2. speakers
  3. 193024-171531

soft dome versus hard dome tweeters

As my internet window shopping continues, I was reading on some speakers that listed for the tweeter textile dome and also silk dome.

So then I used the 'search discussion' function on this site on the subject of soft versus hard dome tweeters and it seemed as if most of the members who offered opinions used that "harsh" and "fatiguing" and "ringing" to describe how they felt about hard dome speakers. In the admittedly short time that I spent reading, I was not picking up a lot of love for hard dome tweeters.

But there are reputable speaker manufacturers that seem to have gone the extra mile to make their hard dome tweeters as hard as possible using, for example, beryllium or artificial(?) diamond dust.

I wouldn't expect a consensus on much of anything audio, but did I just by luck to find responses by mostly people who prefer soft dome tweeters?  Because if they really sound that bad (harsh/fatiguing/ringing) in comparison, why would reputable manufacturers choose this route?  And I do realize that appreciation of a sonic effect is subjective, so did I just happen on responses by members who had mostly the same subjective perception?

immatthewj
russbutton's avatar
russbutton
443 posts
 

I run a set of Linkwitz Orions I put together in 2006.  They use the SEAS millennium tweeter.  In fact, being an open baffle design, they use 4 of them.  Two facing the front and two facing the rear.  I believe theyʻre crossover at 1000 hz.  Very expense, but thatʻs because they have exceptional power handling.

They have a mid-range that I find to be unsurpassed on acoustic piano, voices and acoustic instruments.  Just incredible. 

That same tweeter is used in any number of hi-end commercial systems, not the least of which are the $14,000+ designs from Joseph Audio.

I canʻt speak to the hard dome tweeters youʻre mentioning, but the SEAS millennium tweeter is just amazing.  Not cheap though...

axeis1
299 posts
 

I really like ribbon tweeters. The ribbon tweeter in the ProAc speakers are exceptional. That said the the Dynaudio Esotar 3 is the best tweeter I’ve ever heard.

firberger's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
firberger
108 posts
 

Personally I prefer soft domes. Have had both .

And,  I also enjoy Ribbon Tweeters

I found hard domes could be fatiguing after an hour and or played loudly .They did seem to have slightly more clarity and precision. Just not my cup of tea over the long haul.

YMMV as expected

avanti1960
1,509 posts
 

Application Application Application

The best sounding tweeter I have ever owned was in a speaker made by Harbeth, it used a Seas aluminum dome with ferrofluid cooling. Cymbals had a magical shimmer to them, midrange had additional detail and the integration between woofer and tweeter was seamless and coherent.

Aluminum domes often take more work and crossover parts to make them sound so exceptional- namely the need for low pass filters on the very top end to squelch any rising breakup distortion.

Get them right and they are hard to beat. Get them wrong and they are impossible to listen to.

livinon2wheels's avatar
livinon2wheels
183 posts
 

I bought two pair of ADC 303AX speakers a while ago and upgraded both of them with soft dome tweeters and rebuilt crossovers and it totall transformed those speakers into something that was quite listenable and even desirable. One pair served in my office for a while as my standard speaker and I loved the acoustic suspension low end plus the soft dome tweeter (ala parts express). It removed the trashy top end the stock tweeter had and replaced it with one I could live with long term. Yeah it worked well. The ADS 303 is a good speaker stock but replacing tweeter and crossover makes them really good. Not ridiculous cost and very satisfying afterwards.

More to discover