Magnets! Neodymium vs AlNiCo vs Ceramic-Ferrite

[Linnin]

How would you even test that other than subjectively?

Precisely so. Leave objectivity behind. We are not scientists. We are artists.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

This thread is going south real fast. Or the magnetic poles have shifted... again. Or my IQ has just dropped 40 points. I'll know tomorrow when I get to work. If I can still do my job then it was the IQ thing.

 

[FingerDub]

Just haven't found the input jack to make the world rumble yet. Let me know if you stumble upon it, actually no need to let me know something tells me I'll be alerted to this discovery.

That's not what my wife says. She's knows, that I know how to make the world rumble. And with bass too.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Precisely so. Leave objectivity behind. We are not scientists. We are artists.

But we are trying to be technicians, who are lowest on the pecking order for knowing stuff.
1. Scientists
2. Engineers
3. Telemarketers
4. Used car salesmen
5. 40 point IQ drop
6. Technicians

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

That's not what my wife says. She's knows, that I know how to make the world rumble. And with bass too.

 

[Linnin]

But we are trying to be technicians, who are lowest on the pecking order knowing stuff.
1. Scientists
2. Engineers
3. Telemarketers
4. Used car salesmen
5. 40 point IQ drop
6. Technicians

Not at all. Musicians are artists. Artists don't care about science or objectivity.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Then not all of us are artiste.

 

[Linnin]

Then not all of us are artiste.

Agreed.

 

[Lo-E]

Magnet materials don't have any intrinsic sound of their own. They're simply materials used in making magnets, which engineers then design speakers around.

Those materials have different magnetic and physical properties which may or may not make it easier for the speaker designer to reach his or her design goals, but every design is a series of choices and compromises and and it's the culmination of those that leads to a particular driver's tone.

Faital, Eminence and Celestion all use neodymium magnets to make 12" bass drivers, but they sound nothing alike, nor do they share the same operating characteristics. If I say "I prefer neo", which neo driver would I be referring to? There are too many other aspects of driver design to consider. The magnet material can't be considered on it's own and out of context.

I do like beets, however. Beets of all types and in any context. I am completely on board with beets.

 

[Linnin]

The magnet material can't be considered on it's own and out of context.

So Kryptonite isn't a superb magnetic material?

 

[DukeLeJeune]

Over in the home audio world, I made a speaker whose woofer had an Alnico magnet. My marketing department made a fair amount of fuss over that fact, and the speaker did pretty well in the marketplace.

Then the manufacturer (Pioneer's TAD division) stopped making the woofer. I bought up as many as I could and started working on an alternative design that used a different woofer.

The alternative speaker's woofer had a Neodymium motor. In a controlled blind test, listeners clearly preferred the Neo speaker, whose woofer cost about 1/3 as much as the Alnico woofer. That second speaker was essentially a failure in the marketplace despite being clearly the better-sounding of the two, as well as less expensive.

So if that Alnico woofer was still available I'd be using it, because it clearly has more "cha-ching" going on, and that's a tone I could get used to.

 

[Linnin]

So if that Alnico woofer was still available I'd be using it, because it clearly has more "cha-ching" going on, and that's a tone I could get used to.

Hence the intense love for JBL D-140's.

 

[Lo-E]

So Kryptonite isn't a superb magnetic material?

No, but if you're about to arm wrestle with Superman, I highly recommend it.

 

[Linnin]

No, but if you're about to arm wrestle with Superman, I highly recommend it.

Good Advice!

 

[Lo-E]

Over in the home audio world, I made a speaker whose woofer had an Alnico magnet. My marketing department made a fair amount of fuss over that fact, and the speaker did pretty well in the marketplace.

Then the manufacturer (Pioneer's TAD division) stopped making the woofer. I bought up as many as I could and started working on an alternative design that used a different woofer.

The alternative speaker's woofer had a Neodymium motor. In a controlled blind test, listeners clearly preferred the Neo speaker, whose woofer cost about 1/3 as much as the Alnico woofer. That second speaker was essentially a failure in the marketplace despite being clearly the better-sounding of the two, as well as less expensive.

So if that Alnico woofer was still available I'd be using it, because it clearly has more "cha-ching" going on, and that's a tone I could get used to.

Was the magnet material the only difference, or did the rest of the design change to accommodate the change in motor design? Just curious.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Over in the home audio world, I made a speaker whose woofer had an Alnico magnet. My marketing department made a fair amount of fuss over that fact, and the speaker did pretty well in the marketplace.

Then the manufacturer (Pioneer's TAD division) stopped making the woofer. I bought up as many as I could and started working on an alternative design that used a different woofer.

The alternative speaker's woofer had a Neodymium motor. In a controlled blind test, listeners clearly preferred the Neo speaker, whose woofer cost about 1/3 as much as the Alnico woofer. That second speaker was essentially a failure in the marketplace despite being clearly the better-sounding of the two, as well as less expensive.

So if that Alnico woofer was still available I'd be using it, because it clearly has more "cha-ching" going on, and that's a tone I could get used to.

Time to update the Audio Sound word list.
Cha-Ching. The noise you hear just before you take your amp home from the repair shop.

 

[Linnin]

Cha-Ching

Are those Eminence China Ceramic-Ferrite driven woofers?

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Are those Eminence China Ceramic-Ferrite driven woofers?

This thread just went souther!

 

[Linnin]

This thread just went souther!

Even better! I like the deep south.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Even better! I like the deep south.

Yes sir. Souther and deeper.