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jweiss wrote:

When we spoke at CES, you mentioned that your experience with field coil drivers only extended to cone types. So I assume that you have never heard any field coil compression drivers. That would include the WE 555, 594, RCA 1428, Lansing, etc? Also, I would assume you never heard the later RCA compression drivers either?

Yes, it is correct. I never dealt with compression electromagnetic drivers but only direct radiation cones. Also, the electromagnetic that I did use (Telefunken, Klangfilm, Magnavox, Jensen and a few smaller brands) from my point of view were not very good drivers themselves, regardless the type of the magnet, and therefore of judge from them the befits of shortcoming of the field coil as a concept is imposable. My experiments were around running my electromagnetic drivers high-passed and band bass in open baffle and loaded into my older uppers bass horns. Still, I have my reasons to believe that I would not appreciate the WE 555 and the Altec’s field coil version of 288 as some of people who have them, use them and well familiar with their sound gave me quite detail reference points about their sound. I never heard the RCA’s compression drivers.

jweiss wrote:

Maybe you might want to listen to some of these instead of all the modifications you have either tried or envisioned for your Vitavox S2's?

I always interested to heard new compression drivers, no doubt that if I have them than I would give them a try. Still, I have my “issues” against a blind using of 70-50 years old sound producing devises. In my experience the vintage technologies “as is” never work reasonably well. I have the absolute firm conviction (based upon reasons and facts) that the “vintage” drivers, as they were designed, will not work well in the context of the contemporary higher demand playback. Anyhow, my experiments around Vitavox S2 have dual propose. First off all it will be “clean experiment” that would allow to easy subtract the contribution of the field coil to the sound of the driver. Second, I like the sound of this driver and I know it very-very-very well. There are some shortcoming in this sound as well and I, clearly recognizing them, would like to learn if by the means of field coil would be possible to overcome them – without loosing ANYTHING else. However, I have to tell you that for the last week the electricity in Boston turn out to be absolutely wonderful and what the S2 does recently is juts phenomenal. There are no signs of the “issues with S2” that I observed before and if the S2 would sound like this all year long that I might not have any reasons to experiment with field coils. Well… probably I still would, as there are two more redesign objectives (change the tape rate end fix the pre-gap edge problem) of mine that would be juts much simpler to implement with field coil.

jweiss wrote:

It would also certainly give you some points of comparison to the Cogent drivers which you initially liked. I know you took notice of the threads, such as Mr. Geddes, as to what exactly were the relevant design variables in these drivers that accounted for the current interest.

Jonathan, I do not know if the Cogent are the “electromagnetic drivers”. Whatever they are they are Cogent own drivers with this own sound (like any other driver). How much in Cogent comes from the electromagnetic and how much came form hundreds other design decision that Cogent is made off is unknown to me. I perceive the Cogent and self-contain completed driver with own set of positive and negative sonic signatures. But I do not see Cogent as some kind of prove or disprove of the electromagnetic concept. If I heard the Cogent with a good, old, fully charged Alnico magnet instead of the field coil and then the field coil version then, (and preferably in reasonable horn) I would be able to say where was the Sound of the Cogent driver itself and where was the field coil contribution. I do not have this experiences and the only what I can see is the complete sound of Cogent.

Judging the Cogent’s driver “as is” I find that Vitavox S2 is way more interesting sounding, and therefore  I feel the S2 much more fruitfully ground for my further experiments. I do not feel that at this point would be worth to write any Cogent vs. Vitavox S2 evaluation. Perhaps you should do it. Anyhow, I am not juts bravado about "my driver", and I am very comfortable with presenting the actual results that would justify my words. You are 4 hours away and you welcome to stop by and make you own judgment. It would be also fun if you bring the Cogent MF drivers along. I am pretty sure that I would be able with a couple hours to plug them in. Well, I feel that if you heard a properly applied Vitavox S2 then you would hardly be interested to replace it with anything out there (I am not taking about the ownership paranoia but about the actual sound of the driver, nothing else)

Still, I’m leaving all cards on the table….

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