Raven Audio is a high end audio component maker aimed, until now, almost exclusively at the home market. Its woofers are used in $200K home audio systems.
A year ago, we reported that Raven 10XL and 12XL woofers were popping up in car audio builds due to the drivers’ very low distortion and loud output.
Since then Car Toys has picked up the line in a number of its stores and the brand is now actively marketed to car audio dealers.
Raven is also about to issue a new woofer line with slimmed down woofers, a new 8-inch size, and some unique box characteristics.
In the next four months, Raven plans to release woofers in 8, 10 and 12 inch sizes that are thinner and designed for use in a small enclosure. The new woofers use a thick aluminum cone and dust cap that doubles as a heat sink to allow heat to dissipate from a very small box, explained Senior Engineer Alan Hulsebus of Raven parent Orca Design & Mfg. The Raven woofers will be built in the US.
The older Raven woofers used carbon fiber. The new models are ¾ inch thinner so they can go under the seats of SUVs and pickup trucks. They also are unique in that the back side of the speaker does not have air vent holes so it can touch the back side of the box for a thinner overall box size. Almost any other subwoofer on the market must leave a half inch to an inch gap, said Hulsebus.
Power handling is up to a recommended 1,200 watts for the 10 and 12 inch drivers and up to 500 watts for the 8 inch. Voice coils on the 10 and 12 inch woofers measure 3 inches with an Xmax of plus or minus 20mm. The 8-inch woofer has a 2.5-inch voice coil with a linear Xmax of plus or minus 15mm, giving the woofers 50 percent more Xmax (cone excursion) than the competition, said Hulsebus.
“Unlike polypropylene or fiber glass or paper or sandwich cones, all those trap heat inside the box. That’s okay with a big box but when you go to a small enclosure it becomes a problem,” said Hulsebus. Speaker makers have been using aluminum cones since the 1940s but it was thin aluminum for light weight. “It was fragile. This is very thick,” he said.
The woofers also use a three roll rubber surround to prevent rocking.
Raven Audio has been available in the US since the 90s, and was notable for its use of ribbon tweeters.
Pricing has not been finalized but may be similar to Raven’s earlier models. Its 12XL carries a price of $1,249.
