New High-Performance Cone and Diaphragm Technology

Always exploring all the latest information regarding cone and diaphragm technology, Voice Coil regularly publishes reports on key new materials with the potential to excite the loudspeaker industry. In this special focus article, Mike Klasco (Menlo Scientific, Ltd.) explores new approaches that explore thin ply carbon materials, like Swedish advanced composite specialist Oxeon is attempting with its TeXtreme Thin Ply Carbon Technology. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, February 2019.

David Logvin explores the Lepai LP40PA ultra-compact amplifier, a versatile Class D common plate amp module with fully integrated Bluetooth 4.2 receiver and 3.5 mm stereo inputs, ideal for converting existing passive speakers into convenient portable and wireless units that can be placed anywhere. The Lepai LP40PA has plenty of power for a pair of bookshelf speakers as Logvin experimented. This article was originally published in audioXpress, January 2019.

Our longtime columnist Richard Honeycutt shares his insights on Geoff Hill’s recently released book, Loudspeaker Modelling and Design: A Practical Introduction, which demonstrates modern software and hardware being applied to the processes behind loudspeaker design and modeling. Learn more about this indispensable work, now available from publisher Routledge / Focal Press. This article was originally published in audioxpress, February 2019.

For the January 2019 edition of Voice Coil magazine, Mike Klasco and Nora Wong have compiled a special Focus article on New Materials for Earphones and Headphones. For those looking to differentiate their new products, the two Menlo Scientific consultants provide a unique and valuable perspective on multiple possibilities and designs for drivers, materials for assemblies and enclosures, choices for headbands and ear cushions, signal processing, and even cables.

In his report of the High End 2018 show in Munich, Ward Maas shares his findings in speaker design, amplification, turntables, and anything that showed innovations, an important improvement, better design, or simply because he couldn't resist it... Enjoy all his highlights while he walks the Munich Order Center (MOC) in this exciting edition, which was also complemented by a small but very enjoyable concurrent CanJam show in a nearby building.

Anyone who is serious about designing a loudspeaker using dynamic drivers is either familiar with, or has used, Thiele/Small parameters, generally accepted as ways to predict driver behavior in different enclosures. But there are other measurement methods we can use to determine and quantify nonlinearities: the DUMAX system, produced by DLC Design, and the Klippel Analyzer System by Klippel GmbH. This article was originally published in audioXpress, March 2003.

From March to August 2014, in its Sound Control column dedicated to acoustics, Richard Honeycutt reviewed and wrote a series of articles on the evolution of predictive acoustics and acoustical modeling software, including a review of some of the available tools. This fourth article in the series discusses Enhanced Acoustic Simulator for Engineers (EASE), an engineering design and analysis software for optimizing acoustics. This article was originally published in audioXpress, June 2014.

From March to August 2014, in its Sound Control column dedicated to acoustics, Richard Honeycutt reviewed and wrote a series of articles on the evolution of predictive acoustics and acoustical modeling software, including a review of some of the available tools. This third article in the series discusses CATT-Acoustic, a software for room acoustics prediction, auralization, studio stereo, and surround reverberation, and one of the leading modeling programs for architectural acoustics. This article was originally published in audioXpress, May 2014.

From March to August 2014, in its Sound Control column dedicated to acoustics, Richard Honeycutt reviewed and wrote a series of articles on the evolution of predictive acoustics and acoustical modeling software, including a review of some of the available tools. This second article in the series focused on one of those available tools: Bose Modeler. This article was originally published in audioXpress, April 2014.

This article provides an overview of the Korg Nutube 6P1, a new, miniature, low-power dual directly-heated triode device. It was developed by Korg (of musical instrument fame) and Noritake Itron, a manufacturer of vacuum fluorescent displays, in Japan. Although it is a true directly heated triode, it is manufactured differently than traditional vacuum tubes, which gives it some unique attributes. This article was originally published in audioXpress, May 2017.