We design the drivers used in Vandersteen loudspeakers for the particular needs of each speaker model. Some drivers are assembled with industry-standard, high-quality components while others have our proprietary baskets, cones, spiders, and/or surrounds. With our limited production requirements, it is not practical for us to invest in expensive driver manufacturing equipment just to bolster our pride without providing any true benefit to our customers. To insure maximum quality and efficiency, we ship our exclusive components to renowned driver manufacturing specialists where they are incorporated into drivers made to our exact specifications.

Our drivers use a variety of cone materials, all chosen for their suitability to a specific driver rather than fleeting appeal as the latest exotic material. Every driver must pass our live vs. reproduced evaluations. Cone materials that excel in one application may not be appropriate for another. For example, aluminum, Kevlar, and carbon fiber are very good for subwoofer cones and tweeter domes where they remain in the piston mode through the pass band and the inherent nasty peak from their first break-up mode is either way out of the pass band (subwoofer) or above audibility (tweeter). Woofers and midrange cones however, need a neutral material with high internal dampening like treated paper since their first break-up mode will be in or near the pass band. Since it is very difficult to control the initial quality of treated paper cones and to maintain the quality over time, we use proprietary or selected mineral filled polypropylene cones in these critical applications. These unique cones combine the superior neutrality and dampening characteristics of treated paper with the consistency and precision of injection molding.