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Hemp drivers illegal to sell in U.S.? - Click HERE for Original Thread
G
Why is it That hemp acoustics are so limited in availability in the U.S.? Is it not legal to sell them in the states? What is the problem with getting the 6.5" and 4.5" in the states?
Scottmoose
I gave up on mucking about with Hemp Acoustics a long time ago. The cones are no longer fully hemp either, but a matrix with other materials like Kevlar in as well.

There will be alternatives using genunie hemp cones coming soon... I best not say more at this stage.
G
quote:
Originally posted by Scottmoose
I gave up on mucking about with Hemp Acoustics a long time ago. The cones are no longer fully hemp either, but a matrix with other materials like Kevlar in as well.

There will be alternatives using genunie hemp cones coming soon... I best not say more at this stage.


Thanks for the reply. I look forward to any additional info when you can give it.
pjanda1
To my knowledge, the cones NuWay designed (that A Brown Sound still sells) are only about 60% hemp. There's plenty of Latex in there. (You can also see some various other materials as spelled out in their patent application.) What percentage qualifies as "genuine hemp" for you? From what I understand, it's very hard to bind the hemp fibers, so you end up using a bunch of something like latex.

Obviously kevlar is no binder, but supposedly included along with other things to make the new "hemp matrix" cone considerably smoother in the treble. I haven't heard them, but I've no reason to doubt the graphs.

I think E-speakers will have the new Hemp Acoustics models the same time everyone else does. They just haven't put them on their page yet. I don't think anyone actually has drivers in stock right now. You can sell hemp stuff in the U.S. There is plenty of hemp clothing on the market legally.

pj
planet10
quote:
Originally posted by pjanda1
What percentage qualifies as "genuine hemp" for you? From what I understand, it's very hard to bind the hemp fibers, so you end up using a bunch of something like latex.

Hemp can be used as a feedstock material to build a huge range of bio-chemical products including binders & even plastic. So you could build a 100% hemp cone. But i don't think that is a target on its own. What you want to do is to build a cone with the desired properties.

I believe that the 6.5 & 4.5 are in limited quantity because they haven;t built very many yet.

dave
binarywhisper
quote:
Originally posted by planet10


Hemp can be used as a feedstock material to build a huge range of bio-chemical products including binders & even plastic. So you could build a 100% hemp cone.

Agreed. I'm a huge proponent of making hemp a full main stay product and allowing farmers to grow it relatively unimpeded but that said I'm not sure there is any advantage to using hemp in speakers beyond the marketing aspect. It sounds cool but I'm not sure it sounds any better.
planet10
quote:
Originally posted by binarywhisper
I'm not sure there is any advantage to using hemp in speakers

The same reasons why the US suspended the illegality of growing hemp during WW II... the long, tough fibres were unmatched for keeping the Navy in decent rope.

Since the fibre in hamp can be tailored to make everything from rope to cloth almost indisquishable from silk.

dave
Scottmoose
A goodly number of guitarists the world over swear by hemp cones, including, if memory serves, people such as Robert Fripp & John Williams (when he needs to be amplified). It's a tonal thing. Discriminating types for the most part. And, as Dave says, as a material it offers distinct advantages too.
pinkmouse
That sounds like a cracking advertising ploy. Guerrilla marketing at it's best! ;)
hempacoustics
Hello everybody.. once more I have been summonded to the round table..
Firstly I wanted to address G. concerning the last thread I just wanted to apologise to you for my quick reply.

I scanned the thread too quickly and thought you had posted those T/S specs. Occasionally my enthusiasm for our products gets the best of me. I see now the specs were Vadim's, and I know he has older versions of our drivers. Perhaps he and I can talk more about the differences between our and his measurements.

