Zaph ZA5.2 vs. SEAS L15-27TBFC/G

[pmt]

As most probably know, the Zaph ZA5 family of speaker designs use ZA14W08 mid/woofers and Vifa DQ25SC05-04 tweeters. I recently put together a pair of the ZA5.2 (small sealed box) and listened to them compared to my best DIY effort to date, that uses the SEAS drivers. My SEAS satellites are also small sealed boxes and use crossovers based on previous Zaph work. In both cases, the satellites are actively crossed over to 12" woofers at 200 Hz.
After much listening, I was surprised to find that the $13 Vifa tweeter sounded very similar to the SEAS 27TBFC/G. They don't sound identical, but to my ears their performance is quite close. I probably slightly prefer the SEAS, but others might choose the Vifa.
The ZA14W08 is a better midrange than the L15, which is perhaps not too unexpected. I've always liked the sound of the L15 - best of the numerous 5" and 6" drivers I've accumulated over the years. But the ZA14W08 is noticeably more accurate and natural sounding in the midrange frequencies than the L15.
I haven't heard and can't afford the SEAS W15, which many have said is a better sounding 5" than the L15. But for $40 each the ZA14W08 sounds good enough to my ears to satisfy me.

pmt

[Michael Chua]

The ZA14 is a good midwoofer. I have mine with a Vifa XT25SC90.

What crossover are you using with your Vifa DQ25SC05?

[pmt]

I used the crossover as designed by Zaph for his ZA5.2 speaker, for both the ZA14W08 and the Vifa DQ tweeter. For the tweeter it is a simple 2nd order (electrical) high pass filter - 8.2 microfarad cap and 0.35 mH coil. Also, an L-pad matches the Vifa's output with the ZA14W08's much lower sensitivity - especially with Zaph's baffle step compensation in the low pass crossover used on the ZA14W08.

[Michael Chua]

As long as its above 3K, the smaller tweeters like the Vifa DQ25SC05 are fine. I had to cross my XT25 at 3K5 at 18dB. Lower than that, it sounds distressed.

The larger tweeters (SEAS 27TBFC/G) are good for a lower crosspoint. Usually specified at 2K5 at 12dB. They are often paired with larger woofers (6-1/2") because the bigger the woofer, the earlier the roll off.

If you cross your SEAS 27TBFC/G at 2K5, you will hear the difference. But it's a bit of an overkill with the ZA14.