Faital HF1460 Compression Driver – ES-600 Biradial Measurement Report

Faital HF1460 Compression Driver – ES-600 Biradial Measurement Report

Faital HF1460 Compression Driver – ES-600 Biradial Measurement Report

Introduction

Recently I purchased the Faital HF1460 1.40" compression driver for my own testing. I've published the objective test data on this blog post to highlight its performance.

The Faital HF1460 is one of the newest flagship compression drivers in the FaitalPRO lineup.

 Click to see the FaitalPRO website.

Driver Features:

  • A carbon fiber dome diaphragm, which gives the driver high stiffness-to-weight ratio, helping with both frequency extension and distortion control. (FaitalPRO)

  • A large 86 mm (3.4 in) voice coil that allows better power handling and thermal robustness. (FaitalPRO)

  • A high-grade neodymium magnet assembly optimized via FEM (Finite Element Method), delivering outstanding magnetic induction (~2.2 Tesla) for efficiency and output. (FaitalPRO)

  • A 4-slot annular phase plug, designed to control the acoustic wavefront for smoother high-frequency behavior and easier integration into horn or waveguide systems. (FaitalPRO)

These specs align nicely with what we observe in the measurements below.

Frequency Response

Here are the frequency response measurements taken with the HF1460 mounted on the ES-600 biradial horn, at distances of 1 meter (and with off-axis data). I've overlaid the impedance shown in black for reference.

Off-axis Response 0°, 15°, 30°, 45° (Red, Green, Blue, Purple) (Impedance Black)

  • Good frequency response smoothness 
  • 6dB/octave falling response (5kHz-10kHz region)
  • 12dB/octave falling response (10kHz-20kHz region) 
  • Mild peak observed at 12.6kHz (Breakup?) 
  • Very low FS of 400Hz (see impedance sweep)

10cm Mid Distance Measurements 

I decided to move the mic closer (10cm) to really isolate the driver's performance. Below is the ungated response which helps see what's happening near the horn's cutoff. 

Taking the same measurement and applying some gating helps isolate the driver's performance in the high frequencies. In these test conditions it is apparent how truly flat the frequency response actually is. There does seem to be quite a falling response in the treble which would need to be accounted for in the passive crossover. The use of a contour circuit would address this, by shelving down the mid-band frequencies. The ES-600 Biradial uses an exponential horn flare which gives the best chance of keeping the high frequencies as flat as possible. If a constant directivity horn was used with this driver then the response would fall even more aggressively. It should be noted as well that the use of aggressive contour circuits will increase harmonic distortion to some degree. The real life impact is unknown unless you tested to confirm. I suspect the large radiating area of the 3.4" diaphragm means that it has plenty of headroom for some moderate EQ without jeopardizing low distortion performance. 

Time Domain: Burst Decay & Cumulative Spectral Decay (CSD)

Time-domain performance measurements, including burst decay and CSD, show how quickly the driver and horn settle after transient excitation.

  • The Burst Decay plot shows fast decay in the 1-5 kHz range, indicating that there are no large lingering resonances in that region. That’s consistent with a good phase-plug design and diaphragm control.

  • Above about 10 kHz, some modes do persist slightly longer, but at low amplitude, well below the primary harmonic content. 

  • The CSD confirms that energy decays quickly across the band, with minimal “smearing.” This is excellent for clarity and transient fidelity.

Distortion Performance

These are some of the distortion / IMD / harmonic distortion measurements we ran (85 dB and 95 dB SPL at 1 m).

 

  • Harmonic Distortion (D2, D3, D4) at 95 dB SPL

  • SMPTE IMD (1 kHz + 10 kHz at 4:1, 95 dB SPL)

  • The SMPTE IMD result of about 1.64% at 95 dB.

For comparison I've measured the TAD TD-2002 on a similar sized horn which produced 3.08% SMPTE distortion under the same test conditions. (See below)

Additionally, I've tested the B&C DCM50 on the ES-450 Biradial which produces 1.89% under the same test conditions. (see below) This reveals that the HF1460 provides distortion performance on par with the best we've tested. 

  • Multitone IMD Spectra (85 dB and 95 dB SPL)

Key observations:

  • Even at 95 dB SPL, harmonic distortion (especially 2nd and 3rd) stays below approx. 0.1% through much of the passband. That’s excellent, and supports Faital’s claim of “very low distortion levels” thanks to carbon fiber plus their magnet/phase plug design.

  • The SMPTE IMD result of about 1.64% at 95 dB is on par with the best we've measured (B&C DCM50) and significantly better than smaller diaphragm drivers such as the TAD TD-2002 (2.00" voice coil diameter).

  • The multitone IMD data likewise shows clean behavior: the noise floor is well controlled, and spurious components are relatively small.

Conclusion

If you’re designing a high-performance horn-loaded system—whether for studio, premium audio, or even live applications—the HF1460 is a compelling choice.

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