Philips Fidelio X3 Headphones Are Now Shipping

Unveiled officially at the CES 2020 show, the all-new Philips Fidelio X3 headphones will be finally shipping, with most online retailers announcing availability for end of August 2020. The Fidelio X3 headphones are a high-end, Hi-Res Audio certified design that is intended to please the most demanding music enthusiasts, while still keeping within an affordable price range. The Philips Fidelio X3 headphones will certainly impress with a combination of comfortable materials and build quality.

The Jensen N12K, a Vintage Neodymium 12", 100 watts speaker, is now in stock and available for purchase from CE Distribution. The N12K was previously only available in Fender Tone Master amps but is now available for purchase as a standalone speaker. CE Distribution is global supplier, shipping around the world, based out of Tempe, AZ and serving the new and vintage musical equipment parts requirements for the OEM and wholesale markets, proudly stocking over 10,000 items from vacuum tubes and electronic parts to speakers.

This Test bench measures the massive Eminence NSW6021-6 21" neodymium low-frequency woofer, part of the company's recently announced Tour Grade series. This family of pro audio woofers consists of two 18" options, including the Ferrite Magnet FSW4018-8, and the Neodymium Magnet NSW4018-8 that appeared in the March 2020 Test Bench. The NSW6021-6 is a very high power handling 21" woofer, designed over two years to support the requirements of touring sound professionals who want to move more air, more efficiently, and without failures in a wide range of applications and venues. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, June 2020.

Oberton has announced the company's latest 1-inch exist high neodymium frequency compression driver. The ND45 is an improved version of the company's ND2545 model, now incorporating a new phase plug, new dome with vented suspension and copper inductance ring, all aiming to improve its sound characteristics and ensure very low distortion at high sound levels. As Oberton highlights, the smooth impedance response of the ND45 in the crossover region will ensure perfect results with passive crossovers.

Avantone Pro introduced Planar, a new high definition, open planar driver design that allows for lower distortion, fast response, and an extended frequency response, going all the way to 30kHz. Avantone says the new design is inherently flat, and tuned in order to deliver more precision and accuracy when monitoring and mixing, which is the aim for the brand's core target audience. But these over-the-ear planar headphones, being lightweight and comfortable, are certain going to appeal to a broader audience, which also uses headphones for long periods of time.

ATC Loudspeaker Technology announced the availability of the SCM150ASLT, a limited edition speaker system translating the brand's 45-year heritage of innovation and precision engineering. The new 3-way system matches the SCM150ASLT speaker towers incorporating the latest ATC designed and built drivers, with an ATC P6 power amplifier. A complete world-class system with attention to transducer and electronic design engineering, conceived to deliver superior levels of clarity, transient response and effortless power delivery.

In this Test Bench, Vance Dickason receives the latest 18NDXL Imperium, a very high power handling 18" low-frequency woofer from British brand Fane. Designed by this revitalized company with a rich history, the 18NDXL Imperium includes uses as a bass driver in multiway systems or as a dedicated woofer in bass reflex or horn loaded designs. The feature set for the 18NDXL is like most high-performance pro sound drivers, rather substantial. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, April 2020.

From an overview of the latest headphone test & measurement equipment, to a massive 21" tour-grade woofer from Eminence, a precise, horn-loaded ribbon planar driver from Radian, and a discussion of a controversial and wide-ranging patent on low-mass transducers, there's a lot to discover in the June 2020 edition of Voice Coil. Available now in print and digital. Download now.

For this Test Bench, Vance Dickason characterizes the new WAN103.01 10" woofer from Italian OEM transducer manufacturer, LaVoce. All LaVoce products are designed at its headquarters in Potenza Picena, Italy, but with the logistic and price advantage of being manufactured at its purpose-built ISO 9001-certified production facility in China. The WAN103.01 is a high-sensitivity and high-power 10" driver, with a substantial feature set, which has been designed with line array and mid-bass applications in mind, using an elegant heavy duty die-cast basket and FEM optimized motor structure and suspensions.

In this article, Mike Klasco provides a unique overview of the neodymium supply chain, rare earth minerals trade, and its implications for the loudspeaker industry. Part 1 of the article explored the Chinese influence on the supply chain for rare earth ores and how that might have strategic implications if the trade wars between countries. This article was originally published in The Audio Voice newsletter of August 23 and 30, 2018. An extended version, also divided in two parts, was later published in Voice Coil magazine in November and December 2018.