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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
 
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
502 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
3,397 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...:)
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Gregm...Is my lighthearted mention of walking on water considered polemic? Sorry about that. Although I have most of the credentials that Dearing was looking for I find it a bit overbearing to suggest that only people with this sort of academic credentials are worthy of respect.
bartokfan
664 posts
 
Greg I understand where JTgofish is comming from. Look at B&W, they pump their Kevlar material as being something really special and unique, Which it is, and the give it a yellow color for added eye catching feature. Good and fine. But how is the other construction, the internal mechanics of the driver, voicing the lower midrange fq's. Personally its not my cup of tea on my JADIS ORCH REFER, a amp well known for its purity on midrange. I bought the 602's cause the wife got sucked in by the salesman.
I had paper cones in the 70's and my speaker for 20 yrs was a pair of philips 2 ways, served me fine in the bass until I came across my currect speaker. I know all sorts of poly cones over the past 30+ yrs, not a one I like.
The only material that i came across that competes with my currect sopeakers magniesum material was the Cabasse with its white foam material. But the Excel has the Cabasse beat in the bass and also the internal voicing from the "motor" of the lower midrange fq's.
So Jtgofish is right, some labs will come out with a marketing ploy to try to convince you "our new spaceage materail is something unique and like nothing you ever heard in your life". Gimmicks are a part of this trade. Cone material is only one part of the speaker, how all the other parts come together give the driver its particular voicing, its nuances and "flavor". Someone mentioned the old cliche "no driver is perfect sound" well obviously we all know that a live orchestra/jazz band is one thing, our speakers will have limitations. But we strive to get as close to original as possible. Some are closer, others are further away. Some like thise music to sound one way, others another. I've beenb seeking 30 yrs for what I hear in the Excel. Others prefer Vandersteen's sound. And so on....
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