You need to understand they don't sell on amazon. These are distributors puttings these products on it without any control.
High sensitivity alnico drivers are very niche/boutique things. I don't think they represent a mountain. It's like Morgan Motor Company. An extreme example is Atelier Rullit. You don't buy it based on performance ratio cost from a rational point of view. You can buy active KEF LS 50 and be fine...
Alnico is a dying breed to be honest, and the kind of drivers (big high sensitive fullrange) you search also. better go to the fullrange side of the forum for that.
But i wanted to build a speaker like that and the only reasonable driver in that genre was a P.A. driver, the Fane Sovereighn 12-250TC. That one is easy availeble (at that time at least, i don't know now, consistant in build and good sounding for this type for a reasonable price. EMS in france is still good also, but that is it i think.
Most are rare, very expensive and don't are that good anymore. And those brands are disappearing. AN is defunkt, Lii is a fraud largely if you ask me, and Lowther was taken over and changed a lot, now they make very expensive drivers that nobddy heared yet...
But i wanted to build a speaker like that and the only reasonable driver in that genre was a P.A. driver, the Fane Sovereighn 12-250TC. That one is easy availeble (at that time at least, i don't know now, consistant in build and good sounding for this type for a reasonable price. EMS in france is still good also, but that is it i think.
Most are rare, very expensive and don't are that good anymore. And those brands are disappearing. AN is defunkt, Lii is a fraud largely if you ask me, and Lowther was taken over and changed a lot, now they make very expensive drivers that nobddy heared yet...
Great, thanks GM.
I'll post some impressions here after I get the drivers. The frequency response graphs of the Lii Song drivers looked like a roller coaster so that is why I wanted to try "the other Lii" which seem way more linear.
After positive experiences with two heavy chinese "clone" amplifiers (Dartzeel & Musical Fidelity) and some Diatone inspired leather surround alnico FR drivers I know that not all Chinese products are bad. In fact the clone amplifiers have some very sensible protection circuits built in that the originals don't have and independent hobbyists have measured them to be withing original specs.
EMS Fertin I did not tried but i would like. They are a small french company that seems pretty honest doing nice drivers. I would not comment on alnico relevance in 2025 but we are all individuals with very specific interests. Some people love film photography and for some it's completely irrelevant. So on...
Alnico magnets were relevant in the past, whe ferriet magnets were not as advanced as now and caused distortion that is not as nice as alnico distortion (both do). But today modern magnets don't have that problem anymore (and higher end older ferriet neighter) as tech moved on and distortion caused by magnets became so low that they became irrelevant.
Alnico now is still good for low power applications, but when a lot of current goes trough them they loose magnetism. Ferriet or neodium magnets are better now and also cheaper. So the market for alnico became so small that the price went up and not many driver builders use them. Only some still want them for that kind of (distortion) sound they have. It became like a steam train, it has it's charms, but technically complete irrelevant.
btw, i also got some alnico drivers in my collection, but those are old Philips and Seas drivers of at least half a century old, not new drivers. Some of them are in use in speakers i have and still use.
Alnico now is still good for low power applications, but when a lot of current goes trough them they loose magnetism. Ferriet or neodium magnets are better now and also cheaper. So the market for alnico became so small that the price went up and not many driver builders use them. Only some still want them for that kind of (distortion) sound they have. It became like a steam train, it has it's charms, but technically complete irrelevant.
btw, i also got some alnico drivers in my collection, but those are old Philips and Seas drivers of at least half a century old, not new drivers. Some of them are in use in speakers i have and still use.
Yeah, as much as I like my 416, 515, et al., AlNiCo's euphonic distortion, the 'name of the game' for me nowadays that neodymium magnets can be made strong enough to mimic the pioneer's field coil drivers that started me 'spiraling down the rabbit hole' of accurate reproduction and at a tiny fraction of the cost to boot!
I got the drivers today. Hooked them up for burn in and wasn't disappointed. After two hours the sound already is getting more full and all round better. Did a quick distortion measurement and I couldn't believe how clean this driver is. Will have to repeat at louder volume when fully burnt in but so far I am really impressed.
The motor and cone look great....only the stamped steel basket is rather flimsy. If I tap it with my knuckles I can hear it ring. I will epoxy on some reinforcement and stick on a damping layer. But I don't regret buying this driver and for 80$ a pair it is a great value.
After mounting the Lii Audio Chrystal 6 driver in a 30L cardboard box and adding a super tweeter this driver sounds very very good.
I did a distortion measurement with 100db@1m with a 6db high pass at 200hz and there are only 2 distortion peaks of around 1.5%....almost entirely 2nd order though. Odd number distortion is almost entirely absent. I am impressed.
Above 10k there is very narrowing dispersion so I do recommend a super tweeter to support the top octave.
LII AUDIO Crystal-6 6 Inch Full Range Speaker 65-20KHz 94dB 8ohm
https://a.aliexpress.com/_oFjnRQH
I did a distortion measurement with 100db@1m with a 6db high pass at 200hz and there are only 2 distortion peaks of around 1.5%....almost entirely 2nd order though. Odd number distortion is almost entirely absent. I am impressed.
Above 10k there is very narrowing dispersion so I do recommend a super tweeter to support the top octave.
LII AUDIO Crystal-6 6 Inch Full Range Speaker 65-20KHz 94dB 8ohm
https://a.aliexpress.com/_oFjnRQH
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Not per pair, that was per piece including shipping. Still very good value.
Are you suggesting modifying the driver? I would be terrified of butchering the driver with such an invasive procedure...
I slapped a Lii audio crystal 6 in a 65L cardboard box with a 8.5cm diameter reflex hole. Here is a quick measurement that is doublessly polluted by vibrations and leaks so it should look better when in a proper enclosure.
I guess I measured from a meter away about 15deg off axis. On axis the HF dropoff is less.
I guess I measured from a meter away about 15deg off axis. On axis the HF dropoff is less.
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Way back when, manufacturers, DIYers used piano wire to suspend phase plugs, tweeters in front of them.
Based on what we now know about golf ball aerodynamics, might well be a better choice than smooth, though some form of tapered is currently best AFAIK.
After a few days I think the crystal 6 drivers are 90% broken in. I must say I am very impressed. They are very detailed, balanced, low distortion and non fatiguing.
As I mentioned before they do need super tweeters. I intend to put these drivers in a Hartley Boffle. I am now.working on a home made super tweeter >12khz and a large 175L experimental DML bass box vibrated by bass shakers. The experimental bass box is meant to support the lowest octaves.
Lots of experimentation prototyping ahead. If it results in something good I'll make a build thread.
As I mentioned before they do need super tweeters. I intend to put these drivers in a Hartley Boffle. I am now.working on a home made super tweeter >12khz and a large 175L experimental DML bass box vibrated by bass shakers. The experimental bass box is meant to support the lowest octaves.
Lots of experimentation prototyping ahead. If it results in something good I'll make a build thread.