Some quartz (battery operated) chiming clocks sound much better than others. A major factor of sound quality is the mounting of the speaker that produces the sound.
In some clocks, the speaker is mounted inside the case and the sound cannot project outward. These clocks have quiet, tinny sounding chime.
The best clocks have the speaker mounted over an opening in the case. The sound of these clocks is rich and full-bodied. The volume of sound can also be louder. Many Hermle clocks have the speaker mounted this way.
The photos below give examples of good and not-so-good speaker mounting.
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- An excellent sounding quartz mantel clock, Hermle model 22825-i92115.
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- The movement of the Hermle 22825-i92115.
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- In the model 22825-i92115, the speaker is mounted over an opening in the bottom of the case. The case bottom acts as a baffle for the speaker, creating a rich, full chime sound
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- Outside view of the bottom of Hermle model 22825-i92215, showing the cover over the speaker.
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- An excellent sounding quartz wall clock, Hermle model 70687-N92215.
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- Movement and speaker of the Hermle model 70687-N92215.
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- In the model 70687-N92215, the speaker is mounted to an opening in the top of the case. The the top board acts as a baffle for the speaker, allowing good volume and clear, rich sound.
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- A clock with the speaker mounted to the back of the movement (Hermle 70883-Q12214). The sound is not as good when the speaker is mounted this way.
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- A clock with the speaker mounted to the back of the movement, and in which the back door covers the speaker, trapping the sound inside (Hermle 70734-Q12214). This causes the chime to be very quiet and without richness.
Brief Explanation:
When a speaker does not have a baffle around it, the sound waves generated by the front of the speaker cone cancel out the sound waves generated by the back of the cone below a certain frequency. With a small speaker such as used in clocks, all the bass response is lost in this way. Mounting the speaker on a baffle (such as a board) creates a longer path for the sound waves, reducing cancellation. The larger the baffle, the lower the frequency response extends. Even a small baffle will make the speaker sound much better.
See information about the Hermle 70687-N92215 Chiming Wall Clock
See information about the Hermle 22825-i92115 Chiming Mantel Clock
