A field coil driver uses an electromagnet (coil of wire carrying a current that creates a magnetic field) in place of the permanent magnet of a regular driver. This type of driver requires a power supply to energize the coil creating the magnetic field.
The field coil drivers I've heard were quite lively sounding (very dynamic). Old examples would include the Western Electric 555 driver, and modern examples include the woofer in the top line JM labs speakers and all of the drivers in the big Classic Audio speakers, and certain Feastrix full range drivers.
There are so many things that have to be right to get the most out of a field coil driver, particularly the power supply. I was really surprised how different these speakers sound with different power supplies.
The field coil drivers I've heard were quite lively sounding (very dynamic). Old examples would include the Western Electric 555 driver, and modern examples include the woofer in the top line JM labs speakers and all of the drivers in the big Classic Audio speakers, and certain Feastrix full range drivers.
There are so many things that have to be right to get the most out of a field coil driver, particularly the power supply. I was really surprised how different these speakers sound with different power supplies.