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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: SB Acoustics’ Satori MW16TX-8 Textreme Woofer

September 1, 2021 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: SB Acoustics’ Satori MW16TX-8 Textreme Woofer

This Test Bench article characterizes the SB Acoustics Satori MW16TX-8 TeXtreme Cone 6.5” Woofer, the third diaphragm transducer in Test Bench using this material, following the Eminence N314X-8 compression driver, and the SB Acoustics TW29TXN-B-4 dome tweeter. TeXtreme diaphragms are definitely finding acceptance among loudspeaker manufacturers. The MW16TX-8 is part of the SB Satori line of high-end transducers and has a substantial feature set. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, June 2021.

Test Bench: Eighteen Sound NSD1424BTN 1.4” Pro Sound Compression Driver

August 19, 2021 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Eighteen Sound NSD1424BTN 1.4” Pro Sound Compression Driver

This Test Bench characterizes an ultra-compact 1.4” compression driver design from Eighteen Sound, the NSD1424BTN, combined with the brand's XT1464 60°x50° horn. This driver is driven by a 62mm diameter edge-wound voice coil, proprietary True Pistonic Motion (TPM) Tin (nitrate compound)-coated titanium diaphragm, 3P phase plug design with short openings and a high flare rate to reduce distortion and improve mid-range detail. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, May 2021.

Test Bench: Kartesian Twt28_vMS High-End Soft Dome Tweeter

August 11, 2021 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Kartesian Twt28_vMS High-End Soft Dome Tweeter

This Test Bench article characterizes a high-end dome tweeter from Kartesian, a French home audio/pro OEM, founded in 2011 and located near Strasbourg. The Twt28_vMS is a 28mm soft dome tweeter using a proprietary Nylon-coated cloth type diaphragm and surround, with dual N48H neodymium magnets fitted to a low-carbon-content steel motor structure. An extruded polyester damped pole piece venting into a stamped aluminum back enclosure, is complemented by a rear enclosure acoustically linked and tuned to about 670Hz. This article was published in Voice Coil, May 2021.

Test Bench: Beyma CD-11Nd Compression Driver and TD-194 Horn

August 4, 2021 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Beyma CD-11Nd Compression Driver and TD-194 Horn

This Test Bench characterizes the CD-11Nd compression driver and TD-194 1" horn from pro sound OEM, Acustica Beyma. The CD-11Nd has a diameter voice coil wound both inside and outside of a non-conduction Kapton-type former with aluminum wire. The diaphragm and surround are composed of a single piece of PM4, which is a proprietary high-tech polymer that, according to the company, has never before been used for audio. This article was published in Voice Coil, April 2021.

Test Bench: Eighteen Sound ND1TP Compression Driver and XT120 Horn

July 20, 2021 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Eighteen Sound ND1TP Compression Driver and XT120 Horn

The product on this Test Bench is Eighteen Sound’s ND1TP Compression Driver and XT120 Horn. Already the result of the company's efforts in the aftermath of the Eighteen Sound (and Ciare) acquisition by B&C Speakers in 2018. The ultra-compact ND1TP compression driver has a 25mm (1") throat diameter driven by a 44mm (1.75") diameter edge-wound voice coil wound with copper-clad aluminum wire (CCAW) on a non-conducting Nomex former with a proprietary treatment. This article was published in Voice Coil, April 2021.

Test Bench: The AT60NC-4 AMT Tweeter from SB Acoustics’ Satori Line

June 24, 2021 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: The AT60NC-4 AMT Tweeter from SB Acoustics’ Satori Line

The new AT60NC-4 AMT tweeter from SB Acoustics’ Satori Line follows the recent “renaissance” of Air Motion Transformer (AMT or Air Velocity Transformer aka AVT) over the last several years. The Satori AT60CN-4 is targeted at high-end audio applications. Its features include a damped foil and Kapton 43mm × 29mm pleated AMT diaphragm, with an optimized rear chamber, and two-part face plate. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, March 2021.

Test Bench: The New D2404/552000 Ellipticor Tweeter from Scan-Speak

June 16, 2021 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: The New D2404/552000 Ellipticor Tweeter from Scan-Speak

In earlier editions, Voice Coil introduced the Scan-Speak Ellipticor drivers with its unique oval voice coil shapes to defeat cone and dome standing wave modes. With the design and concept becoming extremely popular in the high-end two-channel market, the elliptical-shaped series of Scan-Speak drivers continues to expand. The new D2404/552000 Ellipticor 24mm tweeter is the little brother to the D3404 tweeter. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, March 2021.

Test Bench: The Wavecor FR070WA05 Aluminum Cone Full-Range 2.75” Driver

May 12, 2021 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: The Wavecor FR070WA05 Aluminum Cone Full-Range 2.75” Driver

The driver to be characterized in this article is Wavecor’s FR070WA05, a 2.75" full-range driver with a black anodized aluminum cone, built on a proprietary injection-molded polymer four-spoke frame. Like most contemporary drivers, the area below the spider mounting shelf is totally open for increased cooling. Powering the cone assembly is a dual neodymium motor. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, February 2021.

Test Bench: The AUGWL0006-JN01 Aluminum Cone Woofer from Eastech’s Punktkilde Line

May 6, 2021 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: The AUGWL0006-JN01 Aluminum Cone Woofer from Eastech’s Punktkilde Line

The AUGWL0006-JN01 is a new 2.25" woofer from Eastech’s Punktkilde lineup. With a depth of 7/8", the AUGWL0006-JN01 is part of the Ultra-Thin Series. The feature set is rather clever, using a black anodized aluminum cone assembly and dust cap, suspended with a NBR surround. A 25mm round foam surround supplies the additional compliance, and a large 35.5mm diameter under hung voice coil rides inside a double set of neodymium ring magnets. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, February 2021.

Test Bench: The BWX-6502 Midbass from MISCO’s Bold North Audio Line

April 27, 2021 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: The BWX-6502 Midbass from MISCO’s Bold North Audio Line

In this article, Vance Dickason characterizes the Bold North Audio BWX-6502 Midbass, which comes from a series of exciting new drivers designed and manufactured in the US by MISCO (Minneapolis Speaker Company). The BWX-6502 is built on the same platform with a similar XBL2 "dual-gap" motor design structure to the BWX-6501 model but with a cone assembly consisting of an Abaca fiber (paper) cone and a 60mm (2.4") diameter Abaca fiber dust cap, with compliance provided by a wide high excursion NBR surround, and a 3.5" diameter flat cotton spider (damper). This article was originally published in Voice Coil, January 2021.

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