Townshend Maximum Super Tweeters Ribbons, Amazing Results Definite Keepers

+1 Folkfreak

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

Thoughts after a few weeks:

- Not what I expected, for better or for worse! :)  I used to have some Apogee speakers with a very large ribbon, that really beamed the sound intensely right at you...sometimes I liked this, and I was expecting some of that...these don't do that, I suspect because the ribbon is much smaller and operates at a higher frequency range.

- It can be hard to discern if the super tweeters are doing anything, sometimes!  Again, could be good or bad.  If I turn the super tweeters off, the speakers still sound good on their own.  If I turn them on, still the same sound signature, but everything stepped up a notch!  If I turn just one side on and the other side off, you get a fairly strong "pull" to the side that is on...this is how I can tell they are definitely doing "something."  If you play the super tweeters on their own, you get faint "music" playing through them.

The comments above may seem like they are not worth it.  I suppose that is debatable.  I didn't find the improvement to be super-dramatic, as if changing speakers...but they did seem to IMPROVE the speakers, all-around...as much or moreso than changing an amplifier or preamp.  So if you like your speakers now, you'll probably like them even a little more if you add the super tweeters.  If you're looking for a vastly different sound, these aren't going to provide that, just improve what's already there.

I don't have golden ears and I have ZERO room treatments, and even some acoustic instruments in the room (adding resonance), so I may not even be hearing all they can do, but I DO definitely notice a difference/improvement throughout the speakers' frequency range.  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.  Cymbals definitely a bit more natural sounding as well.  

Hope that helps!  Interested to hear from others as well :)

@ddunne83     So, what are you opinions of these super tweeters thus far?  This thread has peaked my interest, but rather than jumping into the deep end immediately, I opted to dip my toes first by purchasing these.
https://www.remusic.it/EN/TakeT-Batpure-supertweeter-9dde2d00

If the results are good then I will likely purchase the Townshends or the TakeT Batpro 2.
 http://www.audiotweak.co.za/products/taket_batpro/

I am interested in hearing critiques from people who have used or are using these or similar products.

Bet they work especially good with horn loudspeakers. In fact, I know they do.

Good to hear, ozzy!  I hope to hear the same results!  Certainly not a cheap "tweak" or "add-on" but hopefully worth it.  With them, my system should cover sub 20Hz - 90khz, not bad!  Mostly, I hope it adds that extra little bit of "air" and speed (high treble) that the KEF's are lacking a bit...not a lot, just a bit, when compared to electrostatics, planars, ribbons.

I owned the Townshend Maximum Super tweeters and they were really awesome! Funny, when you put your ear up close to them you could barely hear them. But boy did they add a nice openness to the sound.
Today, I wish I still had them.

ozzy

Great question, I don't know the answer. I believe the volume dials on the dB 99's need cleaning because the original ones that match and came with the speakers aren't working correctly. I shipped them back several years ago for repair but they were returned and still not working :-(

lak -

Is there any sonic difference that you can tell between the Townshend super tweeters and the super tweeters that came with your dB 99's?

I guess I'll consider mysely lucky because the Towhshend Maximum Super Tweeters sound really good with my Montana EPX  and Von Schweikert dB 99 speakers.

Here's the review that sealed the deal for me, from the Analogue Seduction website (customer review).  Since I have KEF 107's, I'm hoping to hear just what James heard!

