benchmark and apogee
I will think of notch filter at 9kHz. Most speakers with metal or ceramic drivers have notch filters built into the crossovers - the frequency, depth and width (Q) of the filter need to be chosen carefully though. You would probably need to be able to perform waterfall plots to make appropriate adjustments. |
Jeff, What you report about the Benchmark DAC1 is very consistent with what I observed and many others have reported. To my ears it happens to work well with my speakers so I am happy with a less "full" sound. I have not heard anything quite as detailed as the DAC1 without sounding harsh and I understand that many people will not like this aspect but it suits me. I admit though that there is not a lot in it between one good DAC and another - at least to my "tin" ears. |
Do the embedded ATC's give decent imaging and localization of instruments?Jeff, Yes and No. Let me explain. If you mount speakers in a cabinet or wall - it is essential to build a frame around the speakers in order to make a smooth tranistion between the speaker baffle and the wall surface. Without the "picture framing" around the speakers you get a lot of edge diffraction which kills the imaging and soundstage. When you have a smooth transition (rather than just a "hole" for your speakers) then you actually get better imaging and soundstage than with the speakers freestanding. Most studio main monitors are built this way - installed in walls (there are several good reasons to do this). Like these ATC's in Doug Sax Studio If you look at my virtual system you may notice a similarity in the way my ATC speakers are mounted. Of course I have a place for a TV and the wall provides equipment storage space in my case too - which is less ideal but a lot more practical. Doug Sax is working on a new recording format. As far as I know he chose Benchmark DAC1 for his studio to go with the ATC's. The Mastering Lab (Doug's studio) has more audio engineering awards (Grammy's etc.) then anyone any other and his lengthy mastering credits reads like a who is who of the music industry. I trust his ears much more than mine - I doubt I'll change this DAC anytime soon. |
apogee vs benchmark, lets just say that both are very good and highly regarded units, and it really depends on ones setup and ears. For sure - when I decribe Benchmark as thin and detailed with precise and narrower soundstage I was trying to describe it realtive to other DAC's. Frankly, the differences between DACS are not something that worries me and my tine ears all that much. I'd say it is all pretty close when you got my kind of ears... |
That is a nice tweeter but it rings (like most metal drivers) - see the Cumulative spectral decay at 9000 Hz. Of course a speaker designer will try to notch filter this problem out and being a single frequency that is not hard to do - although at elevated SPL's as the tweet warms up (impedance rises) and ringing becomes more excited then the notch may not be as effective or as precisely tuned. Some metal or ceramic drivers have rubber dots on them to try to correct this or even some damping paint. Some have elaborate arrangements with the "backwave". There is no doubt these type drivers get an impressive frequency response but resonance such as you see here is never a good thing. |
Any rigid driver of very light weight material is prone to "ringing". Think how a cymbal is made...a rigid disc of metal...touch a cymbal even lightly and it will ring for a long time at low levels but audible. In the case of a cymbal it vibrates at many frequencies due to its mottled hammered surface - it "shimmers". In the case of a metal driver then its shape will also influence the kinds of sounds it makes - shape it like a cup or a bell then it will tend to ring at certain frequencies. Manufacturers normally compensate for this with a notch filter. A woven fabric/silk/paper&pulp type driver will also be light but not as rigid and not as light...it will not resonate like a metal or ceramic driver. This is called "internally damped" it means that when it flexes it quickly stops and it also loses energy more quickly - less efficient and higher frequencies will roll off sooner. Some hybrid designs use CLD - constrained layer damping - a viscous fluid between two rigid cones. Some use rubber dampers stuck to the cone. Many are coated with a damping fluid. In any case, if you want to use an internallly damped cone then you forgo frequency bandwidth and efficiency...you may also need to carefully support the less rigid cone in the middle with a larger voice coil (expensive) or carefully shape it (dome) and drive it with a bigger motor and magnet (expensive). The bonus is that the limited bandwidth internally damped driver will have excellent transient response and waterfall plot - it plays a sound without adding coloration. |
Kijanki, Cymbals are of all kinds so be careful reading to much into the sound. Sabian are made in eastern Canada - each one hand made and tuned by ear. It also depends how they are hit - closer to the edge or towards the bell - how large is the bell. Large cymbals will resonate more and will shimmer less. Curved shapes towards the edge will get you into "gongs". Man there is just everything out there...that is why music is so wonderful. be careful interpreting what you hear at a concert versus at home - studio drum sets are very likely differently setup from those used at concert. If a tweeter produces a deep brassy sound (more so than say a soft dome tweeter) then you might ask yourself is it the rexcording or is the tweeter behaving like a "bell" itself......are you hearing tweeter ringing? Remember brass instruments are resonant devices which ring (sizzle) too. I am always wary when a speaker produces something noticeably more pronounced than others... a reviewer may say this is impressive or a good thing...it is certainly a difference...but is it right?? |
