as SSO#8, where important conversations have taken place exchanging knowledge on “how sound system culture and practice is performed; preserved or changed between generations; appropriated; accessed or limited.” Here Mili Red of London-based Legs Eleven sound system said (see the SSO#8 film at this link):

“I think there is a thing of keeping traditions and passing those on but also creating traditions, which is what we are doing as the so called ‘youngers.”

Questioning how we transition to the new generation can be limited by the rigidity of certain traditional opinions and views. This tension should continue to be examined and discussed in order to draw an awareness of the roots of traditional culture to new sound-minded people in the future.

Image 10: Paraflex 2×12” top box in workshop (Image: Tom Hagan)

What Next?

Paraflex boxes may not be ground-breaking. However, they do propose a different set of questions to ask about how sound system culture will shift in the future. While science will probably tell us that that there is one sound system format that everyone should agree is best, the subjectivity and judgement of the ear divides us to have different opinions. As young researcher and SST associate Giovanni Mugnaini notes, “Sound system is not just a medium, it should be an expression of the competences, tastes and research of the crew.” Historically, repurposing uniqueness, taste, and personality is what ultimately differentiates sound system culture from the pro audio industry.

The expression and defining aspects of two sound systems is what allows them to compete in a clash. Sonic standardisation in the sound system scene would deem this concept pointless as both sounds would, in theory, sound very similar. Which may already be happening.

It is also important to acknowledge that the advancement of technology may not be the antagonist in Sonic Standardization. The ability to control sound more efficiently in the future could provide solutions to current issues all scenes face with sound restrictions, such as aiding smaller venues around the UK who struggle with offsite noise propagation.

While this evolution in hardware is tied to material sciences, evolution can also be pushed and explored in surrounding areas such as spaces we can play in, listening environments and more. On the other hand, when the features of a PA system such as loudness and accuracy are prioritised when putting together a sound system, the risk of cutting out iconic features of a sound system experience can be easily forgotten.

As we move further away from the roots of sound system culture, the awareness of the pros and cons of Sonic Standardization may help to question the direction we choose to express sound, rather than reproduce it.

Note:

Since this blog was written, Calum has unfortunately shut down his workshop and had to leave two other members of staff without a job. This comes at the uprising costs of workshop operation but also because of the ongoing difficulties and restrictions from HOQS. Calum has wiped nearly all Paraflex related content from his website and YouTube channel because of this.

He painfully expresses that the fallout from this disagreement not only resulted in the loss of his company but also drained away time, energy, and passion that he had invested in creating a community he believed in before the ban.

Calum Audio LTD was Calum’s third speaker manufacturing company. I certainly hope that his passion for high quality audio will be able to be expressed again soon.

About the Author:

Tom Hagan is a multi-disciplinary designer studying at Goldsmiths, University of London.