Recommendations for a tweeter for Fostex fe-126e?

[boidos]

Hi all, I have a pair of fostex fe-126e drivers in small bookshelf enclosures. Can someone recommend a tweeter that would match up well with this driver to add some top end sizzle when needed. I was thinking of the fostex Supertweeter or even a fountek ribbon . I am using a 2a3 4 watt single ended amp. I was hoping to run it with just a cap for the crossover.
thanks!

[PJN]

Since you'll be crossing to a tweeter so high in frequency you really don't need to spend a lot on a fancy tweeter. One of the small neo tweeters from Parts express, or something similar would work just fine. I'm guessing you be bringing the tweeter in first order with just a capacitor and maybe a trimming resistor.

PJN

[chrisb]

The first one that comes to mind would be the FT17H. Due to its higher sensitivity, to keep the XO down to a single cap, you would certainly want to experiment with raising the turn-over frequency to at least 12-15kHz.

But before you add any type of tweeter to the FE126E, have you investigated mitigation of the resonances in the 6-7kHz area? These are notably smoothed in official published FR specs, but I think have been independently verified, and certainly contribute to the forward (even strident to some ears) "presence" in the upper midrange that can overshadow the last octave and half or so.

There are physical as well as electronic methods of dealing with this issue, that depending on the sensitivity of your hearing, as well as system synergy, could eliminate the need for tweeter.

[planet10]

Chris has a point... before you add a supertweeter, getting the FE126e as good as it can be 1st is a good idea... here is a thread on (part of) the subject EnABL How-To for Fostex FE127e and other speakers

The other thing is that in a BR, the 126 is going to be bass shy... extending the top end without fixing the bottom will tip the apparent balance of the speaker up.

dave

[boidos]

THanks for the tips.. I am using the 126's with a sub at the moment and it fills out the bottom end nicely. Eventually I would like 2 subs for proper stereo. I was just hoping for a tweeter to add some more sparkle occasionally. I have used a fountek pro5i before and liked it but its probably overkill here.

[rabbitz]

I've heard of one of these used with a Coral Flat 10 with great results using a 1uF cap. Cheap enough and sourced in Oz.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Foster-Supert...3A1%7C294%3A50

Would require a bit of padding with the Fostex due to the SPL variation. It would be beneficial to add a small inductor to the Fostex to help roll of the top end and allow the filter to function better. A cap alone usually causes higher phase and impedance phase variations but a lot are happy using only the cap.

A BSC (LR) circuit might help the overall presentation (listened to a FE127E once without one ).

[planet10]

Originally posted by rabbitz
I've heard of one of these used with a Coral Flat 10 with great results using a 1uF cap. Cheap enough and sourced in Oz.

He is charging so much for them thou... i just sent a pair including post to Oz for $75 USD.

dave

[rabbitz]

They're not expensive in my eyes as they are cheaper than what we pay for the SEAS 27TDFC which is a budget tweeter.

The following does not relate to your operation but I have had real problems with international purchases over the last 12 months with items not packed correctly for international shipping or being inspected prior to shipment. Hence I have been receiving damaged shipments or items that were defective. All were reputable suppliers and none had bad intentions or were trying to pull a fast one.

The problem is the distance and cost of returns and the fact that our consumer laws have no power on international suppliers. If bought in Australia we are covered and do have a good system for recovery. The international suppliers I've used are under no obligation and depends on their policies.

In my most recent case I have received a defective driver and if the US supplier and/or distributor come to the party, it will cost me almost as much for shipping both directions than the cost of the driver as they would only be replacing the driver. So for 2 drivers it will cost almost the same as 3 (>AU$600). I have now found a local supplier and even though the price is greater by 25%, it's better overall value when I look the history over the last 12 months not to mention peace of mind.

The other fact is to support our locals in these times.

[lazyfly]

Peter,

The Foster is a great tweeter with the Coral. Love it. Love them both, but...

What about the Audax with the FE126? $50pr. Tiny, great dispersion, cheap and local. Shouldn't need any padding either (91dB).

http://www.hautparleur.fr/_audax/aw010e1.jpg

For the Audax, check Rabbitz link for sellers other items.

[rabbitz]

The FE126 has too high a SPL (93dB) for the little Audax but could be used if some BSC was applied.

Would work fine with the FE127E. You need to try one with your horny letterbox speaker.