The TC2+ 12"  vs the XLS 12"

I would like to thank Todd Oiesen for bringing over the TC2+ for comparison.   When I looked at this driver on the web site and saw that the frame looked just like the old Blue Print driver I have to admit I was pretty skeptical.   Until this point I was convinced that having a very open spider was one key ingredient for reducing both noise and distortion.   This driver has proven that this theory may not be valid.

Based on memory from one driver measurement to the next I initially commented on the Madisound board that the second harmonic of the XLS might be a little better but now looking at the data side by side it appears that both drivers are really close on both the second and the third harmonic.   The TC2+ however is quieter and at very low frequency especially at very high output the distortion remains lower.   Note that at 20 vrms at 20 Hz the XLS completely loses it!    At 20 vrms given the 100% amplitude modulation the actual peak is much higher than the peak of a pure un-modulated sine wave of the same voltage so this test may be pushing the XLS a little beyond it's limits.   Given that there are now a lot of drivers with 18 mm or 20 mm peak excursion, the XLS 12.5 mm is starting to seem limited.    Until now I had not found a driver with equal distortion performance however so the XLS remained the choice driver especially for dipole applications.   The Adire Audio DPL-12 remains the best performer for the 20 ~ 30 Hz range but I don't have data stored on this driver for the same input voltages as these test.   At least at lower voltages the DPL-12 beats the socks off the XLS from 30 Hz down but the DPL's performance at higher frequency limit's it to box sub-woofer applications for use from 40 Hz ~ 50 Hz and below.    The TC2+ on the other hand beats the XLS at low frequency and at least matches it at higher frequency and it's quieter.   I think we have a new champion!

TC2+ measurements at 12.7 vrms

TC2+ measurements at 20 vrms

XLS measurements at 12.7 vrms

XLS measurements at 20 vrms