IN VINO VERITAS
Choosing the materials that make hi-fi speakers sound groovy has always involved a mixture of acoustic science and plain old trial and error. Wood vibrates evenly – which is what makes stringed instruments and woodwind sound so good – but ultra-thin loudspeaker cones made of wood always dry out and crack.
Now, after lengthy research, JVC in Japan has solved the problem by marinating the wood in sake (rice wine) to make it malleable. It is then pressure-moulded into a cone, infused with thermosetting resin, moulded and finally heated to harden the resin. The first speakers with the wooden…
