Paper cone drivers vs others

MiguelP · 10-03-2006, 01:00 AM

Ive tested out some speakers and even took out the cones from thier cabinets so its expose to the air.

One of them was a paper cone material that came from a Yamaha satellite speaker and the other was made out of some kind of Polymer cone from another Yamaha satellite which was a newer version of the paper coned one.

They are both 5 1/2 inch drivers and both tested them out.

The paper cone material driver sounded more natural and more of like a soundstage feel to it. Compare to the Polymer cone.

I have heard other speakers that have some kind of materials built within thier cones vs paper cones. Ive always prefered the sound of Paper cones so much better. I dont know why companies are turning to wierd composite materials like polyplas, polymer blah! Blah! blah!

Chu Gai · 10-03-2006, 05:26 AM

Judging drivers on the basis of what Yamaha uses in some of their speakers is more than a stretch. BTW, the paper drivers are also composites.

Chris Quinn · 10-03-2006, 08:45 AM

They is good and bad of both. WHen you already have a preference/bias you need to do blind testing.

John Garcia · 10-03-2006, 11:04 AM

Paper is still one of the most neutral materials for speakers. That doesn't mean other materials aren't good too. In my bedroom setup my Mordaunt Short 902s have aluminum midbass drivers and their midrange is great. In my main system, I the drivers are treated paper and they have amazing midrange. The fact is, paper is great, but it isn't as stiff and strong (and in some cases not as light) as many of the materials being tried today.

Arthur S · 10-03-2006, 11:10 AM

And then there is JVC. They have a small system that has cones made from wood strips soaked in sake!

By all accounts (except your bank account), they sound very good

Despite what some would have you believe, there is so much more to the sound of speakers than cone material!

Take a look at this speaker. How much difference could the cone material possibly make in the sound?

http://www.passdiy.com/pdf/KleinHorn.pdf

**HTF Ads**

Seth=L · 10-03-2006, 12:47 PM

Could make a very large difference. That would be like saying everyone sounds the same on a megaphone. A large horn or funnel could in fact amplify the variances in sound.

I have heard the JVC speakers, they do sound great, just wish they had larger drivers.

Arthur S · 10-03-2006, 03:39 PM

Couldn't disagree with you more. That picture speaks a thousand words. That horn contributes 96% of the sound of that speaker, if not more. Not that Nelson Pass wasn't very careful in the selection of the driver. I'd be more than happy to research the driver and see what it is made of. As JG pointed out he has both metal and paper cone speakers that sound great.

And with all due respect, I think your analogy is off by a magnitude of 100X

John Garcia · 10-03-2006, 04:59 PM

That driver in the horns was selected specifically for that application and a different driver would not give the same results - there was discussion in the PDF of having to tune with the x-over to achieve the response they get, and that is the case with all speaker designs. However, that does not mean a plastic or metal driver would not work, it just means the x-over and possibly the cabinet would have to be tweaked to get a similar response.

They both sound great, but they do sound different from each other. There are other things going on in each, as with all speakers, too though - different specs, x-overs, cabinet size, construction and tuning, etc... The designer can use the x-over and specific driver choices to tailor the sound to what they're after. Just like a wine maker imparts a bit of their personality into the flavor of the wine, a speaker designer imparts a bit of their interpretation of what sounds good to them in their designs.

Arthur S · 10-03-2006, 06:29 PM

JG

No disagreement with you, my friend.

Seth=L · 10-04-2006, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arthur S

JG

No disagreement with you, my friend.

Please explain how my analogy is poor, If I understand correctly JG just said that the speaker would sound significantly different with a different style driver i.e. ceramic vs. paper or kevlar vs. polymer. I am sorry, but I simply don't understand here. If I say it makes a difference in sound, you say it doesn't, but if JG says it does make a difference, you instantly agree. Maybe this is just a missunderstanding, so if it is, please explain.

Regards,