" Towhshend Maximum Super TweetersWednesday, 6 April 2016 |  James

Well... I purchased these more to satisfy my curiosity after reading about how they could take a good system and add more clarity and coherence across the entire frequency spectrum. I have had them in my system for three days now and by golly, they really do work. As stated elsewhere, if you isolate them you can just barely hear something going on but it is hardly high in output or very recognizable as musical at least that I can detect anyway. However, add them back to your full-range speakers and it is a whole different story. I recently rebuilt my aging KEF R107 speakers that had ceased working due to completely disintegrated surrounds on all four woofers and tweeters with their voice coils stuck in 30 year old, dried up Ferro Fluid. With rebuild woofers and having disassembled, cleaned and recharged the tweeters, they were sounding very fine indeed so there was no compelling reason to fuss with them by adding super tweeters but boy, am I glad I did! These are still one of the best sounding speakers I have ever heard but with the super tweeter added in, they are elevated to something truly special. The claims others have made are all accurate. The clarity, space and ease across the entire spectrum is not subtle. My wife who knows nothing about any of this when asked to take a listed after I had installed them commented that the system sounded better than ever and proceeded to pretty much describe the improvements in similar terms. Keep in mind she had no idea the tweeters had been added and so was in no way biased. That is a pretty strong commendation in my book. Anyway, these things are really something special and you don't need to have perfect hearing to appreciate the improvements. I am testament to that because my hearing is hardly in pristine shape after all the years of playing in a rock band on the side off an on for the last 45 years. Highly recommended!"

I did not find them a good match for the Nola Contenders, which surprised me.

With the adjustments located on the back of the Super Tweeter it should sound very nice I would think!

Thanks!  Should be here next Monday, can't wait!  Hopefully the reviews agree with what my ears hear.  I read a review that they're a great match with KEF 107's!

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

Oh, I'll be using with KEF 107 speakers.  Any thoughts on hook-up welcome.  Specifically, will the KEF KUBE produce a problem with these?  I understand the KUBE boosts the bass a bit...seems like not a good thing to feed a super tweeter, unless they have a high-pass?  Alternatively, I could feed the super tweeter from my Peachtree Decco 2 (would only drive the super tweeter, currently acting as preamp).  My main amp (powering the 107's) is an Audire Forte.  Also opinions on how important placement will be.  Thoughts welcome!

Yep, thanks, just bought a demo pair.  Will report back with results.

Is this what you are looking for?http://www.townshendaudio.com/supertweeters/
I purchased mine for a store that advertised them on Audiogon at a very reasonable price but I don't see an ad or remember the name.

Anyone have a link to the Townshend super tweeters here on Audiogon?  Not finding any using search.

I have my Townshend Maximum Super Tweeters Ribbons sitting on top of a rubber/cork/rubber block on top of my Montana EPX Speakers. From the beginning, the Montana EPX speakers always sounded very realistic and pleasing to my ears. 
After approximately eight hours of use, I do agree with several comments that bassdude stated above (7/17):

1) "They actually increase the detail resolution from the bass, through the mids, to the highs. The leading edges of notes in all frequencies become sharper, faster, clearer; bass becomes better defined, more textured, and more solid / less boomy; as all frequencies do. There is more presence and a larger, deeper, more airy, life-like soundstage, with more precise image placement and separation. Highs are clearer, with more detail and shimmer".

2) "The sound emanating from the Super Tweeters is not prominent/noticeable in any manner – you can barely hear it when you isolate on the Super Tweeters. But, the aggregate sonic image is noticeably enhanced in virtually all respects – presenting a more life-like sonic sound-scape and image". 

I noticed after several hours of play the Super Tweeters and supplied cables lost their tinny sound and blended in very realistically with my current speakers.

To try to explain the effect I would say it was similar to using a very good integrated amp from the 1970's that gives the listener the ability to adjust the bass, treble and especially the high frequencies.

I ordered my Townshend Maximum Super Tweeters Ribbons from Nick at Emporium Hifi (he is a UK dealer) and received them in less than a week.
I'm happy!

The KEF supertweeters making a small but significant improvement (I think). Can't hear any output from the supertweeter "bullets" atop the KEF -the improvement may be from the (extra) tweeter only. The music being presented in greater relief (instruments have more "identity").
I'll  probably buy the Townshend's as a Christmas present to myself.
My house is sucking up all of my free money at the moment (let's see, supertweeters or dishwasher? Hummm). 

I received my Townshend Maximum Super Tweeters Ribbons late yesterday afternoon but have not had an opportunity to use them with my Montana EPX Speakers. Hopefully tonight or tomorrow I’ll find the time and post my thoughts.
I do understand what super tweeters can do for a speaker since I still own a pair of Von Schweikert dB 99 Speakers with Super Tweeters.