I get jumpy when I see trademark names used. There are some competing products on the market, and I want consumers to know that there are differences. I feel ethically bound to avoid such public conversation as much as possible. If anyone has questions about our current or upcoming products, I encourage you to email me, or the distributer that covers your area. I'm very excited about our drivers, and I really appreciate all of your interest. It's fantastic to see so many of you pondering the best way to use our Hemp Fullrangers.
ronc
I have never heard the Hemp line as i primarly design around Fostex drivers. However i see that Omega has been using the Hemp drivers.
If they are primarly designed around BR or TQWT and can be used easily with MKs programming then the usage should be very open to many designs.

ron
pjanda1
quote:
Originally posted by planet10

So you could build a 100% hemp cone. But i don't think that is a target on its own. What you want to do is to build a cone with the desired properties.

dave

Hemp Acoustics has a 100% hemp cone, evidentally created by a patented process (I just read the details on their "technology" page). According to Perry (who's above comments appear to relate to another post), they believe their Matrix cone has the most desirable properties for the current fullrangers.

quote:
Originally posted by binarywhisper

Agreed. I'm a huge proponent of making hemp a full main stay product and allowing farmers to grow it relatively unimpeded but that said I'm not sure there is any advantage to using hemp in speakers beyond the marketing aspect. It sounds cool but I'm not sure it sounds any better.

I think it would be fantastically interesting to hear two drivers differing only in cone material: hemp and paper. I know it would be tough to do. As the available drivers are so incredibly different, it seems tough to determine which sound differences are as a result of the cone, and which are a result of the suspension, motor, etc.

I think our current (U.S.) laws regarding hemp, both for industrial and recreational uses, are flat out stupid. Industrial hemp has a great variety of commercial applications. Many are fantastically ecological, many could be very profitable. Banning recreational smoking creates a host of problems and solves none. I am not a smoker, so don't think I am biased. This is just my opinion, and it looks like we don't talk politics here. The thread title just begs for it. . .

pj
binarywhisper
well your right about that. There are a lot of ways to very effectively market a hemp based speaker.

I'm not sure what to think of the concept. Hemp can be made into most anything but the specific properties that made it so useful historically, beside ease of growth, were long strong extremely soft and pliable fibers that had excellent anti bacterial/ mold characteristics. A good candidate for surrounds or spiders but not ones first thought for the cone.

One of the few things I can claim to have is a pretty high level of expertise on is the historical use of drugs and their societal effects. Not that hemp is a drug but it is not possible to study one form of cannabis without becoming educated on the others.

One of the difficulties consistently encountered in studying history of any type is separating reality from what I call desired reality. That is true of cannabis, in any form, perhaps more so then any other substance natural or man made.

All that said, it may very well sound better then paper. I don't know, I do know that after 1.5 hours with google I'm no more convinced. I just have to wonder if its just not a desire to believe it is so combined with various companies recognition that this is an easily marketable product.

One company claimed it increased the powerhandling of the their speaker from 20 watts to 40 by making no other change then switching to hemp and I noticed their cone had been dyed a dark green.

Companies called names like www.hempacoustics.com selling speakers called superhemp's. Companies selling guitar speakers using hemp drivers with claims like “the Hempcone just produces more frequencies then you have ever heard out of a paper cone. " and "sound passes through hemp faster than tree paper allowing for more dispersion of acoustical energy.” What I found was the companies are pretty consistently marketing the hemp more then the speaker.

One form of cannabis improves sound by altering our perception of it, maybe the other does as well. This might be the one instance in audio where the fact that its musicians that are vouching for it carries no weight :D :)
pjanda1
quote:
Originally posted by binarywhisper
One form of cannabis improves sound by altering our perception of it, maybe the other does as well. This might be the one instance in audio where the fact that its musicians that are vouching for it carries no weight :D :)

I've heard from more than one hemp driver user that other forms of cannabis are a very cost effective tweak. I have no knowledge of it myself. However, I can attest that the drivers (in my case, Hemp Acoustics original models, hopefully to be supplanted by the new ones) sound great in any state of consciousness.

pj
Shaun Perez 2
Hey just think of how it will smell the next time you fry a speaker using HEMP:clown: No more toxic fumes from blown speakers!!:drunk:
binarywhisper
quote:
[i]Originally posted by pjanda1 I think it would be fantastically interesting to hear two drivers differing only in cone material: hemp and paper. I know it would be tough to do. As the available drivers are so incredibly different, it seems tough to determine which sound differences are as a result of the cone, and which are a result of the suspension, motor, etc.

