20 Hz to 20 kHz Dipole Speaker System

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MJK

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Re: 20 Hz to 20 kHz Dipole Speaker System
« Reply #81 on: 24 Oct 2008, 11:56 pm »
Manufacturer's spec sheets are almost always wrong. My results were derived by actual electrical and mechanical measurements of the drivers I bought and used. As far as I am concerned, they are more accurate then the published specs. I think you will find that people making actual measurements almost always get different results from the those provided by the manufacturer or dealer.

ecir38

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Re: 20 Hz to 20 kHz Dipole Speaker System
« Reply #82 on: 25 Oct 2008, 02:30 am »
I fiqured that but the differance in the two pdf's caught my eye and just wanted kinda of a clarification that the alpha probably is less efficeint than the manufactures specs.

BR

panomaniac

Re: 20 Hz to 20 kHz Dipole Speaker System
« Reply #83 on: 25 Oct 2008, 06:39 am »
JB did measurements on 4 of these Goldwoods.  The results I saw said about 93dB/W.  So pretty close to published specs.
YMMV

David Weil

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Re: 20 Hz to 20 kHz Dipole Speaker System
« Reply #84 on: 25 Oct 2008, 07:20 am »
Manufacturer's specs are taken from one sample. Tolerances can easily surpass 20 % for certain parameters, and that is not limited to cheap drivers. Some TSPs even change with ambient temperature and humidity. And then there are different measurement techniques and conditions.

There was an experiment done on a German forum. A Visaton FRS8 was sent around and everybody had a go at measuring it with ARTA. The measurements with different soundcards, microphones and rooms done by different persons accounted for up to 6,6 % of deviation in TSP. fs was measured 10 Hz higher with pink noise than with stepped sine. Even two anechoic chambers showed significant differences in the drivers response. And that was with everybody using the same measurement technique, which is another possible variable.

Thiele and Small themselves state that the use of their parameters is so SPL-dependent, it only makes sense at home listening levels up to one or two Watts average. So, if you listen at PA levels, what?

Our German saying "Wer misst, misst Mist." (who measures, measures s...) is probably right, when it comes to speakers.

Reality also shows that it is possible to use the same speaker model repeatedly in the same setup and get comparable results up to the point, where it is possible to say: "Speaker XY from manufacturer Z sounds so and so."

So, is it really necessary to measure each individual driver and tweak the hell out of its parameters? Do you make individual set-ups for left and right speakers, if they don't measure exactly the same? Or are the manufacturer's specs in most cases exact enough to base a design on them?

MJK

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Re: 20 Hz to 20 kHz Dipole Speaker System
« Reply #85 on: 25 Oct 2008, 11:42 am »
Quote
Or are the manufacturer's specs in most cases exact enough to base a design on them?

In most cases I would say that the manufacturer's specs are not good enough to derive a new design. Some manufacturers are better then others, Eminence and Goldwood are pretty good. Two well known full range driver manufacturers that I have used publish specifications that are complete fiction. If you do not measure the drivers you purchase, and you intend to design a new system, then you are allowing unknown error to creep into the design right from the start. The error might be pleasing or it might be a disaster. If you are copying a design, that somebody else based on measured parameters, then you are probably in better shape.

That is my opinion based on my experience,

Martin

jkelly

Re: 20 Hz to 20 kHz Dipole Speaker System
« Reply #86 on: 25 Oct 2008, 07:28 pm »
After about 24 hours things are really sounding great.
The Jordon is starting to open up.  It doesn't sound dull
anymore.  Getting depth and detail.

I also changed around some power cords and interconnects.

I also have moved the speakers into the same position
that worked best for the CS2. 6 feet out from the back
wall and about a foot and a half from the side walls.
This creates a large soundstage with plenty of bass.

I have the lows at 2.0 boost and highs at .5 boost on the DCX.

Right now I am very pleased and hearing about as good as
I have had in the room.  This is a very worthwhile project.

I should also mention that I received the Asi Tek DCX2496 and
4 channel Panny for a fully digital system starting with a RWA SB2.
The Panny is putting out 100 watts per channel and has clock
upgrades in it.  The amp is driving the woofers beautifullly.
So far this is really really nice!  More on that later.

