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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

Showing 5 responses by eldartford

eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Dearing...I get your point. But be aware that plenty of highly credentialed engineers/scientists are, at the same time, certifiable yahoos. These guys often publish so called technical papers. And, some great ideas come from people with no formal training. It's your job to separate wheat from chaff.
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Is it also necessary to walk on water?
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
I come from a time when all speaker cones were paper. We were hands-on audiophiles and we spent a lot of time "doping" cones in an effort to change the sound. We glued on balsa wood (lightweight) strips to stiffen the cone and prevent breakup. Then we glued on weights to lower the resonant frequency (go figure). We did things to loosen up the cone suspension.

Nowadays driver manufacturers use various cone materials and they address the issues which we audiophile sought to deal with aftermarket. I see no reason for an audiophile, or a high end speaker manufacturer to dope a cone. I suspect they do this just to say that they have some proprietary secret that makes their product sound better. In truth, they have simply selected the wrong driver (maybe because it is cheap) or they have screwed up the crossover network and are applying a band aid.
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.
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.
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