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March 4, 2008 4:36 AM PST

Hemp speakers--make your own joke

by Mike Yamamoto
(Credit: Omega Speaker Systems)

With everything else going green, it should be no surprise that even loudspeakers can be made of some sort of sustainable material. We just didn't think that material would be hemp.

Omega Speaker Systems claims that its "HempCone" drivers offer "improved acoustic properties" superior to paper or plastic, according to Dvice. We'll have to take their word for it (or not), because we don't know what kind of methodology was used to draw those conclusions.

Maybe someone will get a pair to accompany Meridian's $16,000 CD player because, as some might say, one would have to be high to buy one of them.

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Comedy Gold, these...
by Pomble March 4, 2008 5:33 AM PST
Firstly, "cones"? I mean, reaalllly! Do these deliver a "fattie" sound? And do hemp speakers have anything to get "crossover"? And I wouldn't keep them in the cabinets, it's always the first place they let the sniffer dogs loose on. I always kept my pre-fabricated cones inside a gatefold album sleeve, and now they've kinda reversed the process. These have had me rolling about!
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Hemp Speakers
by globalhemp March 4, 2008 9:51 AM PST
Hemp paper is very strong. In fact, you've most likely seen it and / or used it several times without even knowing it. Bibles are printed on hemp paper. Very thin, yet super strong. The same ironically goes for smoking papers. Yes, cigarettes and joints are wrapped in hemp paper. A subsidiary of paper giant Kimberly-Clarke produces hemp paper in France. Other hemp paper is made in Spain and China. Flax, which is similar to hemp, is also used for producing paper in Canada.

OK, so look at a sheet of Bible or smoking papers. They are very strong and can be handled a lot. This is also why most all currencies in the world also use hemp or flax. However, the US used cotton, but the cotton does not last as long and US currency must be reprinted more often.

As for speakers, hemp does a fantastic job! However, if you truly want the very best, you'll need to go with microbial cellulose speakers that cost $16,000 each! Sony has the patent on these, but they are either in limited production or the technology has been shelved.
Visit http://www.globalhemp.com/ for more information.
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Ever heard of JVC?
by make_or_break March 5, 2008 6:53 AM PST
They too use hemp cones in their mobile audio speakers.
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