Hard Audio - Ceramic Speakers


Hi Gang,
One thing I think about both as a listener and speaker builder is ceramic drivers, such as the famous Accutons. I'm talking true ceramics, not sandwiches here. I'll include here hard diamond drivers as well, not vapor deposited diamond dust.

Some of what I've seen is super impressive in terms of specifications, and design far beyond merely the dome materials.

I've never ever been moved though. For whatever reason, every ceramic speaker I've heard sounded cold, clinical, pure without power.

What are your experiences? Have you heard ceramic speakers that made you really feel you had experienced something great?
erik_squires

Showing 1 response by trelja

@erik_squires, "every ceramic speaker I’ve heard sounded cold, clinical, pure without power."
That’s mostly how I’ve heard it, though not universally. Not only the Raidhos, but I’ve also heard what I remember may have been a Mastersound at a long ago Stereophile show in NYC that beguiled me. Lumen White products certainly come across as the poster children for what you’ve described.
Crossover topology carries so much weight, as much as the drivers. So if I designed around such drivers, and my preference would not go in that direction, I’d have that at the forefront of my mind. For me, that means series crossovers beginning with a zeta value of 1.2, and experimenting up to 1.5.
A final thought, people don’t realize the (literal) brittleness of ceramic drivers. Yes, just like any other ceramic such as a plate or cup. I’ve seen more than a few loudspeakers that feature them shatter in transport. And these drivers obviously cost a lot, so replacement is less than fun. Speakers have it hard enough at the hands of UPS and FedEX, so please keep that in mind