SEAS developed the first commercial loudspeaker unit using a cone made from cast and machined magnesium, launched in 1993. These SEAS Magnesium cones are famous worldwide and require a unique manufacturing process, which ensures high damping as well as the stiffness of a metal cone. After many years of research, trying to identify a better material than magnesium, SEAS decided instead to perfect further the use of high purity magnesium, leading to the successful Graphene coating process now used in the new W16NX003 E0073-08 model, the first in the new Excel Graphene series.
SEAS' website already features the datasheet for the new W16NX003 driver and details some of the key aspects of the company's research that lead to the development of a precision cast, machined and Graphene treated magnesium cone, able to act as a piston through the working frequency band without showing any sign of midrange resonances.
The use of a high purity Graphene surface treatment on a light and stiff magnesium cone, according to SEAS, apart from providing a better corrosion protection, provides the low mechanical and electromagnetic damping that ensures high quality reproduction of even the finest micro details in music. Therefore, the new W16NX003 driver has exceptional high dynamic capability, producing clean and undistorted sound, suitable for modern high-resolution audio sources.
For the W16NX003, SEAS combined a titanium voice coil former with a long copper clad aluminum winding for improved force transfer, transient sound reproduction and larger linear excursion. This high-performance titanium voice coil and its connection to the cone has very high power-handling, suitable for modern amplifiers (e.g. Class-D). A unique radial reinforced rubber surround reduces radial resonances and prevents surround break up at large excursions. A combination that SEAS confirms results in very low mechanical damping for better clarity and brings out the micro details in the music.
The driver also features an FEA optimized magnet system with precisely fitted copper parts for excellent linearity, high power handling and low distortion. The extremely stiff and stable injection moulded metal basket keeps the critical components in perfect alignment, while large windows in the basket both above and below the spider reduce sound reflection, air flow noise and cavity resonance to a minimum.
The pictures above show the new W16NX003 E0073-08 Excel Graphene drivers in production at the company's recently renovated production line in Moss, Norway.
To detail further aspects of its Graphene Magnesium Technology, SEAS published a white paper, explaining the research carried in cooperation with a leading research institute in Europe. "The development of the new Excel Graphene solution has been ongoing for more than 2 years, required investment in test equipment beyond USD 100.000, and the solution has been in-situ tested in various places of the world with high humidity, like in places from Singapore to Spain."
www.seas.no
