Loudspeakers

The blue colour of the untreated pulp cones used in DeVore's bass/mid units is a very big clue to its origins – the classic German Müller blue paper cone [see www.kurtmueller.com] being used as far back as the 1970s in Tannoy's iconic coaxial drivers when Kurt Mueller (UK) Ltd was founded in High Wycombe. The parent company, Dr. Kurt Müller GmbH & Co. KG, now produces loudspeaker cones, domes, suspensions and surrounds for a very wide range of professional and consumer audio brands. Neither is Kurt Müller restrained by paper pulp as its roster of materials extends through plastics including filled or coloured polypropylenes, PEN and PEEK; metals including ceramic-coated aluminium alloy; woven 'fabrics' including glass, aramid, carbon-fibre and Bimax weaves; and foam-filled sandwich cones. If these descriptions sound rather like the 'proprietary' cone formulations posted by many well-known speaker brands then you could be forgiven for wondering how many manufacturers actually make every little bit of their loudspeakers... For DeVore there's no substitute for Müller's blue paper, untreated here except for some reinforcing lacquer at the cone's throat where it's bonded to a multi-layer copper voice-coil and Kapton former. PM