I think our current (U.S.) laws regarding hemp, both for industrial and recreational uses, are flat out stupid. Industrial hemp has a great variety of commercial applications. Many are fantastically ecological, many could be very profitable. Banning recreational smoking creates a host of problems and solves none. I am not a smoker, so don't think I am biased. This is just my opinion, and it looks like we don't talk politics here. The thread title just begs for it. . .

pj

posted while I was writing,

I agree it would be cool to at least hear some. Even if one companies do sound good, or ever great, it is no more then a mild indication that it is due to the hemp. I would still like to give some a listen though.

The U.S. laws are a little over the top, no question. Living in Canada it is much more relaxed on the subject but we still waist millions treating a social issue like a criminal problem. To my knowledge there has never, in the history of mankind, been a single social issue cured by the legal system. I don't believe there ever will be either.
binarywhisper
quote:
Originally posted by pjanda1


I've heard from more than one hemp driver user that other forms of cannabis are a very cost effective tweak. I have no knowledge of it myself. However, I can attest that the drivers (in my case, Hemp Acoustics original models, hopefully to be supplanted by the new ones) sound great in any state of consciousness.

pj


alright ... STOP that! .... posting while I'm writing :D

I didn't realize you owned a pair. Hemp Acoustics was one of the very few companies that could be taken serious when I was researching. Some of the reviews or their products were very very good.

Hopefully I'll run in to some sometime.
G
quote:
Originally posted by hempacoustics
I encourage you to email me, or the distributer that covers your area. I'm very excited about our drivers, and I really appreciate all of your interest. It's fantastic to see so many of you pondering the best way to use our Hemp Fullrangers.

Well the problem is nobody seems to be able to buy the 4.5" in the U.S. and the VAS is so large on the other two as to make them impractical options to a lot of people. I see that you are lining up distributors everywhere but the U.S. so I ask again. Is it illegal to sell the drivers in the U.S. ?
G
quote:
Originally posted by binarywhisper
To my knowledge there has never, in the history of mankind, been a single social issue cured by the legal system. I don't believe there ever will be either.

A lot of them have been exacerbated though. What is that definition of insanity again? Something about repeatedly doing the same thing and expecting different results.
planet10
quote:
Originally posted by pjanda1
differing only in cone material: hemp and paper
quote:
Originally posted by binarywhisper
All that said, it may very well sound better then paper.

Lets get one thing straight... these hemp cones are paper. Paper was originally made of hemp. Gutenburg's bible was printed on hemp paper (and that is the reason it is still around). The US consitution is printed on hemp paper. The only reason paper is now made primarily with wood fibres is because some US politicians rammed thru an anti-hemp bill to keep some of their political contributors happy. And they had to make paper out of something.

dave
planet10
quote:
Originally posted by G
Is it illegal to sell the drivers in the U.S. ?

Of course not. Tone Tubby is an american company with hemp cones made in the USA. They just have to import the hemp fibre -- from countries that were never silly enuff to make it illegal. Hemp Acoustics is based in Montreal. With a license you can grow hemp in Canada... but the industry is so new that Hemp Acoustics likely has to import their hemp fibre too.

dave
G
quote:
Originally posted by planet10


Of course not. Tone Tubby is an american company with hemp cones made in the USA. They just have to import the hemp fibre -- from countries that were never silly enuff to make it illegal. Hemp Acoustics is based in Montreal. With a license you can grow hemp in Canada... but the industry is so new that Hemp Acoustics likely has to import their hemp fibre too.

dave


Thanks Dave. I emailed Solen to see if I could buy a couple of 4.5"s from them and they said they would have to go through customs and all kids of silly ****. I can buy all of the electronic parts I want from Hong Kong and have them delivered to my door but I can't buy some drivers from Canada? Whatever. I was intrigued by the purported lack of cone breakup that the Hemps feature but I'm not that intrigued.
planet10
quote:
Originally posted by G
I emailed Solen to see if I could buy a couple of 4.5"s from them and they said they would have to go through customs and all kids of silly ****.

