Determining manufacture variation in loudspeakers through measurement of thiele/small parameters

Thiele/Small parameters have become a standard for characterizing loudspeakers. Using fairly straightforward methods, the Thiele/Small parameters for twenty nominally identical loudspeakers were determined. The data were compiled to determine the manufacturing variations. Manufacturing tolerances can have a large impact on the variability and quality of loudspeakers produced. Generally, when more stringent tolerances are applied, there is less variation and drivers become more expensive. Now that the loudspeakers have been characterized, each one will be driven to failure. Some loudspeakers will be intentionally degraded to accelerate failures. The goal is to correlate variation in the Thiele/Small parameters with variation in speaker failure modes and operating life.