Sensitivity...
When asked about the Adire drivers my answer could have been more terse. I could have responded with something like, "It ain't sensitive enough". Unfortunatly my answer begged further questions. Whew, this is going to get long again.
The impact of this is thermal compression in the voice coil. The voice coil gets hot when subjected to the friction of flowing electrons. The heat/friction incurred is directly proportional to the quantity of electrons flowing through the voice coil. The very low sensitivity of the 82db/watt 10" Brahma requires a very high number of electrons/heat to produce the same SPL when compared to an 87db/watt SEAS woofer.
I do NOT believe this is overly critical in the subwoofer region. This is simply because the rise and fall time is very slow. The required driver "speed" for bass is very low. Further, a little thermal compression will likley have little impact.
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I am working through these issues mathematically, but have not finished yet. I am fairly confident the formula for acceleration in G- Force is G=F^2 D where F = Frequency and D = Displacement. When I finish this study, I'll post the implications.
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I DO believe sensitivity has profound effects as frequency progressively moves upward. This is simply because the rise and fall time is very fast. Thermal compression will have significant impact in the tweeter region.
The WOOFER predicates the system sensitivity. An 82db tweeter just won't get the job done IMO. Futher, and 82db speaker requires roughly 1 2/3rds more juice than an 87db speaker. This translates to more amplifier heat, distortion.
While there is more to dynamics than sensitivity and heat, I feels very safe making the assertion that "Sensitivity is directly related to dynamics".
The slippery slope on this issue ranges from big Rock-n-Roll monitors at 95db at 16 ohms to hifi speakers to Hifi monitors at 84db at 4 ohms.
The discussion of thermal
Spiders...
How are the spiders adding to the distortion?
The spider is the primary mechanical restoring force for the cone. It has spring and dampening. There is also some effect from the surround.
Those with sufficient detail on the subject have a price ($) for their time. I didn't ask this specific question during my last visit to CES, but I am sure this is a fair question for such a gentlemen at CES.
Most guys attend CES with the sole purpose of listening to cool stuff. I believe it's MUCH more gratifying/beneficial to tap the huge brains and experience of these industry guys.
I thought linearity of the motor was the driving factor in long-throw woofers, which is where the Adire motor structure is supposed to be an advantage.
Yes, on the electrical side.
I have not heard the Brahma. However, I did hear a few big $ linear motor long throw woofers at CES 2002 in the $600-$1000 zone. As a bass driver the SCC300 sounded better than any of them. I can only attribute this to Sensitivity, Spider, and Stiff cone issues. There are likely many other factors that I am totally unaware of.
Using the L26 or W26 in this 3 way NOT perfect. Nobody makes the perfect 10" woofer IMO. Yes, the X-Max is slightly low, but still respectable. IMO, the L26 or W26 10" woofers are the best available today for the bottom end of a 3 way.
If I wanted to build a a 10" subwoofer, the 10" brahma would be a better choice.
