Peak Drive Units
Peak driver units
What most determines the sound heard from an audio system is the loudspeaker drive unit. The loudspeaker drive unit has the hardest job of any component in an audio system: to transduce the electrical signal that flows from the source to the amplifier, through wire and crossover components, into soundwaves that strike the human eardrum. Among all audio components, the loudspeaker drive unit faces the toughest challenge. It must accurately convert the electrical signal into acoustical energy. Any inaccuracies or errors during this transduction process can significantly affect what we hear.While cabinets and crossovers contribute to overall sound quality, the limitations of drive units impose real restrictions on achieving absolute transparency, dynamics and musicality from loudspeakers. Peak Consult drive units are at the ‘beating heart’ of each Peak loudspeaker we design and build. We use only the most sophisticated drive unit technology available in all aspects of the design. All drive units are produced manually according to our specifications. Magnet technology, basket shape, material used, voice coil parameters and material, cone shape and materials, are all details we obsess about to ensure every drive unit we use functions perfectly for its given purpose. Once you have a design that meets your requirements, all drive units then need to be built to exceptionally tight tolerances to ensure every unit performs exactly to a reference standard across all the products we manufacture.
The Peak Consult High Frequency Drive unit
Transient response shows how quickly and accurately an audio system can respond to dynamic changes in the music signal. Music is not like sine waves we use for measurements but a dynamic complex frequency spectrum. The better the tweeter reproduces these dynamic peaks the better the details and room information of the loudspeaker will be. The Peak engineers dedicate a lot of attention to the transient response of all the drivers, which is extremely important for the tweeter.
This ability whilst always sounding entirely natural and faithful to the recording was the design goal for the Peak Consult tweeter. More commonly referred to as ‘tweeters’, the proprietary Peak Consult 26mm silk soft dome tweeter comfortably achieves this target. The soft dome principle ensures a well controlled and perfectly damped response without “ringing” at high frequencies. Handmade in Denmark, using cutting edge technology every tweeter is matched in pairs within 0.1dB tolerance to ensure perfect left/right mirroring. A roll surround and textile dome diaphragm provide a flat frequency response to above 30KHz with outstanding off-axis dispersion. The unique magnet system consists of 6 neodymium magnets, mounted in a precise configuration which results in a superior performance to traditional motor systems. A unique rear chamber eliminates unwanted backward reflections and helps eliminate unwanted resonances coming back through the dome.
The Peak Consult Midrange & Bass Driver Units
Matching the transient response of the tweeter in a much bigger drive unit designs presents many challenges. Keeping a completely natural uncolored balance when using different materials requires in-depth knowledge and experience. The most important frequency spectrum for human voice and instrument reproduction is in the midrange section. All Peak Consult midrange and bass drivers are tailor made. This ensures that they fit the specific driver configuration required for each loudspeaker model as well as matching our exceptionally high-performance tweeters. The Peak midrange and bass drive units are extremely fast in response and move without any dynamic compression. This is the result of the mechanical construction and rear ventilation designed into these handmade high precision components. The one-piece sandwich molded cone suffers no mechanical breakup and perfectly balances rigidity and damping. The flow optimized diecast basket with internal magnet system minimizes basket reflections. A Kapton voice coil with aluminum wire and hexacoil winding technology is used for light weight, efficiency, and excellent power handling. Combine the Peak Consult midrange and bass drive units with the high frequency unit and you create a sound that has ultra-high level of sonic coherence and musical purity that exhibits the
benefits of a single driver speaker design (perfect time alignment, improved imaging, greater dynamics and sense of immediacy), but with the added benefit of ultra-wide dynamic range and excellent power handling – the very best of all worlds.