That is odd. Solen exports stuff all the time. I'm a Solen dealer. As soon as they have some i'll be ordering some for another customer, so it wouldn't be a problem to get some for you too.

dave
G
quote:
Originally posted by planet10


That is odd. Solen exports stuff all the time. I'm a Solen dealer. As soon as they have some i'll be ordering some for another customer, so it wouldn't be a problem to get some for you too.

dave


That would be great Dave. Do you think the published specs are accurate? I would like to try them in a BIB. Solen sells them for about 120$ a pair USD. I don't know if they have a minimum order amount though. Also I get the impression that they have them in stock.
diy2die4
Hi,

sorry to play the bad guy in my first post but from what I saw on the Hemp homepage they "altered" their program again?!

One distributor already gone in Germany the other can't/won't deliver. The UK distributor has a Australian 0011 prefix??

Come on..... I purchased a pair of FR8.01DIY in Dezember 2005 after a review in a German online magazine.

This guy Perry stated in January 2006 (about the measured disadvantages of FR8): "PS on another note: I had the review translated fairly well. Your right it was quite good. Also we are coming out with HEMP whizzer's very shortly. You may address that in your magazine and tell them we appreciate their constructive criticism and want to make the very best products. We also want to make sure they know we appreciate their support." (1:1 from the magazineS homepage!)

Well - 15 months is really "very shortly" and now we have model FR8C (changes to FR8.01DIY ??). I think this Perry is a smart talker from what I saw over the last months (homepage, product announcements and so on).

Just my personal 2 Cents .....
Scottmoose
I'm not going to repeat some of the stories I've heard now (there are a lot of them, by some very well known and respected people) -but I might later. Keeping it civil for the moment, as I prefer a pleasent environment, as I'm sure we all do, this is what I posted earlier on the BIB thread. Might be of some use:

"...as there's quite a lot of confusion around at the moment re hemp cones, here's a brief version of the score, as I understand it, for those interested.

The 'real' hemp cones, i.e. the ones which have the stellar reputation, are the Harrison ones. Easy way to determine if it's a 'genuine' hemp cone: is it green? If it is, you're OK. If it isn't, then it will have other substances in the mix, and is not the same as those cones beloved of guitarists in particular for their tonal qualities. A certain company that used to have these cones, no longer have them, apparantly for some rather unpleasent reasons, which it's not my place to go into. Their new cones have a completely different mix / structure, with kevlar & other substances in it. As ever, YMMV, but the message is, tread warily."
validator
I followed all Hemp Acoustics postings here and on other Forums but only answered once.

I'm the German dealer who is no longer on Hemp's list. The story "why" is quite long and if somebody is interested he/she should write me a mail.

Bottom line is that I told Hemp (twice) to remove my name from this list asap! A Hemp Acoustics success story in Europe will be a hard and long way because they left a lot of "burned soil" here.

Regards
Thorsten
Scottmoose
I heard about that one Thorsten -did you ever get anything back?
dmason
...or scorched earth... tales of woe, abuse of trust, and Trust, with a trail of smoke, from all corners of the globe, leading straight into Montreal. Evidently business has been good, even without actual product, if the "corporate" move to Pointe Claire is any indication.

To avoid more confusion folks, put these two links in your favourites..

www.abrown.com www.tonetubby.com One and the same.

The machine is green. I have seen new machines in green. I have. I like.
Scottmoose
These new units, I want to hear. The genuine article.
teemuk
"Is it illegal to sell the drivers in the U.S. ?"

I don’t know about the laws of selling hemp-based products like food, fibres, oil, fuel - or in this case hemp-fibre-coned speakers - in different countries but illegalising that would be idiotism. Drugs are a different matter and personally I don't like the marketing campaigns that sport the Cannabis leaf-logo: That symbol has too much negative status today - just like swastika. For some people even a hint of "glorifying drug use" might be a good enough reason to ban certain products or marketing campaigns.

