TD6M - the Lambda Series Little Brother

[stryke]

We are excited to announce that a new little brother has been added to the Lambda Series of drivers. We wanted a midrange that could bridge the gap between the TD woofers and some of the more efficient ribbon tweeters or small compression driver offerings out there. After over a year of development the TD6M is finally available and IN STOCK ready to ship in single 8ohm coil!

The goals for the TD6M were simple. A driver that is as natural as possible without having it's own coloration. High efficiency, wide bandwidth, ultra low inductance, low distortion, and good power handling are all essential. The full copper sleeve on the pole allows for extremely low inductance and is the first step in achieving this wide bandwidth. The phase plug removes any issues typically associated with the harsh breakup of a dustcap. We also went back to an old trick for the cone material. This paper is impregnated with fibers from the Kapok pod which are soft and extremely well damped. This achieves a driver that is very smooth and well damped throughout the typical cone breakup area and doesn't get harsh as volume is increased. This is one of the most natural and neutral sounding midrange drivers you will find anywhere. Inductance is lower than most tweeters as is evident by the highly extended impedance curve. The black anodized aluminum former, full copper sleeve on the pole, and the aluminum phase plug work together to quickly pull heat away from the VC for good power handling.

TD6M-8 response closemic(yellow), 1M on axis(red), 1M 30 degrees(light blue), 1M 45 degrees (dark blue)


TD6M-8 impedance curve


TD6M-8 T/S Parameters
Fs: 83hz
Qms: 3.1
Vas: 10.3L
Cms: .45mm/N
Mms: 8.2 g
Rms: 1.38kg/s
Xmax: 3.3mm
xmech: 7mm
Sd: 127 sqcm
Qes: .46
Re: 6.1ohm
Le: .044mH
Z: 8ohm
Bl: 7.5 Tm
Pe: 100W
Qts: .4
qW SPL: 93.5dB
2.83V: 94.5dB

Cabinet suggestions:

Vented:
Single driver 2way: .5cf tuned to 65hz, 63hz F3 point(red curve)


Dual driver MTM: 1cf tuned to 65hz, 63hz F3 point (blue curve)


Sealed midrange: .15cf 150hz F3 point Qtc .7(white curve)


Again, the TD6M's are currently IN STOCK for immediate shipment.

John

[fourthmeal]

Hi John,

I have an order in for an AV15H but I've emailed with Beth and found that they are on some sort of delay for parts.

I would like to order these IF they will fit the doors of my Acura TL and IF you think they will perform adequately in a well deadened/sealed IB door install for car audio use. If you think they will work in that field, I just need to know dimensions (in case I missed where they were shown), so I can then measure my door for fitment. And IF they fit, can I use the money already given for the sub I ordered?

[simon5]

Here are the preliminary dimensions, but I doubt they have changed much. Maybe wait to have the drivers physically in your hands before starting the saw.

Frame diameter : 167 mm
Cutout diameter : 147 mm
Mounting depth : Approx 3.5 inches

[fourthmeal]

Here are the preliminary dimensions, but I doubt they have changed much. Maybe wait to have the drivers physically in your hands before starting the saw.

Frame diameter : 167 mm
Cutout diameter : 147 mm
Mounting depth : Approx 3.5 inches

Damnit! Exactly the same depth as the Mpyres I had to sell off as well. WAY too deep for an Acura door. I'm out I guess, at least for this vehicle.

if ever there is a car version made with more qts suitable for IB installs, definitely make them more shallow. I can guarantee a lot of people will buy them, ...there are tons of great tweeters but precious few 2-way drivers that can play high enough in a car off-axis, clearly and cleanly.

[simon5]

Can't you use some MDF gasket or fiberglass to gain required depth ?

[fourthmeal]

Its an issue between the door skin, and the glass of the door itself. There is less than 3" total space between those two.

[A9X]

Sweet. I've been looking forward to these coming and have a project or 2 they would suit perfectly. Just need some cash....

[sannax]

Can I ask what the price is for a pair?

[badman]

Very cool! Hopefully I can manage a pair sometime soon.

[Hebrew Hammer]

Here are the preliminary dimensions, but I doubt they have changed much. Maybe wait to have the drivers physically in your hands before starting the saw.

