Page description
About Vance Dickason
Vance Dickason has been working as a professional in the loudspeaker industry since 1974. A contributing editor to Speaker Builder magazine (now audioXpress) since 1986, in November 1987 he became editor of Voice Coil, the monthly Periodical for the Loudspeaker Industry, today published by KCK Media Corp. His globally acclaimed book Loudspeaker Design Cookbook is now in its 8th Edition, published by KCK Media. A life member of the Audio Engineering Society, Vance received the 1995 AES Citation Award for his long term contribution to audio education, and the 2013 Beryllium Award, Lifetime achievement from ALMA (Associating of Loudspeaker Manufacturers and Acoustics, now ALTI Association). Since 2001, he also does business as Vance Dickason Consultancy based out of Portland, Oregon, working as an independent engineering consultant to loudspeaker manufacturers.

All items written by Vance Dickason
User Report: Loudsoft FINE R+D Analyzer
April 19, 2018 by Vance Dickason

User Report: Loudsoft FINE R+D Analyzer

Beginning with the January 2018 issue of Voice Coil magazine, Vance DIckason implemented the Loudsoft FINE R+D analyzer into the Test Bench measurement protocol. This article provides details about the features in FINE R+D FINE R+D, a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analyzer packaged in a 1u rack, which is used with the recommended G.R.A.S. 0.25” Type 46BE microphone capsule and preamplifier body. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, December 2017.
Read more...
Loudspeaker Measurement Tools from Physical Lab
April 11, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Loudspeaker Measurement Tools from Physical Lab

Physical Lab, based in Senden, Germany, is a fascinating company in that it not only manufactures loudspeaker test solutions directly aimed at speaker development and research, but also provides several engineering services for the loudspeaker industry. This article highlights the three loudspeaker measurement accessories that Physical Lab manufactures — the Physical Lab Mini Reference Amplifier, the Physical Lab Imp Box, and the Physical Lab ISO Box. The article was originally published in Voice Coil, December 2017.
Read more...
Test Bench: Peerless by Tymphany Full-Range 5” PLS-65F25AL01-08
April 3, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Peerless by Tymphany Full-Range 5” PLS-65F25AL01-08

Following the review of the Peerless by Tymphany PLS 2” PLS-50N25AL01-08 neodymium motor full range, in this edition of Test Bench I reviewed the 2.5" PLS-65F25AL01-08 ferrite motor full-range model. This 2.5" 8 ohm full-range member of the PLS family, the Peerless PLS-65F25AL01-08, has some differences. Unlike the PLS-50N plastic frame, the PLS-65F is built on a proprietary stamped steel frame that is fully vented below the spider mounting shelf with four 24 mm × 4 mm cutouts for enhanced cooling. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, November 2017.
Read more...
Test Bench: Peerless by Tymphany Full-Range 2" PLS-50N25AL01-08
March 27, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Peerless by Tymphany Full-Range 2" PLS-50N25AL01-08

The 2” to 2.5” diameter full-range drivers are unquestionably one of the most used transducers in consumer electronics. I asked the folks at Tymphany to send a couple of transducers from their Peerless by Tymphany PLS line of full-range 2” to 3” drivers. I specifically asked for the 2” PLS-50N25AL01-08 neodymium motor full range (reviewed here) as well as the 2.5” PLS-65F25AL01-08 ferrite motor full-range (reviewed separately). This article was originally published in Voice Coil, November 2017.
Read more...
Test Bench: An Updated CQ76 Ribbon Tweeter from BoZhen New Audio Lab
March 21, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: An Updated CQ76 Ribbon Tweeter from BoZhen New Audio Lab

This Test Bench article examines the CQQ76 ribbon tweeter from BoZhen New Audio Lab. The original device BoZhen sent to Voice Coil in 2013, the CQ76 ribbon tweeter, was portrayed in the company literature as a unique (patent number ZL200820128865.6) ribbon tweeter design. “CQ” is an acronym in Chinese pinyin “Chuan-dao-pian Qu-dong,” which in English means “ribbon loudspeaker based on slice-conducted technology.” This article was originally published in Voice Coil, October 2017.
Read more...
The 745NEOBe Compression Driver from Radian Audio
March 12, 2018 by Vance Dickason

The 745NEOBe Compression Driver from Radian Audio

For this month’s Test Bench article, I examined the 745NEOBe, a pro sound 1.4” beryllium compression driver from Radian Audio Engineering. Radian Audio was founded in 1988 by its president, Dr. Richard Kontrimas, however, Kontrimas has since retired and the company is under new ownership, based in Orange, CA. With more than two decades of success under its belt, Radian Audio is now entering its third decade as a pro sound manufacturer. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, October 2017.
Read more...
Test Bench: Scan-Speak 28W/4878T00 10" Subwoofer
March 7, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Scan-Speak 28W/4878T00 10" Subwoofer

In this Test Bench, I examined the 28W/4878T00, a new 10” (28 cm) subwoofer from high-end OEM Danish driver manufacturer Scan- Speak. Scan-Speak’s 28W/4878T00 has a well-chosen feature set that includes a proprietary cast seven-spoke cast-aluminum frame that has minimal reflection surfaces and is completely open below the spider mounting shelf. Other features include a stiff, lightweight paper sandwich cone—further stiffened by a 3.25” convex coated woven fiber dust cap. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, September 2017.
Read more...
Test Bench: Volt Loudspeakers VM752 3” Midrange Dome Driver
February 28, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Volt Loudspeakers VM752 3” Midrange Dome Driver

This month I tested one of Volt Loudspeakers' signature products, the 3” VM752 midrange dome. The VM752’s features include a coated single-piece fabric dome/surround, a FEA-designed ferrite motor structure, and a 75 mm diameter Nomex/Kapton voice coil former wound with round copper wire. A short flare horn is built into the rear-mounted (0.75” depth) faceplate. The VM752 also offers 94 dB sensitivity, and 100 W (AES) rated power handling, has a 200 mm diameter ferrite magnet, with a 2 mm Xmax, and a 500-Hz-to-4-kHz operating range. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, September 2017.
Read more...
Test Bench: Volt Loudspeakers VM527 Midrange
February 14, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Test Bench: Volt Loudspeakers VM527 Midrange

Voice Coil magazine welcomed Volt Loudspeakers UK to Test Bench in this edition! The driver tested this month was the hot-off-the-production-line new 2” midrange dome, the VM527. The VM527’s features include a coated single piece fabric dome/surround, FEA-designed ferrite motor structure, a 52 mm diameter voice coil, short flare horn built into the rear mounted faceplate, a 91 dB sensitivity, and 75 W (AES) rated power handling. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, August 2017.
Read more...
Peerless by Tymphany DFM-2535R00-08 Compression Driver
February 7, 2018 by Vance Dickason

Peerless by Tymphany DFM-2535R00-08 Compression Driver

The DFM-2535R00-08 compression driver I examined this month came from Tymphany. This is the first compression driver in the company’s new three model compression driver line from Peerless by Tymphany. The DFM-2535R00-08 has a 1” throat exit diameter and a 1.4” titanium diaphragm with a polyimide surround. This is driven by 35.5 mm diameter voice coil wound with round copper wire on an aluminum former (ASV). This article was originally published in Voice Coil, August 2017.
Read more...