2. speakers
  3. 151286-20253

I gre out of Be Tweeters

I was at a bar the other day (well probably yesterday .... hahahah)


In any event, I was discussing how much my taste in beer has changed. I started with lagers, especially Mexican brands. Then I became a Guiness snob, and then I went over to IPAs and Belgian Abbey-style ales. Now while I can tolerate a lager, I can't stand a Belgian white at all. 


What makes me think of this here is tweeters. There was a short period of time when I thought I loved Be tweeters. I've grown completely out of them. I don't particularly like the "affordable" diamond tweeters either. I'm done.


What about you? Is there a technology you liked  earlier in this hobby and now have turned completely against?
erik_squires

Showing 2 responses by larryi

larryi
4,154 posts
 
Recognizing that everything is a matter of taste, I've heard things that I thought were good and bad with ALL examples of basic speaker technology and driver materials, so I wouldn't avoid anything in particular.  There are certain particular technology/materials that I tend not to like, but, even then, there are exceptions.  I am actually amazed with how wide a variety of approaches to design are available and have their fans.  If any particular design were outright superior, the market would have converged on that approach, but, that has not been the case. 

Even more amazing to me is how viable REALLY OLD gear is in direct comparison with anything currently available.  I have yet to hear a midrange driver that I would take over a 1939 Western Electric 713b compression driver and a decent horn.  

As for all of the rest of audio gear, I cannot think of any one particular design that I would categorically reject.  There are designs and types that I tend to prefer (low-powered tube gear), but, that does not mean anything else is crap to me.  I really like the sound of tape recordings, but, I would never own a tape machine because I am way too lazy to thread tape; aside from this, I could adopt anything.
larryi
4,154 posts
 
I also like the AMT tweeter in the recent versions I've heard; they seem to integrate well with other drivers, something that is tough to do with ribbon-type tweeters.  

I have recently been wondering about what I really want a tweeter to do in a system.  I've heard some systems with full or extended range drivers with and without a tweeter.  The main benefit of cutting in the tweeter in these systems was not an extension of the frequency range, but primarily a smoothing out of the overall frequency response.

I have been listening to old and new (reproductions) versions of field coil compression tweeters (Western Electric 597) and I have been taken by how little one actually notices the tweeter--one just hears a smooth and natural sound.  It is not a tweeter that adds much obvious sparkle on top, but the systems I've heard just sound better with this tweeter.  The really bad news is the cost.  These things go from about $13k a pair to near $60k (souped up G.I.P. version), and they also need a power supply for the electromagnets.
More to discover