Jeff

MJK

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Re: 20 Hz to 20 kHz Dipole Speaker System
« Reply #87 on: 25 Oct 2008, 11:34 pm »
Jeff,

Glad things are improving. I found it took a few weeks for the Jordan's to open up fully. They did sound a little dull, as you describe, right out of the box but after a while they opened up. I found them to be a very smooth but slightly laid back driver.

Martin
« Last Edit: 26 Oct 2008, 12:35 am by MJK »

ASi_TEK

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Re: 20 Hz to 20 kHz Dipole Speaker System
« Reply #88 on: 26 Oct 2008, 12:24 am »



The Panny is putting out 100 watts per channel and has clock
upgrades in it.  The amp is driving the woofers beautifullly.
So far this is really really nice!  More on that later.

Jeff


I think that the 100w is just a manufacturer paper spec rating, I really think its putting out more than 100w! I have witnessed some really incredible bass performance from those panny receivers, driving larger size woofers with ease and speakers to some real loud (but CLEAR) SPL'S..

 I might try a try a OB design with a Aurum Cantus G1 and 18" Goldwood in a setup like jkellys. 

John_E_Janowitz

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Re: 20 Hz to 20 kHz Dipole Speaker System
« Reply #89 on: 29 Oct 2008, 07:07 pm »
One of the things I have really looked into was successful T/S parameter measurement.  Often times the manufacturer specs are way off due to small cumulative changes over time.  For example a vendor manufacturing spiders could use the same phenolic resin in the spider, same pressure on the nip rollers that squeeze it out, but after thousands of feet of cloth the rollers may either wear or have a buildup of the resin on them.  This creates different pressure on the same cloth and treatment and will ultimately change the compliance.  Often times in China, a prototype will be made, and the build house will make small changes to "save money" that alter the parameters. 

We went through a lot to make sure that we can accurately measure parameters.  I did a post here on all we went through to get repeatable measurements.  Repeatability is the biggest key.  It talks about our efforts and just measurement methods in general. 

http://www.aespeakers.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=927

We're in a little different situation that most manufacturers.  We hand build each driver, give a quick visual inspection of each part to make sure nothing is obviously different.  After building we play a 10Hz break-in tone for about 30 sec to break in each woofer.  All the breakin required is to stretch the the surround and spider to their limits a few times.  This is 95% of all break-in and you won't see much change in parameters after that.  We then measure parameters for the driver and verify they are correct.  We have quite tight tolerances.  Many may have a +/- 10% in terms of Fs.  On our IB15's, Fs is specified as 16Hz.  Our range is from 15.5hz to 16.5hz. 

One of the other issues we do see though is with customers measuring parameters incorrectly.  We had a customer measuring drivers with the delta-mass method.  The drivers were up firing, so the driver sags and the Bl slightly changes from it's rest value reading low. The compliance is slightly stiffer away from center lowering compliance which changes Vas and Fs as well.  Then keeping the mass from moving is very difficult.  If it requires a lot of mass, the dustcap can actually flex as well.  These issues mean you don't have a nice clean impedance peak and can't get accurate numbers.  In cases like these it would be hard to say that the customer's measurements could be more valid than the manufacturer's. 

John   

fivestring

Re: 20 Hz to 20 kHz Dipole Speaker System
« Reply #90 on: 2 Nov 2008, 06:50 am »
Quote
Explanation comes via doing and listening, because SPL plots tell you zilch about acoustic phase and relative group delays.

