I gre out of Be Tweeters

Huge number of TL fans, and I always like Fritz speakers and value. 

I agree that implementation, that is, how a driver is designed with a particular technology, AND the crossover's matter a great deal.

What I probably should have said is, I grew out of the sound qualities I heard from the first Be tweeters (Focals) and really from ribbons as well.

There are horrible AMTs. I like good AMTs.

Based on the specs, I think I'd probably really love to listen to the SB Acoustics Be tweeters too.

I also like some affordable ring radiators a great deal.

That is by no means the only issue, @alexberger

Hi @andy

As some one who has made his own speakers and is active in the DIY speaker community (well, in terms of discussions) I want to say I think you are partly right, but partly wrong.
The crossover designer has a lot of latitude in making speakers sound balanced, bright, even control dispersion and lobing, but it is very difficult to "fix" ragged frequency responses and excess energy storage within a driver. You also can’t "fix" distortion, something it seems, in my opinion, some drivers are actually selling.

One other dimension is dynamic range. The ability to change output level while maintaining the frequency response and distortion profile. Can't fix this in the crossover.

At the same time, there are lots of smooth, extended tweeters out there at various price points.

So, I agree you can make a pair or triad of drivers sound bright, or dull or bassy or boomy with the crossover, but I also think drivers can bring a lot of character to the design.

Best,

Erik

I have recently been wondering about what I really want a tweeter to do in a system.

This is true for many. I have grown out of sparkle, and air, and that seems to correlate well with smoother FR and lower distortion (when I've been able to measure them).

That doesn't mean you should. My point here is there's something like what I call a residual sound. Like scented body wash, and in the right music, environment that can be a lot of fun.

The most natural tweets, like Troels Graveson has said, to me, disappear. They sound like they are simply not there. The best AMT's can be there, as can the best diamond, and Be, and there are a lot of soft domes and ring radiators which are not bad in these terms.

@andy2

I have not heard a high end diamond tweeter, but in terms of distortion, dynamic range, lack of stored energy and smooth frequency response, the top end AMTs are world class in my mind.

I've also heard horrible AMTs so YMMV.

I doubt if you can tell one decent tweeter from another

What is the bar for decent?  If most Be are decent, then yeah, I think you can hear the difference between the best and the decent.

I may not like Bose products, but no one on earth spends more both on speaker analysis and marketing analysis than they do.

Like them or not, they are a model of having an engineering arm tightly coupled to consumer preference and experience.

In thinking about your answers, and my own experience, I have to restate my original post.
There are tweeters sporting a wide range of technology I like, including Be, but the sound I heard from the first, micro-motor Be tweeters is something I have completely outgrown.


I was entranced by the waterfall plots, which are very very good for Be, but ignored that what I was hearing was also the metal dome character of them. Something several modern Be tweeters have overcome.

I also realized, after posting, that there's some technology which I may like some examples of and not others. AMT tweeters for instance, share an almost mythical story, and can be had from $5 each to $500 or more each. They are by no means the same, and I've heard some speakers with them I liked and some I truly could not listen to.

By "affordable diamond" I meant the glued diamond dust domes. Not the amazingly expensive Seas, Jensen or Accutons.

I thought Usher fixed their faux Be tweeter issues??


The SB Be tweets sure measure amazingly well!! No, I haven't had the pleasure. :(