Super Tweeters - Fact or Flights of Fancy?

[Clive]

Sorry Mark, but Red book is capable of less than 1Hz, in fact it can go to DC or as near as damn it

IIRC, the red book spec stops at 20Hz, it's simply that this part of the spec gets ignored. Just as well as I find CD test tones a great way to speed up the break-in for new woofers. 8Hz being one of the tones I use.

[Ashmore]

it's a good thread this. I, like Hamish and others, wouldn't mind having a go with some supertweeters but it seems from this thread that you either have Maplins jobbies at 10 quid (got to be crap?) or Pioneer et al top notch from £400 an upwards. Is there no middle ground? Something at 150 notes would be pretty appealing...

[goraman]

it's a good thread this. I, like Hamish and others, wouldn't mind having a go with some supertweeters but it seems from this thread that you either have Maplins jobbies at 10 quid (got to be crap?) or Pioneer et al top notch from £400 an upwards. Is there no middle ground? Something at 150 notes would be pretty appealing...

Fostex made some very nice ones here in the states for Radio Shack,they are branded Realistic, They are a real value and not over priced,watch ebay.http://www.ebay.com/itm/Realistic-Su...#ht_500wt_1361


more Fostex super tweeters
http://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/super-tweeters/

[Darren]

IIRC, the red book spec stops at 20Hz, it's simply that this part of the spec gets ignored. Just as well as I find CD test tones a great way to speed up the break-in for new woofers. 8Hz being one of the tones I use.

Hi Clive,
I've never experienced 8Hz. Can you actually hear that frequency? or do you sense it a vibration?

[Clive]

Hi Clive,
I've never experienced 8Hz. Can you actually hear that frequency? or do you sense it a vibration?

Can't hear it, can't even feel it (unless I want to destroy the drivers). I can see it though

[Reid Malenfant]

Good tweeter design means more than the materials used. Some well designed aluminium tweeters are known to have their first break up modes way out of the audible range. Also titanium has been similarly 'engineered' Remember JBLs pleated titanium tweeters? It's simply not true to say that aluminium tweeters begin to break up at 16kh - it's just too sweeping a generalisation.

You are quite right Darren, I should have said that some aluminium tweeters beging breakup at 16KHz. A lot of it is down to design as you point out. How thick the material is, the shape of the dome, the youngs modulus of the alloy used etc, etc...

Hi Clive,
I've never experienced 8Hz. Can you actually hear that frequency? or do you sense it a vibration?

I'll let you know what 120Db @ 10Hz sounds & feels like some time next year

[goraman]

Hi Clive,
I've never experienced 8Hz. Can you actually hear that frequency? or do you sense it a vibration?

At 120db. you just crap your pants for no apparent reason, 9HZ. is the brown note.

It pretty much makes your bowels vibrate all your Butt Mud to the nearest exit.

[Haselsh1]

I use Dali Ikon 1's which have a fabric domed tweeter and a ribbon supertweeter for extended frequencies. The supertweeter definitely creates a sound that is audible producing as it does a rather beautiful space and air to the sound and a nice 'sparkle'. I love this addition to what would otherwise be quite ordinary.

[simon g]

I use floor standers in my 2nd system that have rear facing 'supertweeters'. As an experiment I did a listening session with them covered over with a piece of card. I could certainly sense a loss of space and precision in instrument placement. This was hardly a scientific test though, as expectation bias could have played a role. However, I have tried it on others and not told them whether covered or not, and all (well, OK, 2!) could tell one 'state' from the other.

Of course, I don't know what the cross over frequency is for these, so they may be just reproducing much of the front facing tweeter information just at a lower SPL. I can certainly hear them doing something though, so at least part of their output must be within the hearing range of someone who is 50 something.

[worrasf]

I had a pair of Townshend supertweeters very nice gloss black finish custom factory finish so I have some experience.

I first used them atop a pair of Quad 22L's driven by a Chord power amp via an Icon Audio passive preamp there was no doubt they "made a difference". Bizarrely, when switched in (setting 3 was best) they extended the bass a tad but also improved the focus of the soundstage) I did a blind-test with a mate and we both could hear the difference with them in. Interestingly, the biggest difference was with DVD's and less so with CD/MP3 and less still with vinyl.

When I changed to the Croft Pre/Power and the Epos M22i's there was no audible difference with them in or out and so I sold them on.

Looking back I think they are a huge cost for a little audible benefit - certainly poor bang-for-your-buck

Steve