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Need a review of Tyler's Ref 3's,

That would be his 3 way, W26/W17/T25. There is a chance I may upgrade one day from my Thor's and the only spaeker that intersts me is this 3 way. What I'm hoping for is a subtle deep bass from the W26 acting as a sub but intergrating with the W17 and not overpowering the top end. Can I get an opinion please. Yeah I am obsessed with the Seas and want to have that W26 in my system. The Thors with the dual W17's are nice, no complaints at all. However if I turn up the vol, the mids really come through too strong at times, cressendos in certain classical pieces really makes too much of a presence. But I'm wondering with the Ref3 if I will hear orchestral/mids as less dense with the loss of the added W17 in the Thor. With all things audio you have to give up something to gain something else.
Any ideas?
bartokfan

Showing 2 responses by jlupine

jlupine
13 posts
 
I've heard the Ref. 3 and Ty's Linbrook, which resembles your Thor. I own the Ref. 1--which uses a single W17 like the Ref. 3. I haven't noticed greater orchestral density with the MTM arrangement. The Excel is a very expressive driver, and it's probably a challenge for some HF and LF drivers to match the level or the dynamics of even a single W17. Because the MTM can't go as deep as a well designed three-way, it isn't surprising that the balance on orchestral music isn't quite right. On the other hand, I heard serious orchestral confusion even with a woofer available on the original Gallo Ref. 3. In that case, it might be because of using lesser drivers or as an artifact of the MTM design.

I haven't seen professional reviews of the the Ref. 3, but Stereo Times has one of the Ref. 1.

jlupine
13 posts
 
The Ref. 1 uses 12" Peerless woofers (isobaric) with a second-order crossover at 80 Hz., the W17, and a ScanSpeak Revelator 9900 with a third-order crossover at 2300 Hz. (if I remember correctly). Ty later added a notch filter for the W17. The isobaric design involved elaborate cabinetry, and the smaller footprint of the Ref. 2s--which I believe used two 8" Seas drivers--and later, the Ref. 3's,had enough appeal that Ty dropped the Ref. 1 from the line. In principle, of course, the W17-W26 transition should be smoother. I think that the Millenium is considered a little smoother and the Revelator is considered a bit more detailed.

Jan
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