Tweeter/Midwoofer strengths/weaknesses

[poneal]

I copied this from my SW manual. It's a pretty good description of the different types of materials used in making speakers. I posted this because of the question below concerning silkdome (softdome) tweeters below

Soft Dome (fabric)
Self damping, fairly flat response, natural open sound, non fatiguing
Can occasionally be a dull sound


Metal Dome (Aluminum, Titanium, Beryllium)
Uniform piston action, high resolution sound, good transparency, excellent dispersion,
Ultrasonic peaks which can cause resonance in sound causing IM distortion, average to poor damping


Ribbon
Excellent transient response, low distortion
Generally requires a high frequency crossover or high order crossover

Mid/Woofer

Paper
Excellent self damping, resolution, good detail, flat response, and gradual cone break up
Less detail than rigid types, medium efficiency, properties may change over time due to wear


Soft Dome
Measures well but sound had been challenged
Limited bandwidth and power handling, side by side rocking


Bextrene
Excellent imaging, excellent consistency
Low efficiency, coloration of sound, rapid break up at high levels, some high frequency resonance


Polypropylene (often combined with fillers such as mica, talc, carbon black, acrylic)
Flat response, low coloration, good impulse response with good internal damping
Poor transparency, Doesn’t integrate well with metal


Rigid-Carbon Fiber
True piston action, outstanding bass and midrange
Characteristic double peak region at the top end of the working range that generally requires 2 notch filters to remove


Rigid-Kevlar
Good frequency response, smooth roll off, low IM distortion
Could have a chaotic break up, ringing could be a problem, may require a notch filter


Rigid Overall
Best transparency, imaging, depth, high efficiency, high peak levels, low IM distortion
Some have severe upper end peaking, have chaotic break up, may have a fatiguing sound, may require a notch filter

[requiem]

Very useful, thanks Poneal