Q. re Gemme Tanto Tweeter Replacements

Thanks for the replies.  Though I wasn't able to find an exact replacement at allicdata.com - or anywhere else - Madisound may have a suitable replacement.  I was hoping, however, that there may be some forum members who have actual experience with the Tantos and different tweeters that could comment on how they changed the sound from the originals.  Anyone?

@dekay, apologies, that does look like the correct replacement.  Not sure about shipping from HK to US (or how reliable/trustworthy they are), but it may be something to look into so thanks for the link.

I'm still interested, however, in hearing from anyone about other model replacement tweeters and how they changed the sound.

I just looked at the sensitivity spec of around 85dB @ 4 ohms.

The low spec # is how the designer padded it down.

Hi DeKay.  What do you mean by "padded it down"?  Sorry if this is a nooby question.

DeKay, thanks for the great explanation!  I generally like the sound of the Tantos and have always believed that a large reason for their clarity is due to the lack of a crossover.  I have no real experience in speaker design, though, so that has always been based on my limited understanding.

It sounds as if I were to change tweeter models, the sensitivity rating would be at least as important as any of the other specs.  Food for thought!

After reading multiple reviews of the Tanto V1 I tried to find a good sound demo, but only found bad ones.

I'm not sure what you mean by a sound demo?  Do you mean in-store, at a show, or online?  I tend to think it's very difficult to find anything worthwhile online for hifi speakers, but maybe I'm just not aware of where to look? 

I bought mine used and almost didn't go ahead with the purchase because I didn't love the way they sounded as set up in the prior owner's space.  But the room was very large and sparsely furnished with all hard surfaces.  I tried to listen past the room and ended up buying them because I thought I heard their potential (and really liked both pro and user reviews).  Once I put them in my room which is smaller and has more furniture with a rug, etc., I thought they sounded great! 

Either the music and/or the room was off in the demos I found (one video showed a wall of glass close to and directly behind the speakers).

I tend to agree - for the Tantos but also for a lot of other audio gear.

Online reviews of your speakers were extremely positive, but what got my attention was how they were described as sounding when listened to way off axis in that they had an extremely wide dispersion pattern that worked.

This is one of the features that I was interested in as well - and in this regard I think they perform as advertised.

A few stories as to why I would be inclined to purchase OEM replacement tweeters now (I would go for 4 @ least:-).

You convinced me.  And your stories are hilarious - thanks for sharing!

Regarding attempting to buy the tweeters through allicdata, my purchase seems to be in some kind of limbo.  The sight is a bit strange in that you create an order, and they are supposed to get back to you with a quote.  Although the amount for the part is listed, nothing indicates shipping, which I presume would not be cheap as its coming from Hong Kong, and would likely be the piece that needs to be quoted.  I'll keep pursuing, but its been almost a week with no response and I'm not counting on it.

However, as I indicated in my original post, I would still be interested in any experience with other tweeters in the Tantos.  Even if I had 80 spare originals on hand, it would be great to hear what others thought about various replacements.  My understanding is that a few owners replaced working tweeters to try to upgrade the sound.  Any Tanto owners out there who can comment?