Speaker Cones — Fabrication, Materials, and Performance

This Voice Coil Focus article explores the fabrication, materials, and performance aspects of speaker cones, a critical component in driver design. With the author's extensive experience in dealing with innovative speaker designs and bringing concepts into production, the article explains vital aspects of both paper pulp cone fabrication and polypropylene cones, addressing even the lesser known aspects, such as software simulation programs used to model results before starting tooling. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, February 2020.

Want to know which of the topics and stories published online in 2019 were the most popular? We looked at the most-read articles of 2019 in audioXpress.com (which also includes selected articles from Voice Coil magazine), and we created this Top 10 list of news stories and online articles. Here are the results!

The new Excel Graphene line was initiated with the launch of the W16NX003 midbass driver in February 2019, and the new 8-inch woofer, the W22NX001, is now the fourth product in this new line from SEAS. The new W22NX001 (E0077-08) also represents a successor to the famous W22EX001 (E0022-08) from SEAS, and it's been upgraded like other products with the new graphene cone technology, as well as a new longer voice coil with a titanium former, magnet system with copper rings and caps, and a thicker ferrite magnet, designed and optimized for lower distortion and high power handling.

On this edition of Test Bench, Vance Dickason continues to measure one of the most anticipated driver designs launched in the market in 2019, from SEAS's new Excel Graphene line. Following the previous Test Bench on the W16NX003 5.25” midbass woofer, this one focuses on the W18EX003 6.5” midbass driver. This article was published in Voice Coil, August 2019.

In this Test Bench, Vance Dickason characterizes the SEAS W16NX003 5.25” midbass driver, one of the new graphene-coated magnesium cone drivers from the brand's Excel Graphene range. This product line has been an ongoing project for more than two years, combining the already highly prized magnesium cone with the desirable acoustic properties of Graphene, which also works to provide corrosion protection to magnesium. This article was published in Voice Coil, August 2019.

SEAS Fabrikker continues to deliver on its promise to completely renew its product portfolio since the company revitalized its production, moving manufacturing from Taiwan to a new production line in Moss, Norway. Following the announcement in May 2019 of a completely new product-size of woofer in the Excel Graphene Woofer Series, named the 19-series, SEAS now launches the L19RNX1 (H1878-08) in the affordable Prestige Titan Series. The new L19RNX1 woofer was designed to respond to the challenges of high-res audio reproduction with improved clarity and dynamic capability.

SEAS announced its fourth speaker model in the company's new Excel Graphene line, designed for modern high-res audio reproduction. The new C16NX001/F is also the first coaxial driver using the magnesium cone treated with the new graphene nano-coating formula, and the successor to the famous C16N001/F (E0051-04/06) driver from SEAS, implementing all the improvements the company introduced into the W16NX003 woofer.

Voice Coil August 2019 is now ready for you to download and it is in the mail for print subscribers. In this month’s edition, don’t miss the ALMA International Symposium & Expo (AISE) 2019 report, and the valuable Global Voice Coil Manufacturers 2019 updated directory. In Acoustic Patents, James Croft takes a closer look at two automotive patents granted to Harman and Bose. And Vance Dickason characterizes two different woofers from the new SEAS Excel Graphene product line. Download your copy now!

SEAS just announced that it is launching the new E0101-04 Dark Diamond tweeter, in direct response to market interest. With its beautifully precision machined, black anodized aluminum faceplate, which is horn loaded for a smooth frequency response, maximum stability and smooth appearance, the Dark Diamond essentially follows the improvements implemented to the renowned White Diamond tweeter, which the company states, represent "the ultimate sound reproduction quality at high frequencies, flawless, clean, uncolored and natural."

This month I characterized the 10” L26ROY subwoofer from SEAS’ new Extreme line. The SEAS L26 series from SEAS was popularized by several of Siegfried Linkwitz designs (sold by Madisound as kits), including his "pièce de résistance," the LX521.4, which utilized four L26RO4Y subwoofers (the four-layer version). These 10” woofers were built in Taiwan for SEAS, but that production has now been brought home to Norway and reintroduced as the Extreme subwoofer line. The new L26ROY has a well-appointed feature set. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, April 2019.