AlNICo vs. Ferrite Magnet Oxymoron
To All,
There is sufficient evidence to suggest that different magnet materials will yield different sounding drivers, since design of the entire magnetic circuit is dependant on the magnet material used. The proposition, that two drivers are identical in all respects, except for the use of different magnetic materials, is at best, an oxymoron.
For example, the operating point for ferrite magnets, with their steep sloped demagnetization curves, is radically shifted as the voice coil moves back and forth through the magnetic gap. This shifting is manifested as a modulation to the magnetic flux ‘seen’ by the voice coil when it is in motion. To counter this effect, a flux-stabilizing (copper or aluminum) ring is wrapped around the pole piece body to suppress such action. This design, under these circumstances, will not be functionally or physically identical to a driver motor designed around an AlNICo V magnet nor any other magnetic material.
Regards,
WHG