IT’S NOT EASY BEING FLAT.
The appeal of flat-panel transducers
has never been more obvious, and
the basic technology behind them is
straightforward enough. But earlier
flat panels had performance limitations
in the low frequencies, and were prone
to thermal compression.They were also
expensive, with several transducers
needed for use in high-performance
systems. In developing Cascade’s
MRS transducers, Infinity’s engineers
incorporated new materials and
technologies that have overcome the
drawbacks and deliver significant
performance benefits.
CMMD®DIAPHRAGM.
Optimizing the parameters of
Cascade’s flat-panel diaphragms
presented a serious engineering
challenge. But by reinforcing
Infinity’s patented Ceramic Metal
Matrix Diaphragm (CMMD®) – a
uniquely rigid lightweight material –
with strategic ribs and gussets,
Infinity engineers were able to strike
the perfect balance between electro-
acoustic efficiency and reliability.
DUAL ELLIPTICAL VOICE COILS.
Another flat-panel challenge was
finding a way to uniformly drive as
much of the diaphragm’s radiating
surface as possible.A traditional cone
is only driven by a small voice coil
at its apex, but flat panels require a
completely different approach. Infinity
engineers developed dual elliptical
voice coils for Cascade’s MRS drivers.
With more than six times the voice-coil
contact of a typical cone transducer,
they move the diaphragm much like
an ideal piston, for crystal-clear,
resonance-free operation throughout
the driver’s entire dynamic range.
GREATER DYNAMIC RANGE.
In addition to driving the flat diaphragm
more uniformly, the dual elliptical
voice coils offer another benefit.
The greatly increased surface area
of the coils allows them to dissipate
heat more efficiently, reducing
thermal compression and dramatically
increasing the speaker’s dynamic
range.The result is increased sonic
clarity with reduced distortion.
MORE UNIFORM RADIATION.
The flat pistonic response of Cascade’s
MRS drivers sends a cleaner, more
uniform sound to listeners’ ears than
conventional cones.The geometry of
a cone inherently creates signals of
unequal length with different arrival
times, causing what engineers call
“time domain smear.”Cascade’s signals
arrive together, for exceptional detail
and resolution.
