badman, Mark is approaching that efficiency range with his prototype paper cone A12
www.diyaudio.com/forums/markaudio/1...diy-community-development-12.html#post2813039
www.diyaudio.com/forums/markaudio/1...diy-community-development-12.html#post2813039
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I could be wrong, but I think Mark has already mused that the material / manufacturing processes used on the Alpair metal series has a size limit - quite possibly already attained with the 12.3. Cones as thin as these of much larger diameter could possibly suffer exponential diminution of durability?
Ahh got ya, makes perfect sense. Given I barely impacted one of my 12's and it dented quite a bit I'd wager a large cones twice the size of the 12's would be probably too delicate.
I'm just thinking that it in doing do with existing materials, they'd loose the magic. Of course there might be other materials or composites which Mark might already be quietly exploring, but unlike our imaginations and wish-list, his resources / time are finite.
Yes, there are certainly few folks working with thin metal cones, but many examples could be found of exquisitely engineered an meticulously manufactured high-end drivers, and they're priced accordingly. The shipping and taxes on some of these exotica are more than the cost of a pair of Alpair12s.
There might simply not be a large enough market among the silent majority of cost conscious DIY builders for drivers of this size.
This very well may be the key here. Seems like lots of people use the Eminence Alpha 15's for their large drivers due to cost and relatively good SQ. Probably a pretty hard target to beat.
Hi Guys,
ummmmmph......."Giant Alpair". Since my heart is pretty much planted in "full range", if resources and strong demand permit, I'd be happy to build an Alpair 14. This unit has been on the drawing board for sometime. There are 2 sets of prototype cones already made for this design. I expect to get the drivers passed 15-kHz @ around 93 to 94dB. In a dream world where money and time is no object, I'd love to extend my work into +10" driver sizes.
However, as some members have indicted, the market is overflowing with large cheap woofs, the current fashion for FAST systems and use of subs in audio applications keep the Alpair 14 on the drawing board.
The essential problem is the gradual lowering of cone technology currently employed in many drivers. Historically, the industry has largely gone down the "power" rout, cones have become relatively low-tech with increasing poor micro-resonant and dispersion properties. Essentially, the current climate for many speaker applications is "quantity over quality". Therefore producing a large Hi -Fidelity authentic single cone full-range or wide-band driver is commercially challenging. Development, tooling, materials and other manufacturing costs will put a future Alpair 14 in the "semi-expensive" end of the market. I have doubts that the driver would be sufficiently supported in the DIY community to make it commercially viable. I'd like very much to be proven wrong but in the current economic climate, I currently don't have the resource that can be risked on this project.
Cheers
Mark.
ummmmmph......."Giant Alpair". Since my heart is pretty much planted in "full range", if resources and strong demand permit, I'd be happy to build an Alpair 14. This unit has been on the drawing board for sometime. There are 2 sets of prototype cones already made for this design. I expect to get the drivers passed 15-kHz @ around 93 to 94dB. In a dream world where money and time is no object, I'd love to extend my work into +10" driver sizes.
However, as some members have indicted, the market is overflowing with large cheap woofs, the current fashion for FAST systems and use of subs in audio applications keep the Alpair 14 on the drawing board.
The essential problem is the gradual lowering of cone technology currently employed in many drivers. Historically, the industry has largely gone down the "power" rout, cones have become relatively low-tech with increasing poor micro-resonant and dispersion properties. Essentially, the current climate for many speaker applications is "quantity over quality". Therefore producing a large Hi -Fidelity authentic single cone full-range or wide-band driver is commercially challenging. Development, tooling, materials and other manufacturing costs will put a future Alpair 14 in the "semi-expensive" end of the market. I have doubts that the driver would be sufficiently supported in the DIY community to make it commercially viable. I'd like very much to be proven wrong but in the current economic climate, I currently don't have the resource that can be risked on this project.
Cheers
Mark.
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will be great ,as we can't have all ....a mid driver ,that can it 100hz to full up ,with 95db...just add a woofer under ,sub ,OB
Ps
with some qts for OB to work free or with a little help from cap at input of amp and good WAF ie small baffle
under the plate amp active ox in OB H baffle or Pass slot load
killer system ,simple, no box to diy....small tube or ss class A ...with the magic of open baffle
Ps
with some qts for OB to work free or with a little help from cap at input of amp and good WAF ie small baffle
under the plate amp active ox in OB H baffle or Pass slot load
killer system ,simple, no box to diy....small tube or ss class A ...with the magic of open baffle
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