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Paper cone drivers/natural materials

I’ve been think recently about some post I read somewhere in which the OP complains about Wilson Audio’s use of doped paper pulp drivers for the cone material, saying that that’s not an acceptable material by today’s standards. Thinking about how meticulous is the design and execution of this company’s  offerings, this criticism just doesn’t seem valid. I’m sure if they found a better material, they’d use it. I’m sure they are designing for linear excursion within the pass band. I remember visiting an ex audio dealer’s house near Binghamton, NY, back in the early 80s when I was just a teenager. I remember him extolling the virtues of paper cones, and that way back then many manufacturers had experimented with others but kept coming back to paper. My opinion now is that many materials can be good candidates if executed well. Wilson is also using silk dome tweeters. My dad had very smooth and detailed sounding Philips silk dome tweeters back in the ‘70s in his homemade speakers. I say natural materials tend to hold their own and often prove superior. I have a cactus spine for my cartridge cantilever- my excellent Soundsmith Hyperion. Vandersteen uses extremely stiff and light balsa wood and carbon fiber in its top offerings. I can vouch for the excellent midrange in my 5A Carbon.

How much does driver material influence you purchasing decisions?

 

earthtones
mlsstl
1,436 posts
 

"How much does driver material influence you purchasing decisions?"

It has nominal influence on my purchasing decisions.  Frankly, in the real world, every material represents a series of trade-offs -- this advantage versus that disadvantage. And don't forget that cost, availability, and durability are also part of the equation along with the range of performance variables.  

But, that's what speaker designers do -- they set a goal and then see what choices get them closest to their desired endpoint. And then you, as a customer, pick from the hundreds of options available on the market, hopefully selecting the speaker that gets you closest, within your budget, to what you're after. 

 

audioguy85's avatar
audioguy85
2,018 posts
 

According to Herb (Stereophile), and I’m sure a few others, a speaker sounds from which it is made, meaning the cone material ..

ghdprentice
6,957 posts
 

Absolutely zero influence. The main drivers in my Sonus Faber are paper cones. This does not mean they rolled up a piece copy paper to make the cones. They are highly sophisticated with bonding agents very unlike what we think of as paper and sandwiched with other materials. They reproduce sound like you would expect a $32K speaker would. 

kenjit
1,771 posts
 

 The main drivers in my Sonus Faber are paper cones. They reproduce sound like you would expect a $32K speaker would. 

Nonsense. Paper is the cheapest material on earth! For that price, I want solid diamond cones!

 

ghdprentice
6,957 posts
 

@kenjit 

You’ll probably like a Rolex then… beautiful and made out of the finest materials and keeps terrible time. 
 

Sorry I want great sound…

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