Supertweeters

[Covenant]

I am intrigued by supertweeters. Most people say they don't hear much out of them but they make a difference. Why don't manufacturers of speakers stick them in their boxes? How do you connect them?
Let's have some views from AOS members who have tried them.

[walpurgis]

If the output from a supertweeter is audibly noticeable, then it's not being used correctly.

They have been 'stuck in boxes' as it were. IMF, Spendor, Rogers and B&W used them to augment the top end of speakers that featured the Celestion HF1300 tweeter.

I've tried supertweeters in various configurations. They do work, but should operate at a level where what they do is only noticed by its absence. In other words, if you have them running, then disconnect them and the music seems to 'shrink' a bit, then you are getting the desired effect when they are connected.

I've tried Coles 4001 series units, KEF T27, Celestion HF2000, Decca DK30 ribbons, Isophon horns and even the Goodmans DT3 amongst others. The HF2000 and DK30 being far better than the others, probably because of their smooth response.

Supertweeters are easy to try out. Just wire them up with a series capacitor. Start with a very small value, for an 8 ohm unit maybe 0.1 uF and work upwards in values until the effect on the sound is noticed. Fancier filters can be used giving steeper slopes, but a single cap is OK for experimentation. You can play with the phase too, by reversing polarity. This can improve things, or not.

[YNWaN]

Literally every 'super-tweeter' I have encountered (including my own) have produced significant output well into the audible spectrum - in other words, well below 20 KHz.

Gotta go right now but will write a bit more on the subject later.

[tapid]

Many rave reviews about the Townshend super tweeters, even improving bass performance apparently ?, never had an audition. Can vouch for
some of his other stuff though, interesting subject.

[Spectral Morn]

Its like the effect of ATRAC on Mini Disc, frequencies and info felt by the process that are not heard are discarded in the recording, but this process is audible and presents a drop in quality. In reverse sound we are not supposed to be able to hear still has an impact on us and this where super tweeters come in..... at least that is what the theory says.

Not had an opportunity to try an add on super tweeter, but my Anthony Gallo Reference 3s tweeter is a super tweeter.

[anthonyTD]

Hi All,
I have been using a pair of the townshend Super tweeters for a while now, and yes, not only do they affect the high frequency perception,and imaging, but the bass is also improved, I have pondered about why this might be, and there are sevral theories.
Even my Dad who is now 78 comented one day when he came in the room for listen, I played a track on the system without them, and then again with them in, and he could imediately hear the diffrence, so much so, that he decided to purchase a pair for himself!
As we get older in genral, our high frequency perception drops off, so if you think about a super tweeter as just a high frequency extension, then certainly in my Dads case anyway, they shouldnt realy make any diffrence, but they clearly do.
Now I am not saying they are the be all, and end all, and some may try them, and find their presence to intruding, or be less than impressed by what they experience, However [IMHO] they do seem to have an affect on most' if not all the Audio frequency bandwidth, which until you hear it, its hard to imagine this to be the case.
A...

[Ammonite Audio]

If you resolve bass information from real instruments, there are HF harmonic components stretching out to the auditory horizon and beyond. Those harmonics are essential to the 'feel' and 'shape' of the instrument's sound across all frequencies, but this is why supertweeters can have an apparent effect on bass reproduction, even though simplistic 20Hz-20kHz frequency domain thinking tells us that this cannot happen.

[struth]

When i tried them, i perceived an effect on bass too, although i was informed by the informed that this cannot happen.. still, it did in my view.. Overall i preferred the system without them. Still have a couple of sets lying in shed unused... ribbon and horn i think. One boxed set i used were sold to someone on here...

[PaulStewart]

If you resolve bass information from real instruments, there are HF harmonic components stretching out to the auditory horizon and beyond. Those harmonics are essential to the 'feel' and 'shape' of the instrument's sound across all frequencies, but this is why supertweeters can have an apparent effect on bass reproduction, even though simplistic 20Hz-20kHz frequency domain thinking tells us that this cannot happen.

I've mentioned this before on AoS, going back to research I did when I was at JVC in the late 70s. You also have to take into account the intermodulation of the ultrasonic with the audible frequencies. This intermodulation product is both audible and measurable, albeit at very low level. It all helps to give us better perception of the soundstage. Inter modulation of sub bass and audible frequencies is part of the equation too.

[daytona600]

subs improve HF & supertweeters improve LF
most normal STs are not really getting high into ultrasonics 30/40khz usually , great STs get way up to 150khz