Favorite Tube Speaker Match

Bartok -- Bio means, changing drivers: from one that has a cheaper ceramic magnet to one with a neodym.

There are drive units with identical mechanical parts -- but different material magnets (Supravox for example).
Alnico and neodymium can offer much higher magntic flux and in a more seamless manner.

The result is audible in operation.

The down-side is, Alnico is very expensive, neodym is expensive -- whereas ceramic is usefully cheap.

Actually the perfect driver is one which combines the best tonal aspects of both schools.One such driver is the Gorlich from Germany.Amazing tone and speed.

Thanks man, I couldn't have said it better myself. Ceramic, kevlar and carbon fiber (all useful cone materials) are amazing, but I sometimes wonder about production methods and companies using what's cheapest instead of what's best, although uniform production should count for a lot on dB matching speaker to speaker. I have heard that ceramic is a perfect material for this, so you get thousands of speakers off the same line that test nearly identical. Notice the key word there being test... I have heard a few neodymium drivers and they are amazing, but it seems like the implementation is usually with metal cones and gold silk tweeters, and they don't test as uniformly, but sound really transparent and silky in application. So yes, I was wondering if anyone had done any side by side testing with paper, which usually use more common types of magnets, or knew of any paper cones being used with more exotic magnets like neodymium. Or why it is not a good match, if in fact there aren't any made this way.

Well not true actually,Tannoy uses Alcomax3 magnets with their Prestige series paper cones.Speaking of Neo structures and paper, SEAS has a 6.5" mid bass in the Excel series using paper.

Merlin VSM MX & Joule Electra VZN 100 monos.