Markaudio Alpair 6P

Alpair 6P intro - First run of Mass Production drivers.

Hi Guys,
Finally found the time to put a thread together and properly introduce the Alpair 6P (paper cone) driver. Essentially, its an all-new driver. The only cross-over parts from the first series are the magnet, and front washer, all other components are new or re-designed. There’s allot of info on the proto thread so I’ll keep to the essentials:

1 - Cone - mixed paper with a specific treatment (hence the colour). Note its profile, more shallow than previous A6 cones + lower mass. The main benefit is a wider dispersion.

2 - Power-train. I’ve been busy chopping chunks of weight out of every part (ala Colin Chapman - Lotus school of engineering). The coil is super light with thin a alu body. Its winding is alu/copper coated (CCAW) while the spider is a super-thin Nomex weave. The front suspension has also been “tweaked” to increas its compliance over the first 2.2-mm. of travel.

3 - Frame has also been modified to take the new style connectors with their remote cabe fixing extensions. The frame’s polymer mix has also been “tweaked” to increase the damping factor. There’s a re-design of the frame legs to increase rigidity.

Outcomes:
This Alp6-P is 2.0dB more efficient than the Gen 1 model. The wider dispersion pattern comes in handy as it broadens central stereo imaging. Frequency pattern is “Fenlon-esque”. The audio guys that know my work will recognise the trademark built-in BSC compensation, lowered mids to reduce vocal shout and rising high for on/off axis alignment choices.

Cheers

Mark.

Guys,
Here’s the parameter and graphs. If Dave has time, he’ll post easier read versions of my graphs. Note, my graphs are RAW so please don’t directly compare them to smoothed from other makes.

T/S = LMS V4 Anechoic:
Driver 4.0 Ohm
Revc 3.80 Ohm
Fo 74 Hz
Sd 36.3 Cm²
Vas 3.6 Ltr
Cms 1.97 m M/N
Mmd 2.20 g
Mms 2.32 g
BL 2.67 T·M
Qms 1.78
Qes 0.57
Qts 0.43
Levc 6.94 uH
No 0.255 %
SPLo 86.0 dB
Xmax 5 mm (1 way)
Power 15 watts nom. 30 Max
Coil 18-mm dia. Alu-CCAW

Running in procedure:
This driver is designed to deliver optimum emittance from 300 hours onwards of normal service life on lower power amplification.
1 - DON’T USE ANY ARTIFICIALLY GENERATED SOUND!
2 - First 30 hours, use very low volumes. Hours 30 to 100, gradually increase volume but remain gentle. 100 to 300 hours gradually into a variety of music including some bass.
3 - Remain gentle, sensible use of this driver will yield pleasing acoustic results.

Peak excursion:
The power-train of the Alpair 6P has a mechanical X Max (1 way) of 5.0-mm (in flux). This feature is only designed to handle non-linear “peak-shock” loads, for example the brief roll of a drum beat. For optimum travel of this power-train, linear loads NOT exceeding 3.00 -mm is within its capability for a single load period not exceeding 1.5 hours. The normal driven load should remain within 2.6-mm. For a driver of this size, this normal-load X-max is generous; Together with a well matched cabinet, a pleasing bass response can be generated.

General care:
Keep the driver away from direct sun-light as the UV will breakdown to cone structure. Very high humidity could affect the stability of the cone. Don’t use any wet cloths or very damp materials to clean the cone. A light gentle brush with a soft duster is sufficient.

Cheers

Mark