Type of loudspeaker that directs sound in two directions using speaker driver on two sides of the enclosure opposite one another operating in phase (meaning that they both push out at the same time and they both come in at the same time). Bipolar speakers are used to present a broad soundstage with a more enveloping sound. raditional direct radiating speakers emit sound from drivers on only one side of the enclosure making the sound waves formed by the speaker fairly directional. Bipolar speakers create a more diffuse sound. Sound waves are propagated from the front of the speaker in the same way as a direct radiator, but they also reverberate off the walls and objects behind the speaker from the second set of speaker drive units. The sound is less localizable with some loss of imaging making it somewhat more difficult to locate individual instruments or sounds in a tightly defined sound space. However, the sound is very open and enveloping creating a larger sweet spot or ideal listening position. ipolar speakers create a broad soundstage that takes emphasis away from the speaker itself. Instead, sound seems to come from the general area of the speaker and less from the speaker itself since the sound waves are actually coming from the speaker directly and from room reflections from the rear pair of speaker drivers. This type of configuration is also used at times to smooth the frequency response of a speaker at a particular frequency band. An overly bright tweeter may encounter less of a beaming problem when another tweeter is used in a bipolar configuration with the reflected sound waves from the rear tweeter softening the sound of the driver on the front of the speaker enclosure. ipolar speakers are often used as surround speakers along with dipolar speakers to take advantage of their broad, diffuse sound. Surround speakers are generally called upon to produce a feeling or environmental effect in which distinct sounds can be distracting. For this reason, bipolar and dipolar speakers are often used to create an enveloping sound that encompasses the audience but is not so easily localizable. In such an application, bipolar speakers are more easily localized with less of a diffuse sound than dipolar speakers. The difference between the two types is that dipolar speakers have drivers on opposite sides of the enclosure like bipolars but the drivers operate out of phase (one driver moves in while the other moves out). Bipolar speakers are also popular as main left and right speaker pairs thanks to their broad, enveloping sound. A few bipolar designed subwoofers exist while bipolar center channel speakers are virtually (if not entirely) non-existent.