Now this might be an odd thread, however, do you have any idea where from the driver manufacturers supply their cones? Do they make them in-house, as some exotic companies like Lowther, Feastrex and Supravox, or is there a supplier for industry leaders like Eminence, PAudio and the rest?
Furthermore, if you have access to articles on cone/spider design, link them here, I think this area is often forgotten. I mean, there are some threads on this forum regarding motor design but not too much about the rest of a transducer.
Thank you!
Furthermore, if you have access to articles on cone/spider design, link them here, I think this area is often forgotten. I mean, there are some threads on this forum regarding motor design but not too much about the rest of a transducer.
Thank you!
just one example
Look, for example, at
http://www.kurtmueller.com
You can use the information there as a starting point for searches too.
Ken
SunRa said:
Look, for example, at
http://www.kurtmueller.com
You can use the information there as a starting point for searches too.
Ken
There are 4 main cone vendors in the US. Rapid Die and Molding Company (RDM), Hawley Products, Nuway Speaker, and Loudspeaker Components LLC. They each comprise about 25% of the market. Most large companies in the pro audio industry end up splitting up their business equally among two or more of these companies. One product line from Emenince may go to RDM, another line to Loudspeaker Components. The reason being, it makes things more competitive between the vendors to do things quickly and correctly. Also it develops a good relationship with multiple vendors who could quickly pick up if one vendor had issues.
http://www.rdmco.com/
http://www.hawleyproducts.com/
http://loudspeakercomponents.com/
http://www.nuway-speaker.com/
Outside the US there are tons of companies who do paper cones. One main difference between US paper and Chinese paper is the difference in starch. We use corn starch for paper in the US and China uses rice starch. The corn starch creates much stronger paper.
Here is a good link to an old page talking about a few cone/surround materials:
http://web.archive.org/web/20031011084349/bopro.com/indext.htm
John
http://www.rdmco.com/
http://www.hawleyproducts.com/
http://loudspeakercomponents.com/
http://www.nuway-speaker.com/
Outside the US there are tons of companies who do paper cones. One main difference between US paper and Chinese paper is the difference in starch. We use corn starch for paper in the US and China uses rice starch. The corn starch creates much stronger paper.
Here is a good link to an old page talking about a few cone/surround materials:
http://web.archive.org/web/20031011084349/bopro.com/indext.htm
John
I don't know anything about conventional paper building, but I find the mention of starch interesting, as I know one of the salient features of the paper used by Feastrex is that it contains no starch whatsoever. I was told that the long-term durability of paper is much better if it contains no starch. FWIW . . .
-- Chris
-- Chris
Cal Weldon said:
I have owned and/or seen several drivers where deterioration of the cone paper was the cause of demise and/or deterioration in sound quality. One cone was eaten by bugs that were after the starch in the paper. Other cones had gone brittle, something which can probably be caused by other factors as well, but which (in some cases at least) I suspect was caused at least in part by starch in the paper. There are also a lot of old paper drivers where the paper seems to hold up really well, and I'm not sure exactly what it is that separates a REALLY long-lived cone from a cone that lasts "merely" several decades or a short time (less than two decades).
-- Chris
Thank you for you links and answers, I'll start to check them out.
In the meanwhile, what do you think about these design?
In the meanwhile, what do you think about these design?
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
I really know very little about how the cones themselves are made. The ribs and so forth are pressed into the paper before it is folded upon itself and glued. I'm sure he uses various presses and jigs to hold things together while the glue is setting.
And then the voice coil former!
That is very special and important to the sound, I'm sure. But again, I know very little of the details about how they are made.
And the various resins, etc. applied to the cone are a complete mystery to me, although I am sure they have a major impact on the sound.
Maybe Clark Blumenstein can give you some more information . . .
-- Chris
And then the voice coil former!
That is very special and important to the sound, I'm sure. But again, I know very little of the details about how they are made.
And the various resins, etc. applied to the cone are a complete mystery to me, although I am sure they have a major impact on the sound.
Maybe Clark Blumenstein can give you some more information . . .
-- Chris
Hello Chris,
Thank you for your reply. I am sure there are lot's of practical details and little "trade secrets" regarding these cones and the entire voice-coil assembly but it's not my intention to go into these details.
However carefully looking at various pictures on the net and also thank to your posts in various threads I've answered some of my questions.
For example I've observed that the cones in the feastrex are actualy of conical form and not curvilinear or some other curveture. I think this makes them easier to manufacture and also doesn't require molding.
I find this an important aspect in speaker design as i thought for some time that extended frequency is a result of the cone profile. However I learned that actualy the high magnetic flux and stability in the gap actually gives the extended high frequency in a cone.
There are some widerange speakers like the supravox 2000, that have a different cone profile. These drivers extend in frequency without the help of a whizzer cone. Am I right if assuming that the cone profile helps only in controling the breakup and is just helping the driver to extend in frequency by controling the non-pistonic behaviour of the cone?
Thank you for your reply. I am sure there are lot's of practical details and little "trade secrets" regarding these cones and the entire voice-coil assembly but it's not my intention to go into these details.
However carefully looking at various pictures on the net and also thank to your posts in various threads I've answered some of my questions.
For example I've observed that the cones in the feastrex are actualy of conical form and not curvilinear or some other curveture. I think this makes them easier to manufacture and also doesn't require molding.
I find this an important aspect in speaker design as i thought for some time that extended frequency is a result of the cone profile. However I learned that actualy the high magnetic flux and stability in the gap actually gives the extended high frequency in a cone.
There are some widerange speakers like the supravox 2000, that have a different cone profile. These drivers extend in frequency without the help of a whizzer cone. Am I right if assuming that the cone profile helps only in controling the breakup and is just helping the driver to extend in frequency by controling the non-pistonic behaviour of the cone?
I'm not sure about your closing question . . . you are probably already my equal if not my superior as regards your knowledge in this area. I think cone shape plays a role both in frequency response characteristics and control of cone breakup modes; however, the materials and other physical characteristics of the driver also all come into play organically so I don't want to be too dogmatic about the role of the cone shape.
My feeling is that, all other things equal, a curvilinear cone shape is probably preferable to straight; however, the other factors are never truly equal . . . how you use the combination of factors to achieve the total end result is all that counts, in the end.
-- Chris
My feeling is that, all other things equal, a curvilinear cone shape is probably preferable to straight; however, the other factors are never truly equal . . . how you use the combination of factors to achieve the total end result is all that counts, in the end.
-- Chris
longevity of cones
Here's a paper speaker cone pushing 70 + years in exceptional condition, save a little dried out glue (which has been repaired... from a Philco 37-116 set I'm restpring...
Wonder what pulp additives were used for this?
John L.
Here's a paper speaker cone pushing 70 + years in exceptional condition, save a little dried out glue (which has been repaired... from a Philco 37-116 set I'm restpring...
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Wonder what pulp additives were used for this?
John L.
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.