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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
The 745NEOBe Compression Driver from Radian Audio
March 12, 2018 by Vance Dickason

The 745NEOBe Compression Driver from Radian Audio

For this month’s Test Bench article, I examined the 745NEOBe, a pro sound 1.4” beryllium compression driver from Radian Audio Engineering. Radian Audio was founded in 1988 by its president, Dr. Richard Kontrimas, however, Kontrimas has since retired and the company is under new ownership, based in Orange, CA. With more than two decades of success under its belt, Radian Audio is now entering its third decade as a pro sound manufacturer. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, October 2017.
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Test Bench: Scan-Speak 28W/4878T00 10" Subwoofer
March 7, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Scan-Speak 28W/4878T00 10" Subwoofer

In this Test Bench, I examined the 28W/4878T00, a new 10” (28 cm) subwoofer from high-end OEM Danish driver manufacturer Scan- Speak. Scan-Speak’s 28W/4878T00 has a well-chosen feature set that includes a proprietary cast seven-spoke cast-aluminum frame that has minimal reflection surfaces and is completely open below the spider mounting shelf. Other features include a stiff, lightweight paper sandwich cone—further stiffened by a 3.25” convex coated woven fiber dust cap. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, September 2017.
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Test Bench: Volt Loudspeakers VM752 3” Midrange Dome Driver
February 28, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Volt Loudspeakers VM752 3” Midrange Dome Driver

This month I tested one of Volt Loudspeakers' signature products, the 3” VM752 midrange dome. The VM752’s features include a coated single-piece fabric dome/surround, a FEA-designed ferrite motor structure, and a 75 mm diameter Nomex/Kapton voice coil former wound with round copper wire. A short flare horn is built into the rear-mounted (0.75” depth) faceplate. The VM752 also offers 94 dB sensitivity, and 100 W (AES) rated power handling, has a 200 mm diameter ferrite magnet, with a 2 mm Xmax, and a 500-Hz-to-4-kHz operating range. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, September 2017.
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Test Bench: Volt Loudspeakers VM527 Midrange
February 14, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Volt Loudspeakers VM527 Midrange

Voice Coil magazine welcomed Volt Loudspeakers UK to Test Bench in this edition! The driver tested this month was the hot-off-the-production-line new 2” midrange dome, the VM527. The VM527’s features include a coated single piece fabric dome/surround, FEA-designed ferrite motor structure, a 52 mm diameter voice coil, short flare horn built into the rear mounted faceplate, a 91 dB sensitivity, and 75 W (AES) rated power handling. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, August 2017.
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Peerless by Tymphany DFM-2535R00-08 Compression Driver
February 7, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Peerless by Tymphany DFM-2535R00-08 Compression Driver

The DFM-2535R00-08 compression driver I examined this month came from Tymphany. This is the first compression driver in the company’s new three model compression driver line from Peerless by Tymphany. The DFM-2535R00-08 has a 1” throat exit diameter and a 1.4” titanium diaphragm with a polyimide surround. This is driven by 35.5 mm diameter voice coil wound with round copper wire on an aluminum former (ASV). This article was originally published in Voice Coil, August 2017.
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Test Bench: Wavecor SW168WA01 Subwoofer
January 24, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Wavecor SW168WA01 Subwoofer

This Test Bench focuses on a new Wavecor 6.5” subwoofer, the SW168WA01. This subwoofer has a generous feature set that includes a proprietary four-spoke stamped steel frame that is substantially open below the spider mounting shelf due to the eight 15×8 mm rectangular vents, and as part of Wavecor’s Balanced Drive motor format, the SW168WA01 further incorporates an aluminum shorting ring. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, July 2017.
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Test Bench: B&C Speakers DE990TN Compression Driver
January 17, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: B&C Speakers DE990TN Compression Driver

The compression driver I examined here came from B&C Speakers and is the “little brother” to the titanium diaphragm DE1090TN compression driver featured in the August 2016 issue of Voice Coil magazine. As with the DE1090TN, the DE990TN was coupled with B&C Speakers’ ME90 80° × 60° constant directivity horn. The DE990TN has a 36 mm (1.4”) throat diameter and is driven by a titanium diaphragm with a 86 mm (3.4”) diameter voice coil wound with aluminum wire. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, July 2017.
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Test Bench: SEAS E0060-08/06 6.5” King Coax
December 27, 2017 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: SEAS E0060-08/06 6.5” King Coax

The driver featured in this Test Bench is the new E0060-08/06 6.5 “King Coax” from SEAS. Recognized for several years for its high-performance coaxial midrange/tweeter drivers, SEAS developed this new driver at the request of a studio monitor customer who wanted a compact three-way monitor and asked SEAS to develop a midrange + tweeter coax. The King Coax received its name from the copper ring under the tweeter, which resembled the look of a crown. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, June 2017.
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Test Bench: D4400Ph Compression Driver from PRV Audio
December 6, 2017 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: D4400Ph Compression Driver from PRV Audio

In this Test Bench, Voice Coil characterizes the second of two new compression drivers from Brazilian pro sound OEM PRV Audio. Following the Test Bench of the D4400Ti-Nd, in this characterization Vance Dickason looks at the D4000Ph compression driver, a ferrite version. The D4400TiPh is part of a series of 2” throat 4” diameter voice coil compression drivers, in this case complemented with PRV Audio’s WGP22-50 2” bolt on 60° × 60° waveguide. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, May 2017.
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Test Bench: The New D4400Ti-Nd Compression Driver from PRV Audio
November 29, 2017 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: The New D4400Ti-Nd Compression Driver from PRV Audio

Voice Coil characterizes a new compression driver from Brazilian pro sound OEM PRV Audio, a company that started operations in 2006, created by a group of former executives and engineers from one of Brazil’s most prestigious loudspeaker manufacturers, and which has not stopped producing high quality products. This edition of Test Bench looks at the D4400Ti-Nd compression driver, complemented with PRV Audio’s WGP22-50 2” bolt on 60° × 60° waveguide. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, May 2017.
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