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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
Motus Audio UH130PW1 Midbass Woofer
January 4, 2017 by Vance Dickason

Motus Audio UH130PW1 Midbass Woofer

This month, the Test Bench samples came from a relatively new high-end home audio company. From high-end home audio OEM manufacturer Motus Audio, I received the UH130PW1, a 5.25” mid-bass driver, an impressive looking mid-bass transducer, with a similar feature set as several other European high-end mid-bass woofer brands. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, January 2016.
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Test Bench: Scan-Speak Discovery 26W/4558T00 10" Aluminum Cone Subwoofer
December 27, 2016 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Scan-Speak Discovery 26W/4558T00 10" Aluminum Cone Subwoofer

This Test Bench characterizes Scan-Speak's 10" aluminum cone subwoofer, the 26W/4558T00, a high-end home audio driver from the Danish brand's Discovery lineup. Scan-Speak obviously spent a lot of time designing the cone for this woofer, made with a thick black flat profile anodized aluminum, with an articulation that should add considerable stiffness. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, February 2011.
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Test Bench: Scan-Speak Discovery D2604/833000 1″ Wide Surround Silk Dome Tweeter
December 18, 2016 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Scan-Speak Discovery D2604/833000 1″ Wide Surround Silk Dome Tweeter

This Test Bench carachterizes Scan-Speak’s 1″ wide surround silk dome tweeter, the D2604/833000, a high-end home audio driver from their Discovery lineup. The D2604/833000 features a large surround 1″ diameter silk dome, a low 475Hz resonance, CRT shielding, a separate rear chamber, a ferrite magnet motor, an injection-molded faceplate with a five-point mounting configuration, voice coil wound with copper-clad aluminum wire, and gold-plated terminals. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, February 2011.
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Test Bench: Eminence Maverick Guitar Speaker
December 14, 2016 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Eminence Maverick Guitar Speaker

This Test Bench focuses on a new and extremely clever variable Bl 12″ diameter guitar speaker from Eminence — the 12″ Maverick, from the Eminence Patriot series, which uses their new FDM technology (Flux Density Modulation) to allow some really desirable distortion characteristics that have become the signature of blues and rock guitar playing. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, January 2011.
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Test Bench: Wavecor WF120BD04 Midbass
December 7, 2016 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Wavecor WF120BD04 Midbass

In this edition of Test Bench - already from Voice Coil’s archives, originally published in September 2010 - Vance Dickason measures the WF120BD04 midbass woofer from Wavecor, part of a complete range of 4¾” transducers, including the WF120BD03 (4 ohm version), which he found to be well-crafted drivers. Both were designed as high performance bass and midrange units for very compact monitors and high-end hi-fi speakers and feature a Balanced Drive motor proprietary structure.
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Test Bench: Eminence Alphalite 6A Midrange/Midbass Woofer
November 24, 2016 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Eminence Alphalite 6A Midrange/Midbass Woofer

Eminence sent a 6.5″ driver from their lightweight Professional Neodymium Series, the Alphalite 6A, which, along with the Kappalite and Deltalite series, makes up the neo woofer/midrange offering from Eminence. The Alphalite 6A is described as a lightweight pro audio mid/bass driver, designed for sealed, vented, or infinite baffle applications. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, June 2010.
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Test Bench: Exodus Audio W06-017R “Anarchy”
November 7, 2016 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Exodus Audio W06-017R “Anarchy”

This Test Bench article focuses on a product from Exodus Audio, a high excursion 6.5″ aluminum cone midwoofer, the W06-017R, which was known in retail under the name “Anarchy.” This article was published originally in Voice Coil March 2010 and the company’s website, DIY Cable and Exodus Audio, from Port Angeles, WA, sadly closed it’s doors in June 2011 (after 10 years and 6 months in activity). We thought we should make this review available to all, maybe as a way to inspire other transducer engineers.
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New Transducer Technology from Christensen Audio
October 26, 2016 by Vance Dickason

New Transducer Technology from Christensen Audio

In this article, Vance Dickason highlights a new transducer technology from Christensen Audio, which was recently introduced and has the potential to replace moving-coil driver types in many applications, both in terms of performance and cost. The new technology represents a radical improvement of the basic and well-known Air Motion Transformer (AMT) technology, as originally developed by Dr. Oskar Heil and ESS Labs in the 1970s. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, January 2016.
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Test Bench: Eighteen Sound 18iD 18-Inch Woofer
October 11, 2016 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Eighteen Sound 18iD 18-Inch Woofer

Eighteen Sound sent us an unusual driver for this Test Bench, because it is specifically intended for use with the new generation of Class-D digital amplifiers that can drive extremely low impedance loads. While Eighteen Sound has several models in this configuration, this month we are testing the 18” model, the 18iD, developed in accordance with Powersoft Audio’s IPAL standards. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, December 2015.
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Test Bench: Celestion CF0617M Prosound Midrange Driver
October 5, 2016 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Celestion CF0617M Prosound Midrange Driver

The transducer I received for this month’s Test Bench is the CF0617M, a new high power handling 6.5” midrange, from Celestion. The CF0617M is one of my favorite formats in a pro sound mid. Features include a four-spoke cast aluminum frame, a light-weight curved profile uncoated Kevlar loaded paper cone, a 1.75” diameter voice coil and a 120 mm × 15 mm ferrite magnet. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, December 2015.
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