And this is where Alpha 15 significantly outperforms OB15? C`mon, while Alpha 15 is a great value and performs nice, OB15 is pushing limits of what can be done, albeit at a higher price. What you get in return is probably state of the art in current woofer production. The mechanical losses of this driver are the best I`ve seen so far in a 15 inch driver (heck, it`s even better than in many 5 inchers), which promises a "lively" (for the lack of better term) low frequency reproduction.  :thumb:

AESpeakers OB15
Fs: 33.8Hz
Qms: 19.4
Qes 0.86
Qts 0.82
Vas 311 Liters
Cms 0.3 mm/N
Mms 74 grams
Sd 855 cm2
Rms .81 Kg/S
Bl: 7.5 T/m
Re: 3.1ohms
Z 4 ohms
Le 0.0375 mH
Pe (max) 100 Watts
Pe (transient) 250 Watts
1WSpl: 93.5 dB
2.83V: 97.6dB
Linear Xmax 9 mm (peak)
Mech Xsus 12 mm (peak)



  Another nice thing is that in the active system you can passively flatten the impedance curve first.  Then work with your xover and EQ.  You can end up with a nearly resistive load to each channel of amplification. 


Hi John,

My grey cells also lit up when I read that; but I let it ride.

Your links and explanation of this in post #48 above are good, and illustrate an aspect often forgotten by those who use passive crossovers. 

What caught my attention however, was your mention of this in the same paragraph as 'active' filters with implied direct LS to amplifier connection, where, if the amplifier is good and a normal SS type, those impedance correction circuits could not have any influence upon the drive to the LS itself within its own circuit, no matter how accurately the amplifier is being loaded.

I much appreciate reading your explanations though.

Cheers ...... Graham.

Try to use impedance correction circuits in an active (or passive) sytem once and listen to the difference, or just play an MLS signal through the compensated and uncompensated loudspeaker to hear the effects, you`ll be surprised. :D

Cheers, Miro

http://www.loudspeakers.we.bs/

ttan98

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Re: 20 Hz to 20 kHz Dipole Speaker System
« Reply #91 on: 2 Nov 2008, 07:12 am »
Quote
Explanation comes via doing and listening, because SPL plots tell you zilch about acoustic phase and relative group delays.

And this is where Alpha 15 significantly outperforms OB15? C`mon, while Alpha 15 is a great value and performs nice, OB15 is pushing limits of what can be done, albeit at a higher price. What you get in return is probably state of the art in current woofer production. The mechanical losses of this driver are the best I`ve seen so far in a 15 inch driver (heck, it`s even better than in many 5 inchers), which promises a "lively" (for the lack of better term) low frequency reproduction.  :thumb:

AESpeakers OB15
Fs: 33.8Hz
Qms: 19.4
Qes 0.86
Qts 0.82
Vas 311 Liters
Cms 0.3 mm/N
Mms 74 grams
Sd 855 cm2
Rms .81 Kg/S
Bl: 7.5 T/m
Re: 3.1ohms
Z 4 ohms
Le 0.0375 mH
Pe (max) 100 Watts
Pe (transient) 250 Watts
1WSpl: 93.5 dB
2.83V: 97.6dB
Linear Xmax 9 mm (peak)
Mech Xsus 12 mm (peak)



  Another nice thing is that in the active system you can passively flatten the impedance curve first.  Then work with your xover and EQ.  You can end up with a nearly resistive load to each channel of amplification. 


Hi John,

My grey cells also lit up when I read that; but I let it ride.

Your links and explanation of this in post #48 above are good, and illustrate an aspect often forgotten by those who use passive crossovers. 

What caught my attention however, was your mention of this in the same paragraph as 'active' filters with implied direct LS to amplifier connection, where, if the amplifier is good and a normal SS type, those impedance correction circuits could not have any influence upon the drive to the LS itself within its own circuit, no matter how accurately the amplifier is being loaded.

I much appreciate reading your explanations though.

Cheers ...... Graham.

Try to use impedance correction circuits in an active (or passive) sytem once and listen to the difference, or just play an MLS signal through the compensated and uncompensated loudspeaker to hear the effects, you`ll be surprised. :D

Cheers, Miro

http://www.loudspeakers.we.bs/

Each user/designer will have to consider whether the additional money spent is well worth the improvement, consider this

AE driver = $259
Alpha 15" = $65

fivestring

Re: 20 Hz to 20 kHz Dipole Speaker System
« Reply #92 on: 3 Nov 2008, 06:28 am »
Each user/designer will have to consider whether the additional money spent is well worth the improvement, consider this

