|
Bronze Member Username: HifisoundguyPost Number: 65 Registered: Aug-06 | I think that paper cone drivers that use AlNiCo Magnets just sound alot better. I have some JBL L150A speakers and just love them.....I like them alot better than alot of stuff thats on the market these days! |
|
Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 9291 Registered: May-04 | . Do you still have your Stereo Review's "Stereo Directory and Buyer's Guide" from 1976? There were 104 speaker companies listed that year. Quad had one speaker, Celestion had two, Bose had three and Allison had two. (By the way, whatever happened to the "OY" loudspeaker from Klein & Hummel?) Most internet retailers carry that many lines nowdays. Competition killed the AlNiCo magnets. |
|
Gold Member Username: PetergalbraithRimouski, Quebec Canada Post Number: 1963 Registered: Feb-04 | Why? Probably too expensive these days, but I don't really know. Interesting question. Did manufacturers come up with driver designs that were as good using lesser magnets? |
|
Bronze Member Username: HifisoundguyPost Number: 66 Registered: Aug-06 | Look at this http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=28617 |
|
Gold Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 1715 Registered: Sep-04 | One of the benefits of AlNiCo magnets is their uniform magnetic field. This makes for accurate and undistorted response from the drive unit. The downside is that AlNiCos have a weaker field than other magnets such as cobalt samarium. This means the movement is less controlled and any weight increase requires a much larger magnet in the AlNiCo case, hence the predominant use of doped paper with AlNiCo. The problem with paper is that it suffers from lack of uniformity in the material, it isn't particularly stiff (giving rise to distortions in the material during playback) and it ages quickly by comparison to metal or composites. The above lead to a general lack of power handling. Most doped paper/AlNiCo drive units can't cope with very much power and can't deliver slam and attack in the same way as more modern drive units. Where the paper/AlNiCo solutions win back is in the midrange where they invariably sound sweeter and more forgiving. So it's not quite as easy a choice as one would presume at first glance. Regards, Frank. |
|
Gold Member Username: PetergalbraithRimouski, Quebec Canada Post Number: 1966 Registered: Feb-04 | The downside is that AlNiCos have a weaker field than other magnets such as cobalt samarium Interesting way to put it. I suppose it's all in the perspectice since the wikipedia entry says: Of the more commonly available magnets, only rare-earth magnets such as neodymium and samarium-cobalt are stronger But perhaps samarium-cobalt are cheap and workable enough to have replaced Alinico magnets? I don't know anything about magnets; just asking... |