Advantages of beryllium?

I've backed up my statements as much as anyone on Audiogon. That's all you get little troll.

kosst,

You don’t pay me so I have no obligation to meet any sort of criteria. Your claim that mega buck speakers are superior. Back that up first, then I’ll consider playing your game. Oh, no, I won’t.

Just look at the waterfall, distortion and compression data. Micromotor tweets suck. Do your own research.

JA often says things completely at odd with his own measurements. At the very least, JA and I are in agreement that all the Focal tweeters are very similar performers, regardless of price. You may call that good, I do not. As far as I am concerned, the Focal tweeters are mediocre, and the high end speakers are not actually better.

The past Magico tweeter (which I posted model data) and the current Be/Graphene tweeter OTOH however is a really stellar performer. Sounds and measures far better than anything out of Focal and B&W on and off axis. (personally I find them tuned too bright, but still stellar sounding!) So, there’s a great example, as are several examples I have shown you before. If you want me to do more research for you you’d have to meet my hourly rates, and I would have to care.

I have given you specific examples of driers and speaker makers and models of what I consider significantly better. That is all you get.

On the other hand, as far as hobby talking, I put Golden Ears, Focal and B&W on one camp, with Magico, Gryphon and YG on another. If you think the previous set is any good at all, switch to the latter. and compare.

Best,

E

@willemj

yeeeap.

And there is nothing wrong with buying speakers that make you feel younger! :) but call it what it is.

Best,

E

I don't actually have a problem with smile shaped FR curves, as they are ideal for low-volume listening. I also don't have a problem with buyers who like a particular flavor of speaker.

Notice what JA likes is more than a smile, but a hype curve. The selective exaggeration of a couple of bands in the treble, and suppression of others, and then JA has the nerve to call neutral speakers "colored."

Of course, buy what you like. Enjoy what you like, but the "High End" sound as promoted by JA is a very particular set of colors.

Best,

E

I'm sorry, did we want to talk about the price of speakers, or their sound quality? I'm confused.

As I've written, JA loves speakers that sound like hearing aids. If that's what you like, feel free.

https://speakermakersjourney.blogspot.com/2016/05/stereophile-reviews-data-doesnt-lie.html

Best,

E

I heard TAD Be drivers in the mid 1980's. No way I could sit and listen to one then.

Maybe it was the electronics (Haffler) but ouch!

Best,

E

Hi @johnk

My main speakers use the Mundorf AMT's.

I wouldn't call them the best... but I would call them among the very best. :)

Implementation and room matter a great deal too, but I absolutely agree they are among a small, stratified set of tweeters that should sit at the top of the hierarchy.

Best,

Erik

kosst :

Sounds way too much like work. Buy whatever you’d like to listen to, but I’ve never seen specs or heard a micro-motor tweet perform as well as mid-grade tweets from SB, ScanSpeak, Seas or even Peerless.

There is a popular ring radiator from ScanSpeak ScanSpeak Discovery R2604/8320 (and a relatively lesser Peerless variant) that has been used by Magico, YG, Krell and Sonus Faber. I put that tweeter against any micro motor tweeter I’ve ever heard.

Also, the ScanSpeak Be that is the basis for the current Magico Be/Graphene tweeter is also far better sounding and measuring.

Best,


E

Micro-motor tweeters are just tweeters with the bare minimum motors to work. Focal as well as B&W are proponents of this approach. The motor is no wider than the dome and usually less than half an inch thick.

Despite assertions otherwise, popular micro-motors measure terribly across distortion, frequency and lack of linearity, regardless of material used.

They are routinely outclassed by relatively inexpensive models from popular driver vendors.

Best,

E

Per the web site, it is Al/Mg.

Nothing against Al/Mg but Focal has this fetish for micro motors which are never as smooth or dynamic as the large motor variants.

Though lately ScanSpeak has produced some tweets which are close to the same motor size and very very good sounding.

A - The 936 is not very clean
B - It has the Focal 100 Hz dip in impedance, which makes the speakers seem more "discerning" of various amplifiers. In some cases this is done artificially in the crossover.

Best,

E

One good eye opener, listen to the Magico Be tweeters and compare to the Focal's.

Personally I find the tuning of the Magico's a bit bright, but butter smooth and wide dispersion spanks all the Focal's and certainly the B&W diamond tweets.

It's all in that luscious motor assembly that's behind it.

Best,

E

Don't be fooled just by the Be brand. They are not all equivalent, certainly not in frequency response or dynamic range.

In _theory_, be is very stiff and very light, so least stored energy or resonances of most materials.

The implementation of the suspension, motor, and overall speaker design is VERY important. Done well the best Be tweeters are among the best tweeters. But so are the best AMT's and ring radiators too!

Best,

E