The SB Acoustics Satori TW29BN Beryllium Dome Tweeter

For this Test Bench, SB Acoustics sent its new high-end Satori line neodymium 29 mm beryllium dome tweeter, the TW29BN. Features include a 29 mm wide surround beryllium diaphragm sourced from Materion, a non-reflective cast-aluminum rear cavity, a two-part aluminum faceplate with integrated mechanical decoupling, dual balanced compression chambers, a high-saturation neodymium ring type motor magnet with a T-shaped pole and dual copper cap shorting rings. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, February 2017.

The subject of this month’s explication is the SB Acoustics 5.25” MR13P-4 Satori midrange. As with the MR16P-4, the MR13P-4 is nominally a midrange version of the SB Acoustics MW13P-4 5.25” woofer, but with higher sensitivity and shorter Xmax. The MR13P-4 is built on a cosmetically attractive six-spoke frame that has a minimal reflective footprint behind the cone to reduce reflections and a completely open area beneath the spider mounting shelf for enhanced cooling— both highly desirable attributes. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, February 2017.

This edition of Voice Coil Test Bench characterizes the 6.5” 6MBX44 driver, from Italian pro sound OEM, B&C Speakers. The new MBX series of pro sound mid-bass woofers is especially well suited for small two-way loudspeaker applications. Features for the 6MBX44 include a proprietary four twin spoke cast-aluminum frame, enhanced voice coil cooling, curvilinear waterproof paper cone and inverted paper dust cap, and a neodymium ring magnet. This article was published originally in Voice Coil, January 2017.

The subject of this Test Bench is the recent SB Acoustics 6.5” MR16P-4 Satori midrange, which is nominally a midrange version of the SB Acoustics MW16R-4 (first reviewed in the November 2011 issue of Voice Coil) with higher sensitivity and shorter Xmax. The original Satori MW16R, while looking cosmetically similar to the Scan-Speak Illuminator 18WU series, was a well-designed driver that has established itself as a true high-end home audio competitor. This article was published originally in Voice Coil, January 2017.

This month’s Test Bench samples came from US OEM, Dayton Audio. I received a home audio 6.5” woofer, the DSA175, from the brand’s popular Designer Series of aluminum cone woofers. Each product in this line incorporates proprietary stamped steel frame with a thin mounting lip that enables front mounting without insetting the driver (surface mounted), high relative XMAX, with paper cones for the DS series and aluminum cones for the DSA series. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, December 2016.

This month’s Test Bench measures Eighteen Sound’s ND3ST 1.4” compression driver in combination with the Eighteen Sound XT1464 60° × 50° horn. The ND3ST 1.4 inch exit Natural Sound neodymium high frequency compression driver has been designed to fulfil very high quality sound reinforcement applications. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, December 2016.

This month’s Test Bench is part of B&C Speakers' MBX series of mid-bass woofers, the 8MBX51. The MBX series offer acoustic designers a new range of high efficiency, wide bandwidth alternatives that were not previously available from B&C Speakers, and are especially well suited for two-way loudspeaker applications. Features for the 8MBX51 are fairly impressive. Cosmetically speaking, this is also a good looking driver. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, November 2016.

This month’s Test Bench samples came from a premier Italian Pro Sound OEM driver manufacturer. From Faital Pro, I received the HF108R compression driver coupled with a LTH102 60° × 50° horn. The HF108R is the latest in Faital Pro’s series of Ketone Polymer diaphragm 1” compression drivers. I reviewed the HF108 compression driver in April 2015, and included some data on the HF108R. However, this transducer is different enough that it deserves a separate review. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, November 2016.

For this Test Bench, Vance Dickason characterizes Wavecor’s new 8.75” high XMAX subwoofer, model SW223BD03. As Dickason reminds us, this new subwoofer is part of the brand's rather extensive line of subwoofers — ranging in size from 2.75” to 12”. Voice Coil featured the 4 Ω version of this device, the SW223BD02, in the April 2015 issue. Wavecor’s SW223BD03, which is the 8 Ω version. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, October 2016.

The compression driver/horn that I received for testing in this edition of Test Bench was the redesigned B&C Speakers DE990TN-8, a 1.4” neodymium motor compression driver with a titanium diaphragm coupled with the ME90 horn. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, September 2016.