Only few of the plants produce high THC levels (and for that they have to be farmed in a certain way). However, the farming process is very hard to control and this causes that the farming has to be either limited, licensed or banned completely – like in US. Limiting and licensing means higher price for hemp-based products – banning especially - and there are plenty of other alternatives.
dmason
Like hash, from Morocco. :D

but thank you for that insight...
validator
quote:
Originally posted by Scottmoose
I heard about that one Thorsten - did you ever get anything back?

Scott,
not that I'm aware of :whazzat: ..... always look on the bright side of life :D

Thorsten
chrisb
quote:
Originally posted by dmason
...or scorched earth... tales of woe, abuse of trust, and Trust, with a trail of smoke, from all corners of the globe, leading straight into Montreal. Evidently business has been good, even without actual product, if the "corporate" move to Pointe Claire is any indication.

To avoid more confusion folks, put these two links in your favourites..

www.abrown.com www.tonetubby.com One and the same.

The machine is green. I have seen new machines in green. I have. I like.


Even if not build on scorched earth, it doesn't take a very strong breeze of fresh air to topple a house of cards.
Scottmoose
:D There are clearly a large number of people who are not at all happy bunnies.
pjanda1
quote:
Originally posted by Scottmoose
The 'real' hemp cones, i.e. the ones which have the stellar reputation, are the Harrison ones. Easy way to determine if it's a 'genuine' hemp cone: is it green? If it is, you're OK. If it isn't, then it will have other substances in the mix, and is not the same as those cones beloved of guitarists in particular for their tonal qualities.

The cones Harrison sells have all kinds of stuff in them: talc, aluminum and latex I believe. Let's not let personal feelings get in the way of truth. Green die does not pure hemp make. We shouldn't confuse the designer of the original hemp cones with the manufacturers either. NuWay would design a hemp cone for you or I if we paid. To my knowledge several companies use hemp for loudspeaker cones; a couple of them were using it prior to Hemp Acoustics existance or John Harrison's "idea." No cone material is patented. Some names are trademarked. Hemp Acoustics uses a patented process to make 100% hemp cones that they don't think work great for fullrangers. A Brown Sound is indeed still selling the cone material that has been so praised. As Hemp Acoustics doesn't sell musical instrument speakers, I doubt they'll ever pop up in guitar magazines. The Hemp Matrix cones haven't made it to the hobbyist yet, but if you look carefully, you'll find some speakers for sale here and there that look awfully similar.

Everyone has their favorite guy. Sometimes the preference is for financial gain, other times it is as a result of personal feelings. There are a couple more folks making great fullrange drivers. There is a ton of B.S. surrounding most everybody here, but at the end of the day, as enthusiasts we have more and better options and that is a good thing.

pj
chrisb
Let's not forget that the materials of which the cone is constructed is only one variable in the complex formula that makes any loudspeaker well suited to a particular application.

I'm sure that poorly engineered / crafted drivers could just as easily be manufactured from exotic and expensive "audiophile approved" materials as from a pedestrian "consumer grade" list of ingredients.
pjanda1
I thought more about it during the monotony of major scales and modes (and my Hemp Drivers shure make my metronome sound the best it ever has;). It really shouldn't matter much what the exact composition of a cone is. What matters is how it sounds. I'm sure someone could make a cone that is mostly hemp and sounds terrible. The drivers from Hemp Acoustics and A Brown Sound have just so happened to sound great, no doubt as a result of Hemps unique properties. Does anybody know what exactly is in Fostex cones? Has anybody ever cared? John Harrison listened to tons of cones, evidentally. Perry Pecker has a bunch of engineers who designed a bunch of cones. A Brown Sound and Hemp Acoustics sell what they have access to and what they think sounds best. As long as it isn't dangerous (though heck, some of you like to use MDF in places raw faces are exposed to the air you breath), who cares what else is in there?

pj
edit: sorry to repeat some of the same gyst, I was typing while you were.
tinitus
Just listened to a pair of the well reputed FR125 FS ..... although not a finished box, I really dont know what to believe any more :scratch:
Tympanik
quote:
Originally posted by G
Why is it That hemp acoustics are so limited in availability in the U.S.? Is it not legal to sell them in the states? What is the problem with getting the 6.5" and 4.5" in the states?

