Cone driver
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A cone driver's diaphragm is in the shape of a cone, or concave. A cone driver features a center mounted voice coil for diaphragm stability and a surround along its perimeter for control. A cone driver is considered quite conventional, and has been the driver diaphragm shape of choice for many years, and for many different speaker applications. Since a great deal of research and development has gone into the manufacture of cone speaker diaphragms, they can be inexpensive. Cone drivers are typically the most efficient of all driver configurations.
Because of the specific shape however, a cone driver that is reproducing higher frequencies can exhibit less than optimal off-axis response. Cone drivers are said to be "beamy" - that is, they project a high output signal perpendicular to the mounting plane of the driver, but output significantly decreases as the listener moves away from this perpendicular plane. Lower frequencies are not as strongly effected by this effect. As such, the further away from perpendicular, the lower the overall output, and the less accurate the frequency response becomes, especially above lower frequencies. |
