Interesting. Do you know the patent number?
I found this, feel free to correct me if any of you know.
US20140339924A1
Looking at the existing Excel range, the 4" magnesium has a far smoother top end compared to the 5". But the bigass magnet doesnt help with backwave. Wishful thinking - it wd be nice to see Seas use their Hexadym system for the 4" graphene Excel. Being a product designer myself, I'd love to see a change in phaseplug design, matching colour to cone at least. This wd attract buyers who want to match to other driver makes etc
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The one I saw used a magnet inside the voice coil, so it was a (2D so commenting on one axis only) like a 3 magnet device, all were neodymium - all I remember. The motor was developed by the University of Maine and Renault so was a joint patent. You have to search.
As far as i know, the back side of a cone driver radiates more to the sides then into the motor/magnet structure. A big magnet is therefor not a problem and a shallow but wide enclosure is great for cone drivers. Domes however works the opposit, the backside of the dome radiates mainly straight into to the magnet and a long narrow tube is the best enclosure. Check out how vivid audio has solved this and take a look at german physiks ddd-rivers.
Yes I can see you are right. I suppose for modern narrow enclosures a compact neo mag system cd still help, but then again, why make the cab so narrow for a 4".
The Seas factory is not far from my mum's place (we are just south of the border). Wd love to visit Moss, if I have the chance.
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It takes all of five minutes to add a graphene coating to a speaker and the cost is zero:
How To Make a Super Ribbon
How To Make a Super Ribbon
I highly doubt you could push the break-up node up 1.5khz by using a #2 pensil.
You are more likely moving down the break-up frequency than moving up, since you added weight on the diaphragm.
If that cost of almost 1k Euros for a pair is typical then they've lost the plot. SB NAC range, yes please.
E0074-08 W18EX003
That one was just announced and is more interesting. It will allow tiny enclosures to be used with it or even tinier active systems. Motors are likely improved as well.
That one was just announced and is more interesting. It will allow tiny enclosures to be used with it or even tinier active systems. Motors are likely improved as well.
Seas announced a new 7-inch Aluminium woofer, L19RNX1. Linear parameters are nearly identical to Excel W19NX001 aside from inductance. First cone resonance is slightly higher in frequency than the magnesium version if attenuated by the higher motor inductance. Geometric Xmax is the same and they have a similar surround, so whatever quality difference of the stroke is not immediately obvious.
The W16NX Graphene got a new motor, much lower inductance and breakup peak pushed up to 7kHz. However the W18EX looks like the same motor, just got a coating. They do have a W19NX which looks like the true update to the W18.
Klang+Ton, the German magazine, measured the Graphene magnesium drivers on their issue 04/2020. Compared to the old Seas magnesium driver (W16NX001, W18EX001,W22EX001) , the new Graphene drivers are all better in terms of distortion, reduce from around 1% to under 0.6% at nominal level 95dB on the bandwidth 200Hz-5kHz. And that 0.6% is only at peak THD 2 kHz. That level of THD is on par with the SB NBAC series. The most impressed driver is W22NX001, THD from 200Hz-5kHz is below 0.3% at nominal level 95dB.
SB NBAC is far cheaper but Seas Graphene drivers can withstand much more power. For example, long term power handling of W22NX001 is 200W compared to 60W of SB23NBACS45-8. For a woofer/lower midrange in dipole speaker like LX521, W22NX001 is worth its price. In other design like box speaker, the NBAC drivers probably have better value.
SB NBAC is far cheaper but Seas Graphene drivers can withstand much more power. For example, long term power handling of W22NX001 is 200W compared to 60W of SB23NBACS45-8. For a woofer/lower midrange in dipole speaker like LX521, W22NX001 is worth its price. In other design like box speaker, the NBAC drivers probably have better value.
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Hobby Hifi measured W18EX003 in Feb 2021- it is an excellent driver- closely on par in the midrange to the Purifi 6.5TTW04 (original 6.5”), but higher sensitivity, only slightly worse distortion in mid-bass. The Purif does really well in the frequency response/waterfall.
In the same issue the SB17 Series were measured; the CAC/NBAC/NRX2; and they are on par between 200Hz to 2Khz, but at lower performance, as a group in the mid-bass.
I’m not sure how audible this is, given the effects of the of the room on this area, as well as human ears to bass distortion eg. CEA2010.
Over the years I’ve had too many drivers including the venerable 18W/8545 and
W18E001. I wonder if the new drivers are really just incremental improvements over the classic, but very good Scan-Speak and SEAS models
The W19NX is probably the true successor to the W18EX001
In the same issue the SB17 Series were measured; the CAC/NBAC/NRX2; and they are on par between 200Hz to 2Khz, but at lower performance, as a group in the mid-bass.
I’m not sure how audible this is, given the effects of the of the room on this area, as well as human ears to bass distortion eg. CEA2010.
Over the years I’ve had too many drivers including the venerable 18W/8545 and
W18E001. I wonder if the new drivers are really just incremental improvements over the classic, but very good Scan-Speak and SEAS models
The W19NX is probably the true successor to the W18EX001
Test Bench: SEAS Excel Graphene W18EX003 6.5” Midbass Driver | audioXpress
It's been reviewed here too but I don't see what you see.
One of the big advantages of the mag excel cones was always their complete absence of all midrange distortion spikes across their usable range. For some reason the new excels, at least that I've seen, have big 2nd order distortion spikes, as are typical in soft cones, at around 1kHz.
This distortion is what I'm buying a metal/rigid cone to get rid of. Metal excels with this problem? At this elevated price point? What's the point? I hope that the W15CY doesn't have this issue but I'm not holding my breath. Quite why SEAS thought it acceptable to release this range with these distortion spikes is beyond me. If SB Acoustics can do it for 1/10th the price so can SEAS.
It's been reviewed here too but I don't see what you see.
One of the big advantages of the mag excel cones was always their complete absence of all midrange distortion spikes across their usable range. For some reason the new excels, at least that I've seen, have big 2nd order distortion spikes, as are typical in soft cones, at around 1kHz.
This distortion is what I'm buying a metal/rigid cone to get rid of. Metal excels with this problem? At this elevated price point? What's the point? I hope that the W15CY doesn't have this issue but I'm not holding my breath. Quite why SEAS thought it acceptable to release this range with these distortion spikes is beyond me. If SB Acoustics can do it for 1/10th the price so can SEAS.