Audio device and method for designing and making a diaphragm, the audio device comprising a diaphragm having a curved profile adapted for radiation of audio signals from a plurality of bending modes and a piston mode, one or more of the plurality of bending modes having coincident nodal line locations, the diaphragm having a frontal side and a rear side, and a transducer coupled to the rear side of the diaphragm, the transducer adapted for driving the diaphragm for radiation of audio signals having reduced audio distortion, wherein the plurality of bending modes each have minima locations throughout the diaphragm, and wherein the transducer is mounted on one of the minima locations of the plurality of bending modes and one or more impedance components are mounted on at least one of the remaining minima locations to inertially balance the diaphragm based on a pre-determined relative mean modal velocity limit.