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Speaker cone material pro's and con's

Are any of you aware of well-written general discussions of the pro's and cons of various speaker cone materials, for example, paper cone, metal cone (and various metals), polypropylene, ceramic, Mylar, etc.? I am not interested in propaganda for various technologies found on speaker manufacturer websites or opinions offered by audiophiles based upon something they read in an audio magazine, but rather, seek a good, general discussion that is written by a person qualified to speak to such issues (e.g., an engineer or physicist) and that is accessible to a reasonably technology-savvy layman.

I understand that the implementation of a particular cone material is crucial to performance and that it is thus difficult to discuss materials in a vacuum (e.g., how a cone's vibrational mode is dealt with dramatically affects performance), but a good discussion would presumably assume certain standard implementations and still arrive at conclusions.

Any links or recommended readings? Again, I am not looking for audio forum blather derived, for example, from someone's trip to Wilson or (mis)understanding of something written in TAS, but the serious observations of qualified authors.

Thanks in advance.
dearing
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
I come from a time when all speaker cones were paper. We were hands-on audiophiles and we spent a lot of time "doping" cones in an effort to change the sound. We glued on balsa wood (lightweight) strips to stiffen the cone and prevent breakup. Then we glued on weights to lower the resonant frequency (go figure). We did things to loosen up the cone suspension.

Nowadays driver manufacturers use various cone materials and they address the issues which we audiophile sought to deal with aftermarket. I see no reason for an audiophile, or a high end speaker manufacturer to dope a cone. I suspect they do this just to say that they have some proprietary secret that makes their product sound better. In truth, they have simply selected the wrong driver (maybe because it is cheap) or they have screwed up the crossover network and are applying a band aid.
aolmrd1241
1,029 posts
 
Eldartford - Is it also necessary to walk on water>>> LOL ;-)...
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Aolmrd1241...My water-walking is OK on the ocean (salt water) but I sink in to my knees on fresh water.
jtgofish's avatar
jtgofish
513 posts
 
The point is that there appears to be no correct sounding cone material.They all have their sonic signature and once you become aware of this it comes down to choosing the one which causes least offence rather than one which is "best".
Cone/box speakers are such flawed devices that to expect unflawed or uncoloured performance from them is niave.Of course it is not in manufacturers interest to tell you this-although I am sure most experienced designers employed by them are well aware of it.
Any debate on cone material is really only a contribution to the smoke screen which feeds audio marketing departments.
gregm
3,404 posts
 
Any debate on cone material is really only a contribution to the smoke screen which feeds audio marketing departments
Maybe.

BUT, the thread starter only asked for INFO and pointers, for goodness sake..

I fail to understand the pursuant polemics...:)
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