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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
Dayton Audio Releases DSP-408 Signal Processor
November 20, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Dayton Audio Releases DSP-408 Signal Processor

Dayton Audio has released a new DSP loudspeaker signal processor intended for both home and car audio, the DSP-408. This is a feature-rich 4 input/8 output digital signal processor, featuring built-in EQ, crossovers, time alignment, and input/output mixing. Exploring all the features the DSP-408 offers, the ability to manipulate and improve the sound quality of an audio system is the most alluring aspect of this affordable unit.
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Test Bench: B&C Speakers DE780TN-8 Compression Driver
November 14, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: B&C Speakers DE780TN-8 Compression Driver

For this test bench article, I characterized the DE780TN, a 1.4" exit titanium diaphragm pro sound compression driver from B&C Speakers. This compression driver is one of the latest additions to B&C Speakers’ extensive 17-model ferrite and neodymium motor 1.4" exit compression drivers. B&C Speakers supplied the ME90 horn for use with the DE780TN-8. This constant directivity horn has a 1.4" exit bolton type made from cast aluminum, and provides an 80° × 60° coverage pattern and a 900 Hz cut-off frequency. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, August 2018.
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Test Bench: TPL75 Compact Pro Sound AMT from Acustica Beyma
November 7, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: TPL75 Compact Pro Sound AMT from Acustica Beyma

The TPL75 is one of the Air Motion Transformers (AMT, aka Air Velocity Transformer) that Acustica Beyma has developed for pro sound applications. Part of the success of Beyma’s AMTs for pro sound comes from its proprietary X-Bow technology, which opens as much as possible the mechanical constraint in the diaphragm, allowing it to manage higher temperatures, increasing the limit of the power the diaphragm can handle. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, August 2018.
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Test Bench: The Alpha-5-8 5" Midbass Driver from Eminence
October 31, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: The Alpha-5-8 5" Midbass Driver from Eminence

For this test bench article, I characterized the New Eminence Alpha-5-8 5” line array/column array midbass driver. This a new 5” midwoofer from the American Standard Series, a 24-model transducer line of epoxy-acrylic finished stamped frame woofers and midranges. Applications for the Alpha 5-8 include use as a midrange in a multi-way speaker, as multiples in a line array, or as a compact column PA speaker. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, August 2018.
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Test Bench: Tang Band W3-2088SOF Micro Home Audio Subwoofer
October 17, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Tang Band W3-2088SOF Micro Home Audio Subwoofer

This a Test Bench of Tang Band's W3-2088SOF, a high XMAX 3.5" home audio RBM Micro subwoofer. The W3-2088SOF is built on an injection-molded eight-spoke frame that supports an unusual rectangular housing. The really unusual feature is that the W3-2088SOF does not use a spider. Instead it gets its compliance from two surrounds like a dual spider configuration. The voice coil former is vented below the inside diaphragm and also vented between the two diaphragm. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, January 2014.
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Test Bench: The 18HW1070 18” Pro Sound Woofer from FaitalPRO
October 10, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: The 18HW1070 18” Pro Sound Woofer from FaitalPRO

In this Test Bench, Vance Dickason characterized a pro sound 18" ferrite woofer that quickly became one of FaitalPRO's best-sellers. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, January 2014 and it was missing from the online publications that we regularly post on the audioXpress.com website. As Vance Dickason noted at the time, the 18HW1070 is a carefully designed and crafted driver, with an impressive power handling capacity for PA applications.
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Test Bench: Acustica Beyma TPL200/H Pro Sound Air Velocity Transformer
October 3, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Acustica Beyma TPL200/H Pro Sound Air Velocity Transformer

In this edition of Test Bench, Vance Dickason characterized a different high-frequency transducer: the TPL200/H, a horn-loaded pro sound AMT from the Valencia, Spain, company Acustica Beyma. The TPL200/H is one of the Air Motion Transformers (AMT, aka AVT Air Velocity Transformer) that Beyma has developed for pro sound applications and is a Kapton horn-loaded version of the highest power handling AMT in their AMT line, rated at 120 W AES (24 W program), with a sensitivity of 104 dB 1 W/1 m. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, July 2018.
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Test Bench: The 951PB 1.4" Compression Driver from Radian Audio Engineering
September 26, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: The 951PB 1.4" Compression Driver from Radian Audio Engineering

In this Test Bench, Vance Dickason looks at an interesting new high-frequency transducer: the 951PB, a 1.4” exit pro sound compression driver from Radian Audio Engineering, based in Orange, CA. The 951PB shares an almost identical feature set with the existing 950PB. Both have neodymium ring magnet motors, high temperature 101.6 mm (4”) diameter polyimide voice coil formers wound with copper-clad aluminum-edge wound ribbon wire voice coils. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, July 2018.
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Test Bench: Radian Audio Engineering 950PB and 760NEOPB Compression Drivers
September 20, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Radian Audio Engineering 950PB and 760NEOPB Compression Drivers

This was the first time Test Bench featured a product from the highly respected Radian Audio Engineering. Radian sent the 950PB and the 760NEOPB, two of the company’s flagship compression drivers. The 950PB and the 760NEOPB share several features. They are both 2” exit compression drivers, with a useful response above 10 kHz. The 950PB and the 760NEOPB use neodymium motor structures and pure aluminum diaphragms with a proprietary mylar suspension that greatly reduces second- and third-order harmonic distortion. The two transducers mainly differ with regard to their voice coil diameters. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, November 2014.
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Test Bench: B&C Speakers DE680TN 1.4" Exit Pro Sound Compression Driver
September 5, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: B&C Speakers DE680TN 1.4" Exit Pro Sound Compression Driver

The transducer I examined in this Test Bench came from Italian OEM manufacturer B&C Speakers. The DE680TN-8 compression driver is the latest addition to B&C Speakers’ extensive ferrite and neodymium motor 1.4” exit compression drivers. In terms of features, the titanium diaphragm has been redesigned and incorporates a new bent-edge former along with a new dome and surrounds geometry. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, June 2018.
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