AE driver = $259
Alpha 15" = $65

Yes, the AE driver costs a few times more than Alpha and it is out of my reach too, however for those looking for the best it still represents a good value, especially if you consider some fullrangers cost a few thousand dollars and people think they are worth it.
Alpha 15 is great for the entry level budget systems where you combine it with a similarly priced 8" fullrange and you get nice results with
no heavy rocket science.  AE OB 15 however, would be my first choice for an ultimate OB project combined with some smooth low distortion 6 or 8" midrange and perhaps some dipole Air Motion Transformer tweeter, like the current Aurum Cantus line (they call them Aero Striction Tweeter):

http://www.aurumcantus.com/aurumcantus-AeroStriction/index_aerostriction.htm

Cheers, Miro

http://www.loudspeakers.we.bs/

gitarretyp

Re: 20 Hz to 20 kHz Dipole Speaker System
« Reply #93 on: 3 Nov 2008, 06:52 am »

Each user/designer will have to consider whether the additional money spent is well worth the improvement, consider this

AE driver = $259
Alpha 15" = $65

Last i saw, the OB15 (a variant of the IB15) was $179/ea or $600 for four. The IB15 is $129/ea or $400 for four. Your price is for the Dipole 10, a very different driver.

ttan98

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Re: 20 Hz to 20 kHz Dipole Speaker System
« Reply #94 on: 3 Nov 2008, 10:57 am »

Each user/designer will have to consider whether the additional money spent is well worth the improvement, consider this

AE driver = $259
Alpha 15" = $65

Last i saw, the OB15 (a variant of the IB15) was $179/ea or $600 for four. The IB15 is $129/ea or $400 for four. Your price is for the Dipole 10, a very different driver.

$259 is the price based on the AE new 15in model, the IB15 is  the previous model which is cheaper.

nullspace

Re: 20 Hz to 20 kHz Dipole Speaker System
« Reply #95 on: 3 Nov 2008, 02:03 pm »
It might be worth sorting out the myriad of OB-appropriate 15" woofers from AE...

There's the IB15 and OB15, both $129/ea or $400 for four. They have also made the Dipole15, which is $309/ea and then Lynn Olson has commented on what he's calling TD15-Dipole -- no announced price, but it's Lambda-level components so I suspect in the ballpark of $309/ea. Here are the respective T/S:

IB15
Fs: 16Hz
Qms: 6.8
Vas: 439L
Cms: .45mm/N
Mms: 220g
Rms: 3.239
Xmax: 18.5mm
Xmech: 25mm
Sd: 830sqcm
Vd: 3.07L (p-p)
Qes: .78
Re: 5.5ohm
Le: .33mH
Bl:12.49
Pe: 500W
Qts: .7
1WSPL: 86dB
2.83V: 87.3dB

OB15
Fs: 29hz
Qms: 4.6
VasL 257L
Cms: .25mm/N
Mms: 120g
Rms: 4.71 kg/s
Sd: 851sqcm
Vd: 3.07L
Qes: .75
Re: 5.32ohm
Le: .25mh
Z: 8ohm
Pe: 300W
Qts: .64
1W/1m 91.4dB

Dipole15
Fs: 21.7hz
Qms: 15.2
Qes: 1.00
Qts: .94
Vas: 623L
Cms: .7mm/N
Mms: 90grams
Sd: 855sqcm
Rms: .81Kg/S
Bl: 12.2Tm
Re: 12.3ohm
Z: 16ohm
Le: .15mH
Xmax: 12mm
1w SPL: 90.1dB

TD15-Dipole
Fs: 33.8Hz
Qms: 19.4
Qes 0.86
Qts 0.82
Vas 311 Liters
Cms 0.3 mm/N
Mms 74 grams
Sd 855 cm2
Rms .81 Kg/S
Bl: 7.5 T/m
Re: 3.1ohms
Z 4 ohms
Le 0.0375 mH
Pe (max) 100 Watts
Pe (transient) 250 Watts
1WSpl: 93.5 dB
2.83V: 97.6dB
Linear Xmax 9 mm (peak)
Mech Xsus 12 mm (peak)

Regards,
John
« Last Edit: 4 Nov 2008, 03:10 pm by nullspace »

Danny Richie

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Re: 20 Hz to 20 kHz Dipole Speaker System
« Reply #96 on: 4 Nov 2008, 01:50 pm »
I just wanted to note a couple of things to you guys regarding measuring T/S parameters.

