Since Oxeon’s thin ply carbon diaphragm material was unveiled to the audio industry in 2018, there was a clear excitement from several loudspeaker manufacturers, some more focused on the consumer and high end applications, others targeting more professional sound reinforcement applications. Many of those manufacturers have now displayed prototypes at shows, but so far none has confirmed entering in production or actual model numbers.
Invented by Oxeon of Sweden, an advanced composites fabrication specialist, the Textreme thin ply carbon diaphragm has inspired the loudspeaker industry with its combination of controlled and precisely defined characteristics, allowing not only to improve the sound quality but essentially enabling a combination of high breakup frequency with controlled breakup behavior for low distortion and freedom from ringing and self-noise.
Eminence is now the first company to bring an actual product to market, announcing "Audiophiles, prepare yourself for goosebumps." Even though the new Eminence N314X-8 compression driver will target essentially demanding pro audio applications, the company is confident that the product will quickly find also acceptance in many high quality designs in the studio or even home theater.
The new N314X-8 high frequency driver, Eminence states, leverages all the promises of this advanced new thin ply carbon material, combined with the latest FEA techniques, to deliver a "Beryllium like high frequency extension with a robustness that is unrivaled by any dome material out there." "High speed of sound and acoustical figure of merit make this material a “no-brainer”. Couple that with unprecedented reliability compared to metal domes, and realize there is no better value in the world."
The new Eminence N314X-8 compression driver features a 3" voice coil with a 1.4" (35.6 mm) throat with 6.6Ω minimum impedance @ 3.7 kHz, and will be rated at 150 W (AES) with a sensitivity of 110.5 dB. The extended frequency range between 500 Hz and 20 kHz enables a recommended crossover transition upwards of 800 Hz (12 dB), creating a very versatile high-quality solution for portable applications, benefiting from the very light total weight, also enabled by the neodymium magnet.
Manufacturers and speaker designers interested in implementing this novel solution in their designs should contact Eminence, one of the company's dealers, or one of the company's authorized distributors around the world, in order to secure first samples.
For more information about Textreme read this article.
www.eminence.com