Nutty audiophile alert! -I'm going to put my KEF Ref 201s on top of my Klipsch La Scalla IIs. The KEFs have super-tweeters and are tri-wireable so I can only use the tweeter/super-tweeters. This should give me a good impression of what the Townshends will do. 

check Audiogon listings for Townshend super tweeters seller is offering as new at bargain prices

And for "lak" here's the link:

http://www.analogueseduction.net/townshend-upgrades-parts-accessories/townshend-audio-maximum-super-...

Back in the good old days I was the proud owner of two, count em, pairs of Ultra Tweeters from the makers of the original Intelligent Chip, inported by Golden Sound. In fact, one pair was the Deluxe version. Since Ultra Tweeters operated in the GHz region only with nothing even remotely in the audio band, one assumes they are some sort of quantum thingamabob, like the Intelligent Chip. As such, the Ultra Tweeters can be set up anywhere without concern for time alignment, just connect them to the main speaker terminals.  And I have to say two is better than one.

I recently purchased the Townshend Maximum Super Tweeters to see what improvements they might make to the sound of my speakers – not that the speakers were deficient in any way – after all they’re some of the best sounding speakers made at any price – the now famous Wavetouch Audio Grand Tetons / Anteros.

While these amazing monitors produce incredibly life-like sound in all respects, I had read the reviews of the TM Super Tweeters and was curious if they could actually improve the sound quality of any speaker in the manner the reviews reported.

Well… in sum… “hell yeah” they can and do!

I’m not sure how they do it… but… they actually increase the detail resolution from the bass, through the mids, to the highs. The leading edges of notes in all frequencies become sharper, faster, clearer; bass becomes better defined, more textured, and more solid / less boomy; as all frequencies do. There is more presence and a larger, deeper, more airy, life-like soundstage, with more precise image placement and separation. Highs are clearer, with more detail and shimmer.

The sound emanating from the Super Tweeters is not prominent / noticeable in any manner – you can barely hear it when you isolate on the Super Tweeters. But, the aggregate sonic image is noticeably enhanced in virtually all respects – presenting a more life-like sonic sound-scape and image.

While they are a bit pricey for such small tweeks, the overall sonic result justifies the investment. Recommended for those who have the budget for such tweeks, who are seeking that extra bit of realism from their music sources. I think you’ll be as amazed as I have been.

And by the way... don't purchase them at Music Direct... you can buy them for much, much less directly from Analogue Seduction in the UK!  Fast, responsive service with a return option.  But... I doubt you'll be returning them.

http://hifipig.com/townshend-audio-engineering-seismic-speaker-bars/

review of the speaker bars same company Townshend Audio

http://hifipig.com/townshend-audio-engineering-maximus-supertweeters/

review of super tweeters

hi
the brackets are used only if you have QUAD loudspeakers im guessing the electrostatic type, normal box speakers the tweeters just sit on top, check out hifi pig review i will send a link

https://www.musicdirect.com/furniture/townshend-brackets-for-maximum-super-tweeter-pr
What do you think? $10 ea. at Home Depot?

check audiogon for sale

@mains, how about a copy and paste for an address to purchase the Townshend Super Tweeters?

please make sure we are talking about the same product i do not know of any brackets.

I'm quoting prices from Music Direct in U.S.A. $1599 & $250 (brackets). Thanks for the alternative source, however.

hi dweller,
the Townshend Super Tweeters are available on audiogon for $800 by 
Emporium Hifi he is a UK dealer been around 25 years Nick is a great chap he delivers worldwide

hi 
i am very confused what are you referring to with 1600 and 250 for brackets, the Townshend super tweeters i have are 899gbp but are available here on audiogon in the for sale listings for cheaper prices, i know the UK dealer Emporium hifi go and have a look please 
all you need is in the box just a pair of ribbon super tweeters with connecting cables good luck you will not regret the purchase 

Live with them for a few months and report back. Sure, I'd like to have them if they make a difference, but just tired of getting ripped off ($1600? and $250 for the brackets that hold them? Give me a break).