elliptical drivers: worse or no-different to circular?

[Steerpike]

Looking for information on this, I can only find stories relating to car loudspeakers, but they don't delve into the finer details of distortion & cone break-up.
I was wondering what are the down-sides associated with elliptical cone drivers when it comes to very low distortion multi-way speaker systems?
Do they have inherent problems, or are they just more costly to make with no real advantages besides space-saving?
I imagine an elliptical cone will always be less ridgid than an equivalent area or mass circular.

[LineArray]

In fact i can see a lot of advantages in elliptical ones.

For a given membrane area the horizontal dispersion
can be made wider than with a circular one.

The elliptical shape can contribute to cone breakup
occuring more smoothly. Breakup cannot be circumvented
either, but there are many elliptical fullrangers having
a good midrange performance. Cone material and design
of surround are equally important than with circular ones
of course ...

Elliptical ones may be used to make up line arrays
having a better coverage of the line shaped total
membrane area than those made up from circular ones.

Unfortunately high quality elliptical designs are quite
uncommon for most manufacturers, maybe because
they are considered "looking uncool" and are associated
with "cheap radio and TV drivers". Simply a mistake.

I once ran a TB W69 ("semi elliptical") SUBWOOFER
made of thick paper up to 2Khz crossover frequency
(equalized of course).

It performs well, there are many specialized midrangers
performing a lot worse ...

Kind Regards

[KLBIrd]

I have always liked the sound of an ellipitcal driver due to the characteristics noted above. They also can be fitted into towers or other odd spaces easier than their round counter parts.
In the March 2010 issue of Audio Express there is an article on building
a transmission line using a full range 6X9 speaker. It produces some decent sound for its low cost.
Back in the ancient 1970s both RCA and Maganavox offered console stereos using 9 X 15 inch oval woofers. The sounded great and could really take high bass levels with out break up. McGee Radio bought a bunch of them on the surplus market and sold them for $10.00 each. If you ever see a pair on Ebay try and get them as they could make a unique woofer for your next project.

[Steerpike]

Well thanks for the encoaging info. I have two pairs of 6"x4" that I want to try as mid-rangers; so it seems as if they can be quite competent.

[RogerDee]

Steerpike: I am answering in regards to your post on AVForums South Africa. I have a mint condition Philips 22-GA-146 that I am looking to sell if you are interested. It was my grandfathers, cosmetically it is perfect as it has not been touched and has been kept stored properly for years. I have many photos, if you are interested. Please email me at patrickdarling1@gmail.com. The reason I am posting on here is AVforums will not accept my registration, for some reason. Let me know, thanks.