The Whole Truth About Beryllium Diaphragms

Guys,

Usher has replied to http://www.s-m-audio.com/truth.zip but subjectively with absolutely no documentation whatsoever. They do however use inuendo and the format is "very nice". http://www.usheraudiousa.com/docs/Be-Response.pdf

So in response to their subjective response, I have obtained more information and I have analyzed their 28mm gray dome tweeter. The results are facinating. Here they are, http://www.s-m-audio.com/usher.pdf .

 

In the great words of the clueless guy on the FAST SHOW

"I'll get me coat"

I can't make head nor tail of this, I wish I knew more!

 

Interesting reading. I own a pair of Usher Be-718's. Whatever the technical arguement all I am concerned about is a) do they sound good and b) are they worth the money?
The answer being a resounding yes to both IMO.

 

I read the techy document first - Doh!, the USHER BE-Response pdf makes sense to me now!

 

Do you plan to reply to the claim that the 'legitimate Be source' (I assume Brush Wellman) is only ~14% Beryllium?

 

Here's the new data sheet for Truextent Acoustic Grade Beryllium Foil.

http://www.s-m-audio.com/truextent.pdf


There have been people that have come forward and provided more information regarding this topic. I will outline some new information below.

The Usher Beryllium is not an alloy. It is a powder coated like titanium foil. The beryllium and thus the beryllium color is either painted on or vapor deposited. A typical metal tweeter dome is about 30 microns thick. The content by mass of the Usher dome is 0.6075% beryllium. Because the density of the beryllium is low relative to the titanium, the percent by volume is about 1.5%. That is consistant with an coating of about 0.3 micron on both sides of the titanium. I have simulated this and the effect of the beryllium coating is pretty much zero. I cannot find any refrence to a titanium/beryllium alloy anywhere on the Internet and if I did find a 2% nominal beryllium alloy it would not be a close match to the bluish-steel gray color of beryllium foil like the Usher domes are. As with the CuBe2, a TiBe2 would have the color of titanium. Just like Cu Be2 has the color of copper. AlBeMet 140 is 40% Be and 60% Al and it has the color of aluminum. Usher's domes have no noticable smell but something stinks here.

This is consistant with testing in 2004 on parts from Usher's supplier, SONIC with offices in Taiwan and factory in China.

http://www.audioxpress.com/magsdirx/voxcoil/addenda/media/BogusBeryllium.pdf

Would you call aluminum metalized poly bags, aluminum bags and write Aluminum right on the bag? The analogy to Bogusium is very close.

Now are all you Decepticons tuning in?

 

I suggest anyone wanting to see Mowry's reasons for posting this and his connections to companies with commercial interests that go against Usher check out the diyaudio.com thread.

He's not what you would call 'unbiased'...

And would you explain why you don't castigate another well known brand who's berylium dome is only 14%be?

 

Well in fact Usher Gray Domes are 0.6075% Be by mass (6075 mg/kg) but with a close color match to acoustic grade beryllium.
http://www.s-m-audio.com/grayfoil.pdf

That claim is completely unsubstantiated.

The issue is "Truth in Advertising". http://www.gedlee.com

 

Thanks

Mowry,
Thanks for an excellent article, it has helped me in my choice of speakers.

Regards

 

Has anyone noticed the attitude from Usher that they can paint titanium domes the exact color of Beryllium domes and call them beryllium but you, the comsumer, cannot do anything about it. Can you see the "you can't touch me attitude"?

When I searched the Internet on Beryllium Speaker, Usher was a large percentage of my hits. You just cannot fool folks like that today.

 

Now here comes Steve Mowry again.

Usher says the measured performance is within their standards. But the measured performance of the 9980 Be 28mm tweeter is identical to the Dayton RS28A. This is the Usher with a black annodized aluyminum dome.

