Celestion Expands Ferrite Magnet CF Range with CF1230F and CF1540HD Cast Aluminum LF Drivers

At Prolight+Sound 2018 (April 10-13), Celestion announced two new additions to its CF range of high-quality cast-aluminum, ferrite-magnet drivers for demanding tour sound and fixed install applications. At the Frankfurt show Celestion introduced the 12-inch CF1230F and the 15-inch CF1540HD low frequency woofers, offering further options for manufacturers designing two or three way systems and extended bass response sound reinforcement solutions.

Following the review of the Peerless by Tymphany PLS 2” PLS-50N25AL01-08 neodymium motor full range, in this edition of Test Bench I reviewed the 2.5" PLS-65F25AL01-08 ferrite motor full-range model. This 2.5" 8 ohm full-range member of the PLS family, the Peerless PLS-65F25AL01-08, has some differences. Unlike the PLS-50N plastic frame, the PLS-65F is built on a proprietary stamped steel frame that is fully vented below the spider mounting shelf with four 24 mm × 4 mm cutouts for enhanced cooling. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, November 2017.

First unveiled at the 2018 Winter NAMM Show, Celestion will be highlighting its new value priced range of weather-resistant, compact, low-profile drivers, the AF range, at the forthcoming Prolight+Sound 2018 show in Frankfurt. The new range was designed for use in compact line arrays, column speakers and compact single-speaker applications and complements the existing AN Line Array Driver range, which has proven extremely popular with pro audio manufacturers.

In this Test Bench, I examined the 28W/4878T00, a new 10” (28 cm) subwoofer from high-end OEM Danish driver manufacturer Scan- Speak. Scan-Speak’s 28W/4878T00 has a well-chosen feature set that includes a proprietary cast seven-spoke cast-aluminum frame that has minimal reflection surfaces and is completely open below the spider mounting shelf. Other features include a stiff, lightweight paper sandwich cone—further stiffened by a 3.25” convex coated woven fiber dust cap. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, September 2017.

This month I tested one of Volt Loudspeakers' signature products, the 3” VM752 midrange dome. The VM752’s features include a coated single-piece fabric dome/surround, a FEA-designed ferrite motor structure, and a 75 mm diameter Nomex/Kapton voice coil former wound with round copper wire. A short flare horn is built into the rear-mounted (0.75” depth) faceplate. The VM752 also offers 94 dB sensitivity, and 100 W (AES) rated power handling, has a 200 mm diameter ferrite magnet, with a 2 mm Xmax, and a 500-Hz-to-4-kHz operating range. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, September 2017.

The DFM-2535R00-08 compression driver I examined this month came from Tymphany. This is the first compression driver in the company’s new three model compression driver line from Peerless by Tymphany. The DFM-2535R00-08 has a 1” throat exit diameter and a 1.4” titanium diaphragm with a polyimide surround. This is driven by 35.5 mm diameter voice coil wound with round copper wire on an aluminum former (ASV). This article was originally published in Voice Coil, August 2017.

With a heritage of over 30 years designing and manufacturing loudspeaker components, Lavoce Italiana continues to expand its portfolio of OEM professional audio solutions. At the NAMM Show this year, Lavoce introduced several new products including 1.4” exit and 2" exit ferrite magnet compression drivers and a high sensitivity neodymium magnet 10”. Lavoce also appointed its very first official distributor for the USA.

This Test Bench focuses on a new Wavecor 6.5” subwoofer, the SW168WA01. This subwoofer has a generous feature set that includes a proprietary four-spoke stamped steel frame that is substantially open below the spider mounting shelf due to the eight 15×8 mm rectangular vents, and as part of Wavecor’s Balanced Drive motor format, the SW168WA01 further incorporates an aluminum shorting ring. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, July 2017.

Peerless by Tymphany announced that its STW-350F188PR01-04, a 15” subwoofer built for high-performance HiFi applications, previously previewed at trade-shows, is now available for distribution as part of the brand's catalog. The new STW-350, features an 8” voice coil, triple suspension, and a dual-spider design, providing superior low-frequency performance in a smaller-than-traditional enclosure.

In this Test Bench, Voice Coil characterizes the second of two new compression drivers from Brazilian pro sound OEM PRV Audio. Following the Test Bench of the D4400Ti-Nd, in this characterization Vance Dickason looks at the D4000Ph compression driver, a ferrite version. The D4400TiPh is part of a series of 2” throat 4” diameter voice coil compression drivers, in this case complemented with PRV Audio’s WGP22-50 2” bolt on 60° × 60° waveguide. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, May 2017.