Key Industry Knowledge for Loudspeaker Professionals in Voice Coil August 2017

Voice Coil August 2017 is now available. Read an excellent tutorial from Charlie Hughes about optimizing loudspeaker directivity through the crossover region, and read James Croft’s review of a new bass-reflex speaker cabinet design. In Test Bench, we learn more about are Tymphany's new DFM-2535R00-08 compression driver and Volt Loudspeakers' new VM527 dome midrange. And don't miss the updated directory of OEM/ODM Voice Coil Manufacturers.

The 8” 8NSM64 is a rather unique new pro sound midrange driver from B&C Speakers. It’s a closed-back midrange! Closed-back midranges are often associated with cheap speakers because by using a frame with no relief holes in the back, you don’t have to build a midrange chamber. In this case, the 8NSM64 is a very high-power handling (500 W continuous) 8” midrange for professional PA applications, with a reasonable volume that can be damped with absorption material. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, July 2016.

This Test Bench characterizes the Scan-Speak 6.5” 18M/4631T00 Revelator midrange driver, nominally a midrange version of the Scan-Speak 18W/8531G00 with higher sensitivity and shorter XMAX. The original Scan-Speak 18W/8531G00 was a true high-end audio classic and probably one of the most visible high-end drivers ever used in high-end loudspeakers. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, June 2016.

Another monthly edition of Voice Coil is now available featuring the traditional directory of Loudspeaker Cone Industry Suppliers 2017. In this issue, Vance Dickason tests two drivers from SB Acoustics’ Satori Line, including the much anticipated TW29BN beryllium dome tweeter. Charlie Hughes writes about his independent measurement lab, Excelsior Audio. On Acoustic Patents, James Croft reviews a familiar parametric loudspeaker patent. Voice Coil pays tribute to Chris N. Strahm (1956-2016), founder and president of LinearX.

Eminence sent a 6.5″ driver from their lightweight Professional Neodymium Series, the Alphalite 6A, which, along with the Kappalite and Deltalite series, makes up the neo woofer/midrange offering from Eminence. The Alphalite 6A is described as a lightweight pro audio mid/bass driver, designed for sealed, vented, or infinite baffle applications. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, June 2010.

The transducer I received for this month’s Test Bench is the CF0617M, a new high power handling 6.5” midrange, from Celestion. The CF0617M is one of my favorite formats in a pro sound mid. Features include a four-spoke cast aluminum frame, a light-weight curved profile uncoated Kevlar loaded paper cone, a 1.75” diameter voice coil and a 120 mm × 15 mm ferrite magnet. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, December 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.

As audioXpress anticipated, SB Acoustics (a brand of Sinar Baja Electric) introduced several new products for 2016, including the brand’s flagship TW29BN high-end beryllium dome tweeter, part of the Satori top performing driver range. The new range, all designed in Denmark and manufactured in Indonesia, also includes new midrange and midwoofer drivers using new proprietary cones made with Egyptian Papyrus fibers, available in 5” to 9.5” sizes.

On its first Test Bench of a product designed and manufactured by PRV Audio Brazil, Vance Dickason characterized the 6MR500-NDY-4, a new 6.5” from the brand’s Midrange Series for professional audio applications. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, February 2015.

PreSonus is shipping the ultra-compact Eris E4.5 studio reference monitor, the third model in the Eris series of two-way monitor speakers announced one year ago, at the NAMM 2013. As with the Eris E5 and E8, the E4.5 can be user-adjusted to the acoustic space, allowing to create a more accurate listening environment or to simulate different common listening environments.