Dr. Kurt Müller Anniversary! 100 Years of Loudspeaker Innovation

Mike Klasco writes about Dr. Kurt Müller's 100-Year Anniversary and revisits the milestones of this important supplier of cones, suspensions, dust caps and surrounds company. Perhaps the oldest surviving cone factory in the world and certainly one of the most advanced, DKM was originally founded in 1922, in Berlin, and in 1970, extended its product range with the acquisition of Pulsonic Ultrasonics Limited (now known as Kurt Mueller UK Ltd) in the United Kingdom. Happy Birthday!

An overview of Loudsoft's latest FINE Suspension Nonlinear FEA Spider and Surround Design software. This new transducer engineering tool, specific to the development of speaker surrounds and spiders (dampers), allows for the simulation of different types of surrounds and spiders from imported DFX files or created from templates with parameters selected by the user, and then outputs the compliance curves similar to the Kms and Cms curves measured by Klippel DA2 or KA3 analyzers.

Voice Coil April 2022 is now available and brings an interesting overview of the latest updates to Loudsoft's FINE Suspension Nonlinear FEA Spider and Surround Design software. Mike Klasco discusses Cables, Lead Wires, and Connector/Terminal Technology, and there's an updated directory of vendors and manufacturers in those product segments. Then, Vance Dickason characterizes the AMT 23CM1.1-C Air Motion Transformer from Mundorf, and the Beyma CD1ND 1" Polyimide Diaphragm Compression Driver and TD-194 compact horn.

The February 2022 edition of Voice Coil is now available and brings the latest information about speaker diaphragms and all the innovations in cones, domes, and surrounds. Martin Turesson tells the story of Composite Sound and its second-generation Metamodal TPCD technology, while Mike Klasco discusses advancements in materials and processes for speaker diaphragms and surrounds. And in Test Bench, Vance Dickason characterizes the latest Satori MW19TX-8 midbass woofer by SB Acoustics using TPCD (TeXtreme) technology, before addressing the latest Industry updates.

The February 2021 edition of Voice Coil offers an overview of the Cone Industry in 2021, with an updated directory of loudspeaker cone, diaphragms and suppliers of relevant materials and components. Next up, James Croft reviews an interesting patent for a "Directional Loudspeaker," claimed by Dutch & Dutch BV, and Vance Dickason focuses his measurements on two small-sized drivers, typical of today's most popular consumer products. The first in Test Bench is the Wavecor FR070WA05, a 2.75" aluminum cone full-range driver, and the second is the AUGWL0006-JN01, a new 2.25" woofer from Eastech’s Punktkilde lineup.

News from Northridge, confirm that JBL Professional is back to products with the debut of its Cinema Expansion Series sound systems for small to medium-size commercial theaters. The line, which includes JBL 3153 and 4253 3-way screen-channel loudspeakers, 3181F and 4281F subwoofers and 8102 surrounds, is said to deliver the highest SPLs in its class and be able to cover rooms up to 85 feet (26 m) deep and up to 40 feet (12 m) wide. The company also debuted the 2-channel, 1,300-watt Crown XLC 21300 amplifier, which supports Cinema Series speakers in a range of system configurations.

Voice Coil February 2020 is now available for download. This edition features an industry update on Speaker Cones, exploring the fabrication, materials, and performance aspects of this critical component in driver design. This is complemented with a comprehensive directory of loudspeaker cone, surround, spider, and other soft part suppliers. James Croft reviews a Self-Sealing Expandable Subwoofer design patent, while Vance Dickason characterizes the LaVoce WAN103.01 high-power 10” woofer, and a Radian 835PB ferrite 1.4” aluminum diaphragm compression driver in Test Bench.

Voice Coil February 2019 is now available and features a Cone and Diaphragm Technology Focus, including an expanded directory of Loudspeaker Cone Industry Suppliers, and an updated directory of Headphone/Earphone Parts vendors - the first of its kind. In Acoustic Patents, James Croft discusses a new patent awarded to Polk Audio, updating the original Stereo Dimensional Array (SDA) loudspeaker with a new improved crosstalk cancellation version, and Vance Dickason characterizes the new Bold North Audio MS-10W woofer, a direct replacement for the famous white 6.5” driver on Yamaha’s NS10 studio monitors!