Article:
Optimizing the loudspeakers magnet system
What is it that creates the signature of a speaker?
You might be wondering too? What is it that creates the signature of a speaker? Is it the quality of the audio? Is it what you listen to? Is it the components or the qualities of the equipment used? That’s what Michael Børresen set out to answer:
Understanding flux – and why iron is not the way
In most speaker drivers iron is used to conduct the flux, so that you, with one magnet, can create a quite narrow gap where the voice coil is placed. The iron inside and outside of the voice coil creates a concentration of flux, together with the current in the voice coil, that in the end moves the speaker coil.
Iron simply makes it impossible to push the flux above a certain degree and that means that when you are operating with, and using, iron in this classic way, in a speaker driver it will limit the flux that the driver is able to create. That means that your listening experience will sound more flat – or saturated – compared to a driver with less or no iron. That build in dynamic nonlinearity is what makes speakers sound like speakers rather than the music in front of you.
But when the sum is negative, and the sum from the electromagnet is negative, compared to the DC Flux, you can easily lower the flux. This will in the end give your speaker driver the room to move the voice coil and get closer to the “real thing”. “The real thing” of course being feeling, seeing and hearing the artist right in front of you.
The iron free magnet system
The patented iron free magnet system is the solution to both minimising noise and creating a wider flux-span. It is what it promises: a magnet system without iron. The original idea was to replace the iron with copper pole rings. Firstly because copper is a very good heat conductor and secondly because copper has a firm element of hysteresis. Hysteresis being a mechanism where a block of metal resist magnetic change. This is all resulting in an inductance of the voice coil to 1/10th of what you would experience in regular speaker drivers. The idea were since developed even further by implementing elements to combat the magnetic flux variations.
Silver Supreme Edition
As we always try to go one step further and explore new innovative approaches in the product development, it was obvious to investigate how we could create an even better end result. Our attention was therefore once again turned towards materials. We therefor replaced the copper pole rings with in-house manufactured, handcrafted silver rings since silver has 6-8% better conductivity than copper. The result is an even better performing speaker driver with higher conductivity.
To sum up:
A speaker driver with less or no iron at all, will perform better. By creating an environment where the magnetic flux change is minimised – or evened out – you will create a speaker that sound much more natural.
In the end that is the result we aim for: “A speaker that does not sound like a speaker, but sound much more like “the real ting”; the artist in front of you.“