Quote
Some TSPs even change with ambient temperature and humidity

This is very true. Any real change in temperature can change the measurements. Changes in voice coil temperature can actually have quite a bit of an effect. 

Quote
After building we play a 10Hz break-in tone for about 30 sec to break in each woofer.  All the breakin required is to stretch the the surround and spider to their limits a few times.  This is 95% of all break-in and you won't see much change in parameters after that.

My research has shown that playing them hard for about 30 seconds doesn't contribute to more than 4 to 5% of the total change that you get from an extended burn in period. However, the heat in the voice coil from playing it hard will shift the T/S parameters much further and simulate 50 to 80% of the change that will come from extended burn in. If you really want to see the change in the suspension compliance then you need to let it cool for a couple of hours before checking it.

John, I noticed your new drivers and they look very good. You seem to favor a sealed box method for testing the T/S parameters. Is this the method you use on those woofers with the solid Aluminum phase plug?

John_E_Janowitz

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Re: 20 Hz to 20 kHz Dipole Speaker System
« Reply #97 on: 6 Nov 2008, 04:27 am »
My research has shown that playing them hard for about 30 seconds doesn't contribute to more than 4 to 5% of the total change that you get from an extended burn in period. However, the heat in the voice coil from playing it hard will shift the T/S parameters much further and simulate 50 to 80% of the change that will come from extended burn in. If you really want to see the change in the suspension compliance then you need to let it cool for a couple of hours before checking it.

You need to play the driver at a level high enough to stretch the suspension.  This means reaching the excursion limits of the driver.  We do it with 10Hz in an open baffle which requires very little power for most drivers to reach the limits.  The change we look for is simply the change in Fs.  In the IB15 for example we often times see a 19-20hz Fs, then after the 30sec tone we see it at 16.3Hz or so.  Playing the 10hz breakin tone overnight and checking again the next day showed a drop to 16.1Hz.  The only thing to break in on a woofer is the suspension.  Fs is simply a function of mass and compliance so whether the coil heats or not will not have any affect on that anyway. 

I can tell all the rest I need to know by comparing the impedance curve.  I wouldn't even need to run full parameters unless someone wants them included.  Every driver we do now also has a full copper sleeve on the pole, which will pull the heat quickly from the coil.   Measuring an impedance curve before and after the break in tone shows no visible change, other than the shift in Fs.  If we were to do the test in a sealed enclosure and try to move the driver to full excursion, this would require much more power and create much more heat.  Then we would need to allow the coil to cool some, although the copper still does pull the heat away quickly.

Quote
John, I noticed your new drivers and they look very good. You seem to favor a sealed box method for testing the T/S parameters. Is this the method you use on those woofers with the solid Aluminum phase plug?

Measuring the parameters on the drivers with phase plugs is a little tricky.  Due to the way a driver like this is designed, there is a small air passage on the ID of the coil.  This will lower the Ql of the enclosure, and makes it appear slightly larger than it is.  This will skew Mms and Bl proportionately.  Lucky for us, Mms comes from a known value of Mmd plus the air loading on the driver.  We can use this known value and apply a correction factor to get valid results.  Then we can double check to verify our correction factor by taking a dust capped driver with identical mass and compliance.

John

Danny Richie

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Re: 20 Hz to 20 kHz Dipole Speaker System
« Reply #98 on: 6 Nov 2008, 03:02 pm »
Quote
This means reaching the excursion limits of the driver.  We do it with 10Hz in an open baffle which requires very little power for most drivers to reach the limits.  The change we look for is simply the change in Fs.

Well, 10Hz wavelengths are fairly long and will quickly generate a lot of heat even at low power, and that will change the Fs.

Quote
In the IB15 for example we often times see a 19-20hz Fs, then after the 30sec tone we see it at 16.3Hz or so.  Playing the 10hz breakin tone overnight and checking again the next day showed a drop to 16.1Hz.

