I still reckon that a smaller vent is not a good idea, just as you say. What is the point in improving one thing, and then making another aspect worse than used in the woofer which needed "improvement"? (hmmm thats a nice catch phrase, I think)

Just as an idea, if it will shorten production time, some manufactures vent underneath the cone instead. Here is a cutaway view of what Peerless does on their XLS woofers:

A. Aluminum Spacer: The aluminum spacer serves as heat sink for the coil to reduce power compression.

E. Vented Cone: To eliminate compression under the dust cap the cone is vented by 8 large holes. This way the coil is cooled and there is no need for a bore in the pole piece.

If you look where the letter "B" is written, theres a gap there and the voice coil is actually exposed for extra cooling.

It would mean you wouldn't have to redesign the whole motor layout, so you could get it out earlier. Maybe Eminence should do something like this?

In Australia it's already end of Summer, when is it end of Summer in the US?

Adrian