Wharfedale opus user manual The Drive Units, The Bass Drivers

opus

THE DRIVE UNITS

THE BASS DRIVERS

The bass driver(s) incorporates a new design of cone utilising our own new bi-carbon weave process. Carbon fibre has immense longitudinal strength and is used in many structures where high strength and light weight are key attributes. Carbon fibre can be found liberally used in Formula 1 Racing Cars, Aeroplanes, Boats, Spacecraft and even Golf Clubs.

These bundles are woven and impregnated with special bonding resins that are subsequently pressure formed and heat cured. The resulting material is stiff, rigid and exhibits very low levels of internal resonance. Consequently, energy losses in the cone transfer mechanism are very low.

Similarly, lateral voice coil strength is very high. We use a combination of half hard aluminium and resin bonded glass fibre. This, in turn, contributes towards some of the lowest distortion figures ever seen in conventional drivers. The dust cap/cover is of the same material as the cone.

The bass drivers operate only over the low frequency range. They are only used over their true pistonic range. The cone is terminated with a conventional large half roll of synthetic butyl rubber with excellent inherent damping qualities.

A high performance traditional ferrite magnet system is used. Motional noise can be a problem with high output bass systems. We address this by moving air through vents in the voice coil. The magnet systems is also fully vented throughout.

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