Products made with industrial hemp are available to buy in the states.
I know- I buy them, including Hempacoustics drivers. For those that have not heard the new FR8C, it is quite nice. I'm sure other full-range choices are too. Why not experiment vs conjecture?



Note to moderators: this thread is verging on being exactly the kind discouraged in your terms.
chrisb
quote:
Originally posted by Tympanik


Products made with industrial hemp are available to buy in the states.
I know- I buy them, including Hempacoustics drivers. For those that have not heard the new FR8C, it is quite nice. I'm sure other full-range choices are too. Why not experiment vs conjecture?



Note to moderators: this thread is verging on being exactly the kind discouraged in your terms.


To be polite about it, notwithstanding their website, current availability of drivers from Hempacoustics could be described as sporadic.

If that situation improves to the point that enough of us willing to pay the price to jump on this latest bandwagon can actually do so, then perhaps there'll be observations to share.
tinitus
The 8" coax is announced as a 97db driver, but graph clearly show well below that, maybe just above 90db


But I bet it would mate well with the new impressive MACH5 18" :cool:
Tympanik
quote:
Originally posted by chrisb
To be polite about it, notwithstanding their website, current availability of drivers from Hempacoustics could be described as sporadic.
Yes this is true. I answered the topic title, however, regarding the 'legality' of hemp in the US. (although my instinct tells me it was not intended to be answered....)
quote:
Originally posted by chrisb
If that situation improves to the point that enough of us willing to pay the price to jump on this latest bandwagon can actually do so, then perhaps there'll be observations to share.
Sounds very reasonable, and makes many of the various observations such as precede in this thread best described as gossip, no?



Actually it doesn't bother me if people dismiss H.A. products without hearing them. Its their loss, imo, but there are plenty of other places to spend their money instead.

Erik
chrisb
quote:
Originally posted by Tympanik
Yes this is true. I answered the topic title, however, regarding the 'legality' of hemp in the US. (although my instinct tells me it was not intended to be answered....)


Sounds very reasonable, and makes many of the various observations such as precede in this thread best described as gossip, no?



Erik


gossip, perhaps - until you get the full details candidly - where there's smoke......
planet10
I just checked with Solen. FR4.5c are in a back-order situation. I got into the queue (i have a customer wants to try them and I ordered a couple other pairs as well). We'll see them when we see them.

Reading between the lines, these drivers are made in the USA (probably OEMed by Misco, who are producing some very nice OEM drivers -- the pair of RAW 6.5s i have are a substantial drier)

dave

PS: i don't like politics, and i'll let the drivers speak for themselves. That they are a drop-in for the FE127e should mean short work of getting them up & running.
binarywhisper
Reading things like this don't help the confusion
http://www.sonicflare.com/index.rdf
quote:


In any case, Hemp Acoustics has merged with Adire, makers of massive subwoofer drivers with obscene excursion and the much hyped XBL2 motor structure. Adire will now become an automotive-only brand while Hemp Acoustics takes over the audiophile market. While the majority of Hemp Acoustics' speakers will be made out of hemp, they'll still have a few offerings (like their Extremis 6.8) made out of traditional materials.
neutron7
quote:
Originally posted by pinkmouse
That sounds like a cracking advertising ploy. Guerrilla marketing at it's best! ;)

remember when apple had some g4 or something that was so fast it was "illegal to sell" to US enemies because it was a "supercomputer"
G
quote:
Originally posted by Tympanik
Yes this is true. I answered the topic title, however, regarding the 'legality' of hemp in the US. (although my instinct tells me it was not intended to be answered....)


Sounds very reasonable, and makes many of the various observations such as precede in this thread best described as gossip, no?



Actually it doesn't bother me if people dismiss H.A. products without hearing them. Its their loss, imo, but there are plenty of other places to spend their money instead.

