Alnico v/s Ceramic

thurlon hopper · Post by **thurlon hopper** » 20 Nov 2005 10:03 am

Someone asked what's the difference between an Alnico magnet and a ceramic? I posed this
question to the man who just did a repair on my Altec 12 in. and he said he wasn't 100
percet sure, but there is a definite difference. The harsher sound of the E Series JBL is attributable to the ceramic magnet structure. I have an E-130 and it is harsh compared to the Altec that is equipped with an Alnico magnet. He said maybe it something to do with the ability to even the required force to achieve the tone. Witch hunt maybe? TJH

Rich Young · Post by **Rich Young** » 20 Nov 2005 10:19 am

Good info, good speakers, also - http://www.webervst.com/sptalk.html

T. C. Furlong · Post by **T. C. Furlong** » 21 Nov 2005 8:03 pm

Rich,
Excellent suggestion to check out speaker talk. I never knew the real meaning of nominal when referring to a speakers impedance. Many thanks!
TC

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 21 Nov 2005 9:03 pm

Ted Weber is a real gem. He answers email questions, talks on the phone, and is a virtual encyclopedia of speaker info.

Ceramic vs Alnico in a nutshell (not technically correct, but descriptive):

Alnico "compresses" much like a tube amp. Ceramic is immediately responsive like solid state. Generally speaking, Ceramics will stay cleaner but sound a bit harsher; Alnico will break up sooner and sound warmer. And there are always exceptions.

Rich Young · Post by **Rich Young** » 22 Nov 2005 11:54 am

I have gotten a bunch of speakers from Weber and I liked all of them, good to deal with too.