Townshend Maximum Super Tweeters Ribbons, Amazing Results Definite Keepers


hi
i am using various cd players as i am upgrading but i have kept the lector cdp707 in now fora week or so, a dealer friend brought round a pair of Max Super Tweeters, he connected them up in less than 2 mins using the supplied cables, he set the level at 3 from a choice of 1-6, we sat down and i played one of my all time favorites Neil Young Comes a Time 
i now this album very well but not heard it like this before, the attack of the guitars, the extra resolution and bite of the guitars was nothing short of amazing, there was more snap to the drum beat, the top end is so much more realistic and enjoyable, while the mid range has gained resolution and body, the vocals are very natural sounding but also revealing, the bass seems to have improved, there is definitely more of it
its early days but im keeping them and i am very happy with level 3, my speakers are soundlabs dynastats,
Is anyone else using Maximum Super Tweeters ? and are your findings the same or similar to mine i am really happy with mine its another case of how did i live without them all comments and experiences are very welcome thank you
mains

Showing 2 responses by folkfreak

Regarding super-tweeters I have the Sopranino's from EnigmaAcoustics and enjoy many of the same benefits others have described with the Townshend's

A few suggestions however having lived with them for over a year now
  1. Make sure you take time to get them time and phase aligned, for a long period I had mine set up skewed in relative to the speakers, I thought the additional treble energy sounded best that way but what I subsequently discovered was that I was actually compensating for excess reflected energy around my seat, once I addressed that aligning the supertweeters exactly with the speakers made a great difference in dimensionality and a much more realistic performance all round. You can also purchase tiny spikes to make sure they point at ear level (something like this https://www.ebay.com/itm/10pcs-Threaded-Spikes-Replacement-Body-Jewelry-Parts-Steel-14g-16g-3x3-4x12...) Net net adding STs may throw up some room acoustic issues you need to address
  2. Invest in good quality cables to connect them -- going from a $100 pair to Audience AU24SE was a good step -- look out for cheap short pairs used on the 'Gon
  3. After you've lived with them for a while dial back the level -- drop 3dB and maybe up the cross over -- likely you'll find you had then too hot at first and that the majority of benefit is from having as little from the ST as possible (especially after you address #1 above)
  4. Look into tweaks -- wrapping tiny bits of foQ damping material around the speaker cables where they connect to the ST is very audible -- given STs will pick up and radiate any HF hash in your system it behooves you to work to eliminate this and the foQ material is very helpful in this regard
Anyway have fun -- I'm sure you'll enjoy what they add
Somehow the super tweeters seem to improve the PRAT (pace, rhythm, and timing...not sure how this is possible) and add to the realism of the sound and add slightly more air.
Deployed correctly this is exactly what you should hear. If you can hear more sizzle or audible HF then you've likely got the ST turned up too high or the crossover too low. When correctly set up you shouldn't be aware that the ST are on, in terms of frequency balance that is. What you will hear are crisper leading edges to percussion and percussive bass (e.g. the fingers on a bass guitar) -- all of which contributes to the PRAT you correctly describe.

This is based on my experience with the Sopraninos -- most recently after a year or so with them I've realized they sound even better dialed down 3dB -- once I addressed some room issues with near to ear reflections I realized I was hearing too much from the STs, sometimes you think it's nice to have a bit more HF on a disc but when you switch the 3dB back up again it's obvious it's audibly etchy and unnatural

So rather like subwoofers these sorts of things work best when you're not even sure they're on