All items in category Voice Coil Test Bench
Test Bench: An Extended Home Audio 6.5” Midbass Transducer from Purifi Audio
by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: An Extended Home Audio 6.5” Midbass Transducer from Purifi Audio

The Purifi Audio PTT6.5X04-NFA-01 midbass transducer is an over-achiever, and to help understand why, Dickason talks with Lars Risbo about the research and thought process that lead to many of the features found in this woofer. Including the unique cone assembly that consists of a mildly curvilinear paper cone made with a proprietary fiber mix, a 3.13” concave dust cap, and a V-shaped edge reinforcing ring, the NBR surround, and what Dickason calls "probably the most unique surround in the history of Voice Coil’s Test Bench. This article was published in Voice Coil July 2021.
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Test Bench: BDNC’s BGF-46166-18-4-003 Glass-Composite Flat Diaphragm Woofer
by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: BDNC’s BGF-46166-18-4-003 Glass-Composite Flat Diaphragm Woofer

This article characterizes a cutting-edge product from BDNC, a patented “race track” shaped driver, and the first of its kind to use a glass diaphragm composite made up of two layers of “Schott AS87 Glass” with an internal layer of viscoelastomic damping material and aluminum alloy foil. The motor structure uses two neodymium bar magnets driving a two-layer race track-shaped voice coil wound with round copper wire on an aluminum former. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, June 2021.
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Test Bench: SB Acoustics’ Satori MW16TX-8 Textreme Woofer
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.
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Test Bench: Eighteen Sound NSD1424BTN 1.4” Pro Sound Compression Driver
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.
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Test Bench: Kartesian Twt28_vMS High-End Soft Dome Tweeter
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.
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Test Bench: Beyma CD-11Nd Compression Driver and TD-194 Horn
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.
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Test Bench: Eighteen Sound ND1TP Compression Driver and XT120 Horn
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.
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Test Bench: The AT60NC-4 AMT Tweeter from SB Acoustics’ Satori Line
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.
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Test Bench: The New D2404/552000 Ellipticor Tweeter from Scan-Speak
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.
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Test Bench: The Wavecor FR070WA05 Aluminum Cone Full-Range 2.75” Driver
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.
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