Here's brother Zaph. http://www.zaphaudio.com/tidbits/

He says, "Usher 9980 Beryllium Performs just like the current Dayton RS28, complete with dip in the top octave. Even the breakup is at the same frequency. Looks exactly the same except for a mild gray-purple tint to the dome. The distortion profile is a teeny bit cleaner, but it's close enough that it could just be batch differences. Hard to say. This Usher isn't available to DIY'ers and thus the listing on this page. June 2009 update: there's controversy about what constitutes "real" beryllium. You don't have to look too far to find it. Regardless, to date I've seen no real proof that any beryllium usage, either pure or heavily alloyed with other materials, is any better than aluminum or coated fabric. There's certainly a lot more to a tweeter than the chosen diaphragm material.

But that's not beryllium. See how Usher is damaging the industry.

And my comment is that "is impossible". Beryllium just cannot perform exactly like aluminum. However, titanium can, well almost. But the RS28A can bne purchased from Parts Express for just US$44.50 in quantities with free shipping within most of the USA.

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=275-130

Now the performance is very close to the gray dome Usher tweeter used in the Dancer Be et al. loudspeakers. The Dayton RS28A is a great tweeter with a value second to none but the real difference between the RS28A and the Usher 9980 Be is that "Beryllium" is inscribed on the faceplate of the 9980.

Now attack the person as you may, this is just not correct. Sure the Usher product is "good" but it's being misrepresented and when confronted, I get the you can't touch me attitude and I think they called me a transducer god among several other things.

Frankly, at this point I welcome Usher's insults so that the community, the industy and hopewfully the consumer will see what Usher is doing to us.

 

Hi,

Interesting thread. Do you have any comments about Focal's Be tweeters in their new active monitors?

http://www.focalprofessional.com/en/sm6-line/solo6-be.php

 

It looks like they use the same tweeter that I have an exploded view in my discussion.

http://www.s-m-audio.com/truth.zip (don't worry, it's clean)

Focal is a great company.

Focal uses Truextent Beryllium tweeter domes. Usher uses Bogusium domes.

Focal uses a sandwich composite cone. Usher uses paper.

They look like great loudspeakers, the Focals that is. Please remember that value must be designed into the product. Sometime the marketing people just don't understand this.

 

Ah, I should have read it again as Focal is all over that document.

Impressive that Focal can make those monitors for <£1,400 including amps...

 

Okay I haven't said this yet but one thing that will happen as a result of this exercise is that the price of the Usher's will fall. This helps you the consumer but it doesn't make Usher and their huge distribution network happy but hey that's marketing.

Anyway, those Focals look really nice. My recommendation is for a boycot of all Usher's products. There can be justice but we must act together.

 

I dont think that's what's needed IMO.

Drawing a parallel, Pub chains across Britain were selling a low quality meat product called 'Zebu' and advertising it in their menu's as ''Steak''.
They argued, that a ''Zebu'' is of the same animal family as a cow, they therefore can describe it as ''steak''..


http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...on--and-other-restaurant-swindles-462546.html

Here is a zebu -



And of course a cow -




ok ok so I picked a photoshopped one for laughs...



But my point is simply this - the quality of Usher speakers, their choice of transducers is not an issue. People who love use or buy their speakers are not an issue.

Calling something 'Berillium' that is effectively another material with a powder coating - and not making this clear in product literature is not acceptable.

I think the emphasis should be on change and education, which is what your article does... rather than a boycott.

 

Indeed, but it's a shame that their speakers sound like nails running down a cheese grater.

DT

 

Personal choice is a strange thing.

I have never heard a pair of Focal or JM Lab speakers that I would give house room to over the choice of (say) a 20 year old pair of Ruark Talismans for £250 from Ebay... even the mega-buck ones sound awful to my tastes.

Maybe I should start a campaign to give the Berillium to TAD and JBL...!

 

Is that a man living in a Zebu?

 

Why should the price of Ushers fall? Thier products perform exceptionally well alongside thier similarly priced competition. I didn't buy mine because they have a badge that says "Beryllium" on them, I bought them because they sound good and I couldn't find a better speaker at the price point. I agree that misrepresentation of the materiels used is inexcusable but I can't see them losing masses of sales when the products perform as well as they do. I commend your findings but a mass boycott of Usher products. I don't think so.