I was surprised to read someone who still uses paper woofers.
They claim they sound better?

http://www.jamo.com/Default.aspx?ID=5966&M=Shop&PID=17139&ProductID=17649


Woofers
Most woofers are developed to work in a cabinet, and as a woofer constructed for a dipole application is very different from a traditional boxed one we had to develop a special woofer for this open-baffle application.

These huge bass drivers employ high quality magnesium baskets plus lightweight, air-dried paper cones with a rubber suspension. The time-consuming process of letting the cones air-dry – instead of just pressing out the water in the former - has resulted in a thicker, and thus more rigid, material for the same low weight. Although paper cones might be out of fashion in some circles they have the ability to start/stop moving incredibly quickly, can reach very, very deep and they endow the drive unit with great sonic precision and musicality.

I read somewhere recently,(Audioholics maybe?) that the key is how the paper is treated. Supposedly paper is not inherently bad- just poorly treated paper.

That might have been a review of a pair of RBH speakers that have a paper woofer. Actually I thing that they are more properly called a compsite because they are not just paper.

My speakers have a paper woofer. To me, they sound different from other drivers made from different materials. It may be that way because they are expensive and my brain is telling my ears they should different. Dunno.

There's nothing wrong with paper. But it does have to be treated for resisting humidity changes but also so that it can be made stiffer to avoid distortion. This is what Bose "forgot" to do.

I have a 12 inch sub in my truck that has a paper cone. I bet the paper is at least 1/8 thick. I play the Bass guitar and it seems to me that the amp rigs that have aluminum drivers sound different than paper coned woofers. It is hard to explain other than it is what my mind imagines to be the difference between metal and wood. Therefore maybe it is all placebo. I've never played blind.

Jeb

The main problem with paper cones is the stiffness they require to perform satisfactory, other than that, they have a very sweet sound, but tend to offer more distortion at higher levels, as the paper tends to flex wit the movement...