Some compression drivers have a nonlinear mechanism that may negatively affect their performance and sound quality. This mechanism is related to the complex nonlinear mechanical behavior of the diaphragm at high frequencies, and it is explained by the loss of dynamic stability of the diaphragm. This effect occurs in a frequency range where the diaphragm’s vibration is characterized by breakups. In all works which study the generation of subharmonics, only a single tone or a sweeping single tone is used. Application of a single high-frequency tone results in the generation of subharmonics and non-harmonic spectral components. This work attempts to use the multitone stimulus to reveal a complex nonlinear reaction caused by the diaphragm’s loss of dynamic stability. The complex output spectrum was distinguished from the regular difference intermodulation products. Two different compression drivers were tested, and they exhibited a radically different generation of subharmonic products.
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