Frame diameter : 167 mm
Cutout diameter : 147 mm
Mounting depth : Approx 3.5 inches

Damnit! Exactly the same depth as the Mpyres I had to sell off as well. WAY too deep for an Acura door. I'm out I guess, at least for this vehicle.

if ever there is a car version made with more qts suitable for IB installs, definitely make them more shallow. I can guarantee a lot of people will buy them, ...there are tons of great tweeters but precious few 2-way drivers that can play high enough in a car off-axis, clearly and cleanly.

If Kirk Profit can fit a pair of Audio Technology 18H's in his doors, I don't see a problem with getting these in as well

[simon5]

Can I ask what the price is for a pair?

Last discussion we had about price was $189 regular price and he was thinking about to do $150 preorder.

If I'm not mistaken, this is per driver, so double that for a pair.

I don't know which price is in effect right now.

[fish]

Wow! Wasn't expecting to read that.

[fourthmeal]

This car is not a keeper, I'm saving for an LS400/430 to major work in. So no custom craziness.

$150 a pop is a lot more than I thought they'd go for!

Here are the preliminary dimensions, but I doubt they have changed much. Maybe wait to have the drivers physically in your hands before starting the saw.

Frame diameter : 167 mm
Cutout diameter : 147 mm
Mounting depth : Approx 3.5 inches

Damnit! Exactly the same depth as the Mpyres I had to sell off as well. WAY too deep for an Acura door. I'm out I guess, at least for this vehicle.

if ever there is a car version made with more qts suitable for IB installs, definitely make them more shallow. I can guarantee a lot of people will buy them, ...there are tons of great tweeters but precious few 2-way drivers that can play high enough in a car off-axis, clearly and cleanly.

If Kirk Profit can fit a pair of Audio Technology 18H's in his doors, I don't see a problem with getting these in as well

[stryke]

This car is not a keeper, I'm saving for an LS400/430 to major work in. So no custom craziness.

$150 a pop is a lot more than I thought they'd go for!

Keep in mind just what you are getting here and what drivers they compare to. The PHL1120 was the closest option we found to the TD6M. It was our last attempt at finding a good high efficiency, low distortion midrange driver, but just didn't match up with the rest of the Lambda Series. The TD6M has nearly 2x the Xmax, 1/10 the inductance, and has no nasty dustcap breakup. You'd need 2 of the PHL to get the same output levels down low.

The TD6H is my real favorite. Parameters will be up shortly. It has smooth response to 5KHz, efficiency around 90dB 1W, and tiny inductance of about .15mH. They compare to the Scan Speak Illuminator at over $300. The TD6H however has about 6dB more efficiency, 10mm Xmax vs 6mm, and 1/3 the inductance. You see the same with Seas Excel drivers. The other comparable drivers in terms of low distortion are from Audio Technology and ATC at upwards of $400 each. Even those have much higher and less linear inductance. For a 2way or MTM where you want to cross high to a dome or ribbon tweeter there are really no drivers that can compare.

John

[fourthmeal]

This car is not a keeper, I'm saving for an LS400/430 to major work in. So no custom craziness.

$150 a pop is a lot more than I thought they'd go for!

Keep in mind just what you are getting here and what drivers they compare to. The PHL1120 was the closest option we found to the TD6M. It was our last attempt at finding a good high efficiency, low distortion midrange driver, but just didn't match up with the rest of the Lambda Series. The TD6M has nearly 2x the Xmax, 1/10 the inductance, and has no nasty dustcap breakup. You'd need 2 of the PHL to get the same output levels down low.

The TD6H is my real favorite. Parameters will be up shortly. It has smooth response to 5KHz, efficiency around 90dB 1W, and tiny inductance of about .15mH. They compare to the Scan Speak Illuminator at over $300. The TD6H however has about 6dB more efficiency, 10mm Xmax vs 6mm, and 1/3 the inductance. You see the same with Seas Excel drivers. The other comparable drivers in terms of low distortion are from Audio Technology and ATC at upwards of $400 each. Even those have much higher and less linear inductance. For a 2way or MTM where you want to cross high to a dome or ribbon tweeter there are really no drivers that can compare.

John

Woah...now the TD6H sounds like a good deal. Given the xmax it sounds like it could handle car doors a little better. When you can't port, I always turn to cone area and xmax. Maybe for the Lexus...