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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: Motus UH205PW1 High-End Home Audio 8-Inch Woofer
August 17, 2016 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Motus UH205PW1 High-End Home Audio 8-Inch Woofer

This month’s Test Bench is dedicated to a new woofer from Motus, a fairly new company in the esoteric end of the home audio business. The transducer under test is the Motus UH205PW1, an 8” mid-bass driver with a really nicely configured six-spoke cast-aluminum frame, FEA optimized motor design and a nice overall physical appearance. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, November 2015.
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Test Bench: Celestion FTX0820 8-inch Coaxial Woofer/Compression Driver
July 24, 2016 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Celestion FTX0820 8-inch Coaxial Woofer/Compression Driver

This month, the driver to be characterized is the FTX0820, a new coax from Celestion. The OEM-only FTX range covers 12” (305 mm), 8” (200 mm), and 6.5” (165 mm) chassis diameters, and features fully combined low-frequency and high-frequency components that are powered by a Common Magnet Motor Assembly (where the same magnet is used for both the low-frequency and high-frequency elements). This enables the voice coils (and hence the acoustic centers of the two drivers) to be brought closer together, delivering tight signal coherence and time alignment. This article was published in Voice Coil, October 2015.
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Test Bench: MAG Audio M0610 Midrange Driver
July 21, 2016 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: MAG Audio M0610 Midrange Driver

This submission comes from a company new to Test Bench, MAG Audio, from Ukraine. The M0610 pro sound midrange driver MAG submitted features a cast-aluminum frame, a lightweight curved profile uncoated paper cone, a 2” diameter uncoated paper dust cap, and a 1.5” (38-mm) diameter voice coil wound on a Kapton former with edge wound copper-clad aluminum ribbon wire. Compliance is provided by a flat foam surround and a 4.5” diameter flat cloth spider. A 110-mm × 15-mm detachable self-centering strontium ferrite magnet with a black coated back plate powers the unit. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, November 2013.
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Test Bench: Celestion CF18VJD Pro Sound Woofer
July 20, 2016 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Celestion CF18VJD Pro Sound Woofer

This month, I am going to review Celestion’s 18” CF18VJD pro sound woofer. The CF18VJD is a high-power handling woofer rated at 1,600 WRMS (AES standard) and weighs a hefty 50.6 lb. The CF18VJD’s features include a proprietary seven-spoke cast aluminum frame. Celestion’s approach for this model uses a vented front plate that exhausts toward a series of peripheral vents located on the top of the back plate with a cone assembly of carbon and Kevlar loaded paper cone and large dust cap. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, November 2013.
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Test Bench: Precision Devices PD.185N02 Woofer
July 12, 2016 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Precision Devices PD.185N02 Woofer

I received a transducer for this month’s Test Bench review from a pro sound OEM company that has not previously appeared in Test Bench — Precision Devices from the UK. Precision Devices sent the PD.185N02, a new 18” high-power handling neodymium motor woofer, from its next-generation transducer range, which features four different 18” models. Intended for use as a sub bass driver or woofer in bass reflex and horn loaded systems, this driver can also be used in closed box designs. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, October 2015.
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Test Bench - Scan-Speak 5F/8422T01 2” Full-Range Driver
July 3, 2016 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench - Scan-Speak 5F/8422T01 2” Full-Range Driver

Scan-Speak’s 5F/8422T01 is a 2” diameter full-range driver, ideal for TV, multimedia, and lifestyle speakers, and part of the brand’s Discovery series which offers traditional design combined with a solid construction in a wide range of variants at a reasonable low price point. As Vance Dickason notes, “Scan-Speak set out to make the best 2” full range on the market, and I think it did quite well with its new 5F/8422T01.” This article was originally published in Voice Coil, October 2013.
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New Dedicated Headphone QC Analyzer from LoudSoft
June 29, 2016 by Vance Dickason

New Dedicated Headphone QC Analyzer from LoudSoft

Following a preview earlier this year at the ALMA International Symposium and Expo 2016, in Las Vegas, Danish audio test and measurement specialist LoudSoft has now simultaneously released its new dedicated headphone/earphone hardware analyzer, FINE Hardware 2 with its new headphone/earphone QC software, FINE QC/Headphone. The solution is able to is able to test a headphone in 1 second, including Left-Right difference and Rub & Buzz for both, and the test cycle can also include Noise Cancel Test, both passive and active, in less than 10 seconds.
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Test Bench - Beyma 12MC500 12” Pro Sound Woofer
June 27, 2016 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench - Beyma 12MC500 12” Pro Sound Woofer

This month’s Test Bench focuses on Acustica Beyma’s 12MC500 12” pro audio woofer. This unique woofer with competitive features and performance for a 2,5” voice coil ceramic magnet design features Malt Cross technology, Beyma´s patented advanced cooling system and handles up to 1000 w program power, managing to drastically reduce losses due to power compression. This woofer is low in weight for a ceramic woofer and a competitive candidate for line array systems. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, October 2013.
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Eminence D-fend SA300
June 22, 2016 by Vance Dickason

Eminence D-fend SA300

In 2013, Eminence Speaker introduced the D-fend SA300, a fully programmable stand-alone unit designed to protect passive loudspeakers from excessive power conditions. With patent-pending technology, D-fend enables maximum driver performance while ensuring damage-free operation. D-fend eliminates worries about blown speakers, HF drivers, or crossovers; or even worse, fire caused by excessive heat. This article was published in Voice Coil, October 2013.
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Test Bench: B&C Speakers DE1085TN 2” Titanium Diaphragm Compression Driver Coupled to a B&C ME60 Horn
May 28, 2016 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: B&C Speakers DE1085TN 2” Titanium Diaphragm Compression Driver Coupled to a B&C ME60 Horn

This Test Bench characterizes the DE1085TN driver, a new high power handling titanium diaphragm DE1085TN compression driver from Italian OEM pro sound manufacturer, B&C Speakers. The compression driver is coupled with B&C Speakers’ ME60 60 H × 40 V constant directivity cast-aluminum horn with a 0.8-kHz cutoff frequency. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, September 2015.
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