Posted by Wayne Parham [ 66.139.39.22 ] on June 12, 2004 at 07:29:53:
In Reply to: but master........ posted by TC on June 10, 2004 at 10:17:37:
Hi Terry,
On a similar but unrelated subject, I have a few thoughts about speaker drivers. That's something near and dear to your heart, I think. 
If I remember correctly, you use Fostex drivers in your speaker systems, maybe Lowthers too. They're a couple of favorites for single driver enthusiasts. Personally, I really like the sound of the Fostex speakers I've heard.
I wonder what you'd think about having Eminence make a high-quality part tuned to work in your cabinets. Something with electro-mechanical specs suitable for your cabinets and a low-distortion symmetrical flux stabilized magnetic structure. Eminence makes drivers having various cone shapes and materials, so you have a good choice there as well. I'm not talking about a budget model here - I'm talking about a statement product. If you could have Eminence pull out all the stops for a high-end full-range driver, would you give it a go?
I ask this because I can't help but think it's viable. They have a lot of experience and they are capable of doing some really high-quality work. Ever since they started making speakers with shorting rings, they've become a top-quality player, in my opinion.
Another thing that makes me think about it is the JBL 2115. It was a wonderful little 8" full-range driver that was capable of great sound from 30Hz all the way up to 10kHz. All you really needed was a super tweeter and you had the basis for an excellent little speaker system. I used them in high-quality one π loudspeakers in the 1980's. They were 93dB/W/M and handled 50 watts, so they were suitable for studio monitors. Not real high output, but very good sound.
It occurs to me that the Fostex F-220A speaker is almost exactly the same thing as the JBL 2115. They look so much the same, I can't tell them apart from the front. And the specs are very similar too. The thing is that I'd love to have a similar part made by Eminence, and I think they're capable of it. I've also considered having something made that's tuned like the Alpha 10 but with a symmetrical flux stabilized motor, so that's another thing on my wish list. I'd love to have one or two specific high-quality full-range 8" and 10" speakers. I'm guessing you'd probably add a 6" driver or two to that list.
So I'm just thinking aloud here. What do you think?
Wayne