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About Vance Dickason

Vance Dickason has been working as a professional in the loudspeaker industry since 1974. A contributing editor to Speaker Builder magazine (now audioXpress) since 1986, in November 1987 he became editor of Voice Coil, the monthly Periodical for the Loudspeaker Industry, today published by KCK Media Corp. His globally acclaimed book Loudspeaker Design Cookbook is now in its 8th Edition, published by KCK Media. A life member of the Audio Engineering Society, Vance received the 1995 AES Citation Award for his long term contribution to audio education, and the 2013 Beryllium Award, Lifetime achievement from ALMA (Associating of Loudspeaker Manufacturers and Acoustics, now ALTI Association). Since 2001, he also does business as Vance Dickason Consultancy based out of Portland, Oregon, working as an independent engineering consultant to loudspeaker manufacturers.

All items written by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: B&C Speakers’ DE640-16 Compression Driver

December 18, 2024 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: B&C Speakers’ DE640-16 Compression Driver

The B&C Speakers DE640-16 Compression Driver is a 1.4" exit design, which along with the recent DCM414 midrange and the DE360 models represent a line of two-point suspension ring radiator type compression diaphragms. The DE640-16 features a 65mm (2.6") Polymer diaphragm and neodymium ring magnet and is specified for a recommended crossover frequency around 1kHz, and a 140W continuous power rating. For this Test Bench, the DE640-16 was matched with the Eighteen Sound XT1464 elliptical flare horn.

Test Bench: The M3 Carbon Midrange Car/Home Audio Transducer from Stereo Integrity

December 4, 2024 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: The M3 Carbon Midrange Car/Home Audio Transducer from Stereo Integrity

This Test Bench explores an interesting transducer from Stereo Integrity, a company founded in 2001, targeting the home and automotive audio markets. The Stereo Integrity M3 is a 3.5" carbon fiber midrange driver with neodymium motor, only 52mm (2") in depth. The M3 includes a black woven carbon fiber/paper sandwich curvilinear cone and 1.1 convex dust cap, with suspension provided by a synthetic copolymer surround plus a flat 55mm diameter cloth spider.

Test Bench: B&C Speakers 1” DH450-8 Compression Driver

November 21, 2024 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: B&C Speakers 1” DH450-8 Compression Driver

The DH450-8 ultra-compact compression driver from B&C Speakers incorporates a 1.7" high temperature Polymer diaphragm driven by a 44mm voice coil wound with aluminum wire on a high Qm Kapton former. Its most fascinating feature is the patent-pending phase plug with a deliberately twisted internal channel, which is intended to improve the overall frequency response. For this characterization, the DH450-8 1" neodymium driver is measured along with the B&C Speakers ME10v2 90x60 hyperbolic cosine flare horn, made from injection-molded ABS. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, August 2024

Test Bench: Scan-Speak D3004/606200 Tweeter from Its Illuminator Line

November 6, 2024 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Scan-Speak D3004/606200 Tweeter from Its Illuminator Line

The Scan-Speak D3004/606200 is a 1" compact tweeter from its Illuminator Line, and features the new generation of Metamodal TPCD diaphragms. Scan-Speak has been participating in Composite Sound's metamodal development program, and the new D3404 tweeter is the first to be released. It features a low resonance, injection-molded rear chamber, SD-2 neodymium motor, large-roll coated cloth surround, and black anodized machined aluminum faceplate. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, July 2024.

Test Bench: Scan-Speak 15W/8534T00 Classic Line 5.5" Woofer

October 23, 2024 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Scan-Speak 15W/8534T00 Classic Line 5.5" Woofer

This Test Bench characterizes the new Scan-Speak 15W/8534T00 woofer, which fills the gap in the Classic family for a compact high-performance 5.5” (15cm) midbass driver. It is based on the design principles of the popular 18W/8545 continuing the tradition with a slim frame aluminum chassis, Symmetrical Drive (SD) motor system, low loss linear rubber suspension, and updated with a brand-new cone material called Phenomax.

Test Bench: Faital Pro's 10PR330 10" PA Woofer

October 2, 2024 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Faital Pro's 10PR330 10" PA Woofer

The 10PR330 is Faital Pro's new high-power handling 10" woofer intended for line arrays and large PA systems, or as a midbass driver in multiway systems — and apparently it has also been also used successfully in bass guitar applications. The cone assembly for the Faital Pro 10PR330 woofer consists of a curvilinear paper cone along with a very stiff coated dust cap. Compliance is supplied by a coated polycotton cloth M-roll type surround and from a cloth-type flat spider.

Test Bench: Wavecor’s New WF211PA01 8.25" PA Woofer

September 25, 2024 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Wavecor’s New WF211PA01 8.25" PA Woofer

The driver characterized in this Test Bench is a new 8.25" paper cone woofer, which is only the second pro audio design from the Wavecor, renowned for its high-end home hi-fi drivers. The company decided to expand its catalog with new OEM pro audio woofers, and the WF211PA01 is basically a smaller version of the WF259PA01 10" woofer explicated in the February 2024 issue of Voice Coil. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, June 2024.

Test Bench: The Faital Pro 5HX140 5" Pro Sound Coaxial Driver

September 18, 2024 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: The Faital Pro 5HX140 5" Pro Sound Coaxial Driver

The 5HX140 5" coaxial driver from Faital Pro is built on a cast-aluminum frame, with a water-resistant coated paper cone and pleated M-type fabric surround, and an acoustically transparent cloth dust cap over the compression driver conical horn. The high-frequency compression driver has its own neodymium ring magnet motor system that drives the 25mm Kapton dome shaped diaphragm, with a voice coil also wound with aluminum wire on a Kapton former. This diaphragm fires into a short 90° aluminum conical-shaped horn.

Test Bench: W4-2315 Home Audio 4.5" Coaxial Driver from TB Speaker

September 12, 2024 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: W4-2315 Home Audio 4.5" Coaxial Driver from TB Speaker

This Test Bench characterizes the highly original W4-2315 4.5" paper cone coaxial design from Tang Band (TB) Speaker. This small diameter coaxial transducer is a great new example of this genre for home audio applications, any high-performance small two-way speaker, or even a studio monitor design. The W4-2315 combines a very shallow curved profile bamboo fiber and paper cone with an aluminum inverted dome tweeter suspended by a cloth surround.

Test Bench: SEAS New High-End 5.25” Metamodal TPCD Midbass Woofer

August 7, 2024 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: SEAS New High-End 5.25” Metamodal TPCD Midbass Woofer

This Test Bench explores the exciting SEAS W16NX005 5.25" Metamodal TPCD Midbass Woofer. Part of the SEAS high-end Excel line of transducers, the W16NX005 is the first commercial product available that combines the latest Composite Sound metamodal TPCD diaphragm technology with the typical SEAS high-performance Excel woofer motor design. This midbass woofer includes a metamodal diaphragm and 2" convex dustcap, along with an optimized NBR surround and black cloth flat profile spider for compliance.

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