Yep, I believe that. That is about right. However, the change you see after 30 seconds is NOT a result in the change in suspension compliance. At least not all of it. It is mostly from the heat change. Run your 30 second blast then let it cool for several hours and you'll see the difference in compliance change and change from heat. My guess is that you'll see the Fs drop back into the 19Hz range.

Quote
The only thing to break in on a woofer is the suspension.

No, there are two things changing. There is a mechanical and an electrical change. Both will change over time.

Quote
Fs is simply a function of mass and compliance so whether the coil heats or not will not have any affect on that anyway. 


No, that is not true either. Part of the damping is the field strength around the voice coil. Just increase motor strength and and Fs will come up. Decrease it and Fs will drop. Heat it up and Fs will drop. Cool it off and Fs will come up. You might also note that the DCR will change after your 30 seconds of hard play. Try measuring the DCR before and after heating it. Also, if you don't adjust for the change in DCR after heating it then it will also alter the parameters.

Quote
Measuring an impedance curve before and after the break in tone shows no visible change, other than the shift in Fs.

I wouldn't expect it to show much else, would you? If you look real close you might see the slight change in the minimum impedance area due to the changed DCR. It may be pretty hard to see on an impedance sweep though.

Quote
Measuring the parameters on the drivers with phase plugs is a little tricky.  Due to the way a driver like this is designed, there is a small air passage on the ID of the coil. 


Yes, I know. That is why I asked. I could see from your pictures that you had venting below the spider and venting through the voice coil. This creates an air hole.

Quote
We can use this known value and apply a correction factor to get valid results.  Then we can double check to verify our correction factor by taking a dust capped driver with identical mass and compliance.

Don't get me wrong. Plus or minus a little this way or that is not going to change enough to screw up a box simulation. Plus or minus a handful of damping material can make as much difference as plus or minus a quarter of an inch of box depth. So I don't get too hung up on getting the end all be all of accuracy.

But you are going to see more differences in parameters by having to allow for and calculate the air loss of the box or the differences between different drivers than you will see from simply using the added mass method to get the measured parameters. So I wouldn't be to hard on the added mass method. If done correctly it too can be very accurate.

John_E_Janowitz

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Re: 20 Hz to 20 kHz Dipole Speaker System
« Reply #99 on: 6 Nov 2008, 04:55 pm »
Well, 10Hz wavelengths are fairly long and will quickly generate a lot of heat even at low power, and that will change the Fs.

The basic principle is to move the driver as far as possible with as little current.  One of the things you can do if you are really concerned about heat is to play a breakin tone at the Fs of the driver. With the resistance being extremely high, the current is very low and as a result heat is almost non-existent.  For all practical purposes though, the 10hz tone having high driver excursion allows for good air movement to cool the coil.   We monitor DCR as it is does affect Bl when measuring the rest of the parameters.  If DCR has risen, of course we will not be measuring Bl until the DCR goes back down to the rest value.  In a driver with a copper sleeve on the pole like we have, this happens very quickly as the copper wicks the heat from the coil much faster than a steel pole alone.  Until the entire steel pole begins to have a significant rise in temperature, the heat travels from the coil to the copper and into the pole quite quickly.  Again though, we are talking a 30 sec tone with 1-2 amp current flow through the coil in the case of the IB15.  This is not going to significantly heat the coil.

As far as heat changing the Fs of the driver, the only way that can happen is in cases where the compliance of the spider would change due to the temperature change.  This will not happen in 30sec on these drivers. 

Quote
Yep, I believe that. That is about right. However, the change you see after 30 seconds is NOT a result in the change in suspension compliance. At least not all of it. It is mostly from the heat change. Run your 30 second blast then let it cool for several hours and you'll see the difference in compliance change and change from heat. My guess is that you'll see the Fs drop back into the 19Hz range.