Erik

Your instincts are wrong. I was thinking that a legal issue might be the reason that the 4.5" drivers were not available. I am certainly not going to dismiss something without ever hearing it and I doubt any of the posters in this thread would. I had no ulterior motive for starting this thread other than wanting to know why no American distributor carried the 4.5" or 6.5" driver.
chrisb
quote:
Originally posted by G


Your instincts are wrong. I was thinking that a legal issue might be the reason that the 4.5" drivers were not available. I am certainly not going to dismiss something without ever hearing it and I doubt any of the posters in this thread would. I had no ulterior motive for starting this thread other than wanting to know why no American distributor carried the 4.5" or 6.5" driver.

talk about circular conversations.


The short answer is that international distribution issues probably have more to do with HA's management skill set than any legality as to the materials used in the products themselves. No doubt there are stories that will never see the light of day.


As to the relative virtues of the speakers, particularly some the very interesting looking new coaxials, I don't think anyone has dismissed them outright, but due to the aforementioned availability issues, it looks like we'll just have to wait.
WBS
quote:
Originally posted by G
Your instincts are wrong. I was thinking that a legal issue might be the reason that the 4.5" drivers were not available. I am certainly not going to dismiss something without ever hearing it and I doubt any of the posters in this thread would. I had no ulterior motive for starting this thread other than wanting to know why no American distributor carried the 4.5" or 6.5" driver.

A simple Google search reveals that 5.25", 6.5" and 8" hemp cone drivers are available through A Brown Soun's website. I suspect the reason more distributors don't carry them is due to their cost/value ratio.

Looking at the photos on their site, it appears that the 5.25" has a cheap, stamped steel basket. I suspect the 6.5 is the same. Their 8" driver has a cloth surround that looks like surplus Silvertone stock.

I'm not judging the sound of these drivers since I haven't heard them. However, search a little more and you can find reviews that are pretty caustic.

So, while it isn't illegal to sell hemp cone drivers, what might be needed to make them sound good is!
G
quote:
Originally posted by WBS


A simple Google search reveals that 5.25", 6.5" and 8" hemp cone drivers are available through A Brown Soun's website. I suspect the reason more distributors don't carry them is due to their cost/value ratio.

Looking at the photos on their site, it appears that the 5.25" has a cheap, stamped steel basket. I suspect the 6.5 is the same. Their 8" driver has a cloth surround that looks like surplus Silvertone stock.

I'm not judging the sound of these drivers since I haven't heard them. However, search a little more and you can find reviews that are pretty caustic.

So, while it isn't illegal to sell hemp cone drivers, what might be needed to make them sound good is!

A little further investigation will reveal that "A Brown Soun"and "Hemp Acoustics"are not one in the same. Perhaps you need to pay more attention to what has been posted? I get the impression that I don't know what is going on behind the scenes and that more is going on than meets the eye.I will just say that I would like to hear the hemp cones one day and I hope they will live up to the hype.
WBS
quote:
Originally posted by G


A little further investigation will reveal that "A Brown Soun"and "Hemp Acoustics"are not one in the same. Perhaps you need to pay more attention to what has been posted? I get the impression that I don't know what is going on behind the scenes and that more is going on than meets the eye.I will just say that I would like to hear the hemp cones one day and I hope they will live up to the hype.

Perhaps if your original post had capitalized "Hemp Acoustics" it would have been more clear that you were referring to a specific company. In any event, it's pretty clear that legality is not the issue they are not more readily available.

I agree it would be interesting to take a listen.
Tympanik
quote:
Originally posted by G
Your instincts are wrong. I was thinking that a legal issue might be the reason that the 4.5" drivers were not available. -snip

My bad then. My 'instinct' was based on the general tenor of the thread, not so much the wording of your original posting. Apologies extended.

Erik
virenb
Scottmoose,

I've been thinking of getting 6.5" hemp full range drivers to try in a TQWT. Earlier you had mentioned that some new drivers were to be introduced soon - from A Brown Soun, I assume. If they are the original item, I'd rather wait for them.

Any idea when they will be out?

Viren.
dmason
VirenB

Apparently the designs have been finalized, and the production order is in with the manufacturer. I've heard two: Killer. Wait.

8 inch wideband whizzerless 94db Fs-8.5KHz
8 inch woofer
6.5 in mid-bass
4.5 in wideband 89db Fs70 Qts ~.45 identical flange layout to FE127

www.abrown.com

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