Exceptional listening experiences and superior sound systems are built on the foundation of innovative materials.
With over 70 years of expertise in advanced materials R&D and manufacturing, Element Six has pioneered the development of a world-first synthetic diamond speaker dome for high-end acoustics, which received the UK Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation.
This award-winning innovation has empowered Element Six to enrich the auditory experience of consumers in the domestic and automotive markets.
With a global network of manufacturing facilities and impressive production capabilities, including one of the world’s largest Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) factories in Oregon, along with a diverse portfolio of patented technologies, Element Six is a leader in synthetic diamond solutions for acoustics applications.
Due to its rich history, capabilities, and extensive reach, Element Six is the preferred and reliable partner for customer looking to enchance their high-end audio products through the outstanding acoustic performance offered by E6's synthetic diamond solutions.
Why Diamond?
1. Extreme Stiffness
Synthetic diamond is an incredibly rigid material with a high Young’s modulus, which means it exhibits minimal deformation or flexing when subjected to vibrations. This rigidity enables precise and accurate sound reproduction by minimizing undesirable resonance and distortion within the speaker dome.
2. Low Density
Thanks to their inherent low density, synthetic diamond tweeter domes are remarkably lightweight, making them an ideal choice for audio applications where reducing moving mass is essential. The low mass of diamond domes allows for quicker response times, ensuring swift and precise sound reproduction, particularly in high-frequency ranges.
3. High Thermal Conductivity
Diamond boasts the highest thermal conductivity among all known materials (up to > 2200 W/mK), facilitating efficient heat dissipation during high-power audio reproduction. This property helps prevent thermal distortion and maintains consistent performance even under demanding conditions, guaranteeing accurate sound reproduction over extended periods.
4. Wide Frequency Response
Owing to their exceptional rigidity and low mass, synthetic diamond domes display excellent piston-like behavior, enabling them to faithfully reproduce sound across a wide frequency spectrum. Diamond diaphragms can effectively transmit high-frequency signals without distortion, resulting in clearer and more detailed audio reproduction.
5. Durability and Longevity
Diamonds are renowned for their exceptional hardness and durability, which makes them highly resistant to wear, deformation, and damage caused by environmental factors. This longevity ensures sustained performance over time, allowing audio systems featuring diamond dome speakers to maintain their exceptional sound quality for extended periods.
Image Credit: Element Six
Image Credit: Element Six
6. Customization
E6 employs its patented CVD process, enabling the creation of tailored shapes to meet each customer’s specific requirements. The company’s precise control over these synthesis processes and its top-tier manufacturing capabilities allow it to deliver world-leading solutions with distinct and customized properties in large volumes.
7. Unique Aesthetics
Nothing exudes ‘luxury’ quite like a diamond. The utilization of synthetic diamonds in speaker domes offers an unparalleled appeal, adding value, luxury, and sophistication to any high-end audio system.
Simulated Acoustic Frequency Response
The frequency at which the dome begins to exhibit distortion is directly proportional to √(E/ρ), where E represents Young’s modulus, and ρ stands for density.
As depicted in the graph, synthetic diamond domes, in this particular case with a curvature radius of 20 mm, offer the best with figure of merit against competing solutions. Their geometry can be customized to suit specific applications, delivering optimal performance for every listening experience.
Image Credit: Element Six
Element Six (E6)
Element Six (E6), a division of the De Beers Group, designs, develops, and manufactures synthetic diamond and tungsten carbide advanced material solutions, with global operations and primary manufacturing facilities in US, UK, Germany, Ireland, South Africa.
E6 solutions find applications in cutting, grinding, drilling, shearing, and polishing, while the exceptional properties of synthetic diamond, extending beyond hardness, are opening up new possibilities in various industries such as optics, power transmission, water treatment, semiconductors, acoustics, and sensors.
Element Six has innovation ingrained in its DNA, and its global presence and capabilities earned it several awards and recognitions over the years, including the UK Queen’s for Enterprise in Innovation in 2012 for pioneering the development of synthetic diamond tweeter domes.
The unique combination of large-scale manufacturing, patented technology, and industry leadership positions Element Six as the preferred choice for customers seeking diamond material solutions in the acoustics, consumer electronics, and automotive industries.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Element Six.
For more information on this source, please visit Element Six.