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04-08-2004, 08:14 AM
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#1 of 19 
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Member
Join Date: Aug 1997
Local Time: 04:53 AM
Local Date: 09-08-2008
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Wooden speaker cones - coming soon to a speaker near you
Here's a very interesting new development. Apparently a JVC scientist has figured out how to make speaker cones out of wood. The solution? Soaking the wood in sake!
The Solution Was Sake
According to audio engineer friends of mine this has been considered to be one of the holy grails of speaker design for many years. After all, the resonance properties of wood are well known and considered superior to just about any other material. (There's a reason the finest musical instruments are still made out of wood.)
I'm really interested in hearing these.
-greg
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04-08-2004, 11:22 PM
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#2 of 19
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Join Date: Jul 1999
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Greg
Shaping wood has been around for, maybe 200 years. Soaking and steaming are the traditional way of shaping.
Think of it this way. How do they shape the sides of acoustic guitars. How do they make bamboo furniture?
In my experience the material used to make the cone makes little or no difference.
But the really crazy thing is that they are going to charge quite a premium for little tiny speakers for the for a $550 "executive entertainment system".
Breakthroughs are hard to come by so the engineers and the marketing people are always looking for something novel to plug the product.
Always interesting to see the next breakthrough.
Artie
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04-09-2004, 12:11 PM
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#3 of 19
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Oh I know shaping has been around for hundreds of years. The trick is to get wood so thin that it can be used for a speaker cone. That was the trick he accomplished.
I'm not an audio engineer, but those I know and trust tell me that this is potentially a very significant breakthrough. (An audio engineer friend of mine in New York sent me the link.) And those I talk to tell me that the material used to make the cone absolutely affects the quality of the sound. It isn't the only determining factor, naturally, but it is a factor.
-greg
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04-09-2004, 12:27 PM
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#4 of 19
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Not to be a smartas*, but isn't really thin wood basically paper? I think they've been doing paper for quite a while.
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04-09-2004, 01:08 PM
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#5 of 19
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If you have not heard of Dali speakers www.dali-usa.com
Also from there site:
THE NEW CONES
The 6.5” and 8” woofers are custom made for the Helicon series, with new wood and paper fibre composite cones and dust caps as well as high-acceleration- geometry profile cone shape. DALI prefers light, stiff cone materials that react with lightning speed to the signals, but not too stiff in order for the inherent sound of the cone material to not shine through. To obtain this, we have chosen a new type of paper cone that contains unusually long wooden fibres in a carefully measured proportion. The fibres control resonance and permit a more lightweight cone to be used, and they are clearly visible when they are near the surface. A light coating then controls the few remaining resonances. The shape is also optimised to most effectively transform the impulses from the voice coil into faithful movements of air.
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04-09-2004, 02:48 PM
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#6 of 19
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Member
Location: San Jose, Ca.
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Cone material most definitely affects the sound. I think it's a very interesting development. $550 for an "exectutive" system is actually pretty inexpensive for what they consider to be a fairly groundbreaking technology. The cost of production is obviously not obscene, or they would be charging a lot more. The question is, what will these drivers really cost and how long before we see mass production of them, aside from this system?
"The trouble with the world is not that people know too little, but that they know so many things that ain't so." - Mark Twain
HT: Marantz SR-8300, MA500 monoblocks x 2, 5X GR Research A/V-2s, Adire Audio Tempest sub, Denon 2900, Oppo 980H, Toshiba HD-A2, RC2000MkII remote, Panamax 5100, Panamax Max2 sub, Slim PS2, PS3 60G + 320G USB
Bedroom: Marantz PM-7200 Integrated, GR Research A/V-1s, Sony 222ES SACD, RC3200 remote, Panamax M8EX
Audio: Audioquest * Video: Bluejeans
My DVDs  My HT
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04-09-2004, 03:15 PM
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#7 of 19
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Join Date: Nov 2003
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"In my experience the material used to make the cone makes little or no difference."
my $.02 i have noticed so much more clarity with kevlar cones over other types.
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04-09-2004, 03:37 PM
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#8 of 19
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I saw this on another message board. Somebody there quipped:
Quote:
Looks like he was using the sake to soften more than just the wood.
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"It sounds like it's barfing out the bass." - Zach
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04-09-2004, 06:00 PM
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#9 of 19
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Member
Location: San Jose, Ca.
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LMAO! I was thinking the same thing. When I read that, I thought "Sake huh?" His brain had become soft, so he came up with the idea after 20yrs?
"The trouble with the world is not that people know too little, but that they know so many things that ain't so." - Mark Twain
HT: Marantz SR-8300, MA500 monoblocks x 2, 5X GR Research A/V-2s, Adire Audio Tempest sub, Denon 2900, Oppo 980H, Toshiba HD-A2, RC2000MkII remote, Panamax 5100, Panamax Max2 sub, Slim PS2, PS3 60G + 320G USB
Bedroom: Marantz PM-7200 Integrated, GR Research A/V-1s, Sony 222ES SACD, RC3200 remote, Panamax M8EX
Audio: Audioquest * Video: Bluejeans
My DVDs My HT
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04-09-2004, 08:53 PM
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#10 of 19 | |
