Test Bench: Scan-Speak 32W/4878T00 Subwoofer

This Test bench examines the 32W/4878T00 12” subwoofer from high-end driver manufacturer Scan-Speak. Over the years, Scan-Speak has become known for its midwoofers and tweeters, which is to say that its products can be found in a large percentage of the high-end loudspeakers on the market in the last 40 years. Having used Scan-Speak’s drivers in designs for some of my consulting business customers, I found it also makes some excellent subwoofers. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, March 2013.

Tang Band was founded in 1996 in Taiwan with the goal of manufacturing innovative, high-quality drivers. The transducer Tang Band sent to Voice Coil to review certainly lives up to that goal. The T1-1942S is a seriously creative new transducer, and it immediately caught my eye when I saw it on Tang Band’s website. I mean, when was the last time you saw a 1” dome in its own cabinet with a passive radiator? Me neither. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, March 2013.

Founded in 1970, Scan-Speak continues to offer the same “no compromise” philosophy that has always been a part of its mission. Scan-Speak sent its D2908/714000, which is the company’s second 30-mm beryllium dome tweeter. Basically, the new D2098 utilizes the Revelator D29 dome’s wide surround concept, but with a 99% pure beryllium dome (sourced from Truextent) coupled to the highly effective and patented Symmetrical Drive (SD-2) neodymium motor system. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, February 2013.

For this month’s Test Bench review I received the MF2519inv TIneo PRHS, from the Max Fidelity line by Canadian Loudspeaker Corp. The MF2519inv TIneo tweeter has an interesting feature set, starting with the diaphragm, using a 25-mm (0.98”) diameter inverted titanium dome with the flat edge of the dome's outer perimeter serving as the surround, a teardrop shaped phase plug, neodymium motor, and a 19-mm (0.75”) underhung ferrofluid-damped voice coil wound with round copper wire. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, February 2013.

This month’s Test Bench is dedicated to a new woofer from Motus, a fairly new company in the esoteric end of the home audio business. The transducer under test is the Motus UH205PW1, an 8” mid-bass driver with a really nicely configured six-spoke cast-aluminum frame, FEA optimized motor design and a nice overall physical appearance. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, November 2015.

This month, the driver to be characterized is the FTX0820, a new coax from Celestion. The OEM-only FTX range covers 12” (305 mm), 8” (200 mm), and 6.5” (165 mm) chassis diameters, and features fully combined low-frequency and high-frequency components that are powered by a Common Magnet Motor Assembly (where the same magnet is used for both the low-frequency and high-frequency elements). This enables the voice coils (and hence the acoustic centers of the two drivers) to be brought closer together, delivering tight signal coherence and time alignment. This article was published in Voice Coil, October 2015.

This submission comes from a company new to Test Bench, MAG Audio, from Ukraine. The M0610 pro sound midrange driver MAG submitted features a cast-aluminum frame, a lightweight curved profile uncoated paper cone, a 2” diameter uncoated paper dust cap, and a 1.5” (38-mm) diameter voice coil wound on a Kapton former with edge wound copper-clad aluminum ribbon wire. Compliance is provided by a flat foam surround and a 4.5” diameter flat cloth spider. A 110-mm × 15-mm detachable self-centering strontium ferrite magnet with a black coated back plate powers the unit. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, November 2013.

This month, I am going to review Celestion’s 18” CF18VJD pro sound woofer. The CF18VJD is a high-power handling woofer rated at 1,600 WRMS (AES standard) and weighs a hefty 50.6 lb. The CF18VJD’s features include a proprietary seven-spoke cast aluminum frame. Celestion’s approach for this model uses a vented front plate that exhausts toward a series of peripheral vents located on the top of the back plate with a cone assembly of carbon and Kevlar loaded paper cone and large dust cap. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, November 2013.

I received a transducer for this month’s Test Bench review from a pro sound OEM company that has not previously appeared in Test Bench — Precision Devices from the UK. Precision Devices sent the PD.185N02, a new 18” high-power handling neodymium motor woofer, from its next-generation transducer range, which features four different 18” models. Intended for use as a sub bass driver or woofer in bass reflex and horn loaded systems, this driver can also be used in closed box designs. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, October 2015.

Scan-Speak’s 5F/8422T01 is a 2” diameter full-range driver, ideal for TV, multimedia, and lifestyle speakers, and part of the brand’s Discovery series which offers traditional design combined with a solid construction in a wide range of variants at a reasonable low price point. As Vance Dickason notes, “Scan-Speak set out to make the best 2” full range on the market, and I think it did quite well with its new 5F/8422T01.” This article was originally published in Voice Coil, October 2013.