We used to exercise the driver suspension by hand when verifying prototype units.   In reality just physically moving the suspension to it's limits back and forth 20-30 times creates the exact same effect.  The nice thing about the 10hz tone is that I don't have to sit there and move the driver back and forth myself.  It's kind of a pain in the butt to do.  Other ways to do it are to take an air actuator with short throw and attach it to the cone and adjust position back and forth with that, or in a sealed enclosure use a vacuum line to increase and decrease the air pressure to move the driver.  These physical displacement methods introduce no heat.  In reality though the 30sec tone has the same result.  Again, you can tell if heat is doing anything by monitoring DCR.   If you do not notice a change in the DCR, you won't have enough heat to change the spider compliance either.

Quote
No, there are two things changing. There is a mechanical and an electrical change. Both will change over time.

I'm curious as to what you are referring to that electrically changes over time.  The only drivers with electrical change over time are older Alnico drivers that do demagnetize over years or some of the original Neo magnets that also demagnetize with heat at much lower temperatures than ceramic.  As a result in those drivers BL goes down and Q goes up.  Ceramic magnets do not demagnetize under any real world use as we can never get them physically hot enough to reach a demagnetization point.   I have drivers that I have had in operation for over 10 years now.  Bl and Re are the same as they were when the drivers were made.  There are of course the old wives tales about the properties of copper changing over time, etc.  Some state change in properties due to heat over time and others state due to the direction of current flow.  This has of course been proven to be false in both cases.   The amount of heat created in the process to forging, drawing and annealing process is much higher than any temperature the VC can ever see.   Heat during operation has no affect on the property of the wire.  Signals going through the wire are alternating current, so they don't create any "polarizing effect" on the wire as the high end cable guys would like to believe. 

Quote
No, that is not true either. Part of the damping is the field strength around the voice coil. Just increase motor strength and and Fs will come up. Decrease it and Fs will drop. Heat it up and Fs will drop. Cool it off and Fs will come up. You might also note that the DCR will change after your 30 seconds of hard play. Try measuring the DCR before and after heating it. Also, if you don't adjust for the change in DCR after heating it then it will also alter the parameters.

The field strength around the coil is an issue of the electrical damping.  This is your Qes.  Changing Qes does not change Fs.  Fs is only a function of mass vs compliance.  It is a simple physics problem and models as any other mass on a spring problem. 

fs = 1/(2*pi*sqrt(Cms*Mms))

There is no Qes or Bl factor in there.    The only way to shift Fs it to change Mms, which is a physical amount that can't change, or to change Cms.   Changing Cms as the suspension warms up will change Fs accordingly, but that is not happening with a 30sec test tone at low power.   As a check to validate what the laws of physics are stating, I can do the same driver with one or two magnets.  This changes Bl by about 15% in most cases.  However,  Mms, Cms, and Fs do not change.  The laws of physics don't allow them to.

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I wouldn't expect it to show much else, would you? If you look real close you might see the slight change in the minimum impedance area due to the changed DCR. It may be pretty hard to see on an impedance sweep though.

If there is heat, yes, there would be a change in the DCR of the driver. I can zoom in as close as i need to verify details like these.  I also have a cursor that tells me what the resistance at 1hz is.  By looking at that number I can get a pretty good idea of any change in DCR

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But you are going to see more differences in parameters by having to allow for and calculate the air loss of the box or the differences between different drivers than you will see from simply using the added mass method to get the measured parameters. So I wouldn't be to hard on the added mass method. If done correctly it too can be very accurate.

The benefit we have is that we can physically weigh each part going into the driver.  We often cut drivers apart to measure the whole Mmd just to double check we are still using consistent amounts of glue, etc.   We can take the known Mmd and calculate the amount of mass to add to get Mms using the following formula.

m = (8/3)*rho*r^3
where
rho = density of air
r = piston radius

So we have a known Mms, known DCR, known Sd.  We need just the simple impedance curve to calculate Fs, Qms, Qes, and Qts as a result.  In reality when starting with the known Mms, we don't even need to do anything for delta compliance method.  Cms and Bl calculate already.   The impedance curve tells me everything I need to know if something is out of line or not.  The key as I wrote in the post on our site is getting an accurate and repeatable impedance curve.   We just do the closed box test to verify and double check what we already know.  Using multiple methods to verify the same results guarantees the accuracy.

John