Aurum Cantus or Raven?

[one1speed]

Hey folks. I am putting a new speaker system together that is going to consist of a full ranger (Fostex FE168E Sugma) crossed over to a tweeter. (12" woofer on the low end) I'm going to start using the tweeter as a supertweeter, then I'd like to experiment crossing it in a bit lower, say around 5-7k or so to smooth out the top end.

I thought I'd bring this up over here, assuming you have more experience with tweeters. My original thought was to use a Fostex horn tweeter. Then, with some research, I'm leaning towards a ribbon.

But, which one. If I was going to stick with the supertweeter concept, I'd probably just run with the less expensive Aurum Cantus G2si. But, being that it will cover a wider range down the road, I'm inclined to kick it up a notch.

The Aurum Cantus G2 is at about the top of what I planned to spend. However, if it's really worth the extra to go for the Raven R1, I could make it happen.

Anyone heard both or have a preference? Is there much of a difference? Appreciate any thoughts you'd like to share. Cheers!

[Illusus]

I've got a similar set up to what you have planned, 15" JBL E-140 + Fe166es-R + A.C. G3. I like the ribbon and am very happy with it. The G3 is overkill for the application and I'm fairly positive the G2si would have been enough(I heard one in a different app. and thought it sounded terrific).
The ribbon and fostex driver compliment each other very well, the two really gelled after I removed the whizzer from the fostex and installed a phase plug...seemingly seamless transition after the treatment, before it there was a bit of ragged-ness and confusion around the xo point. The treatment also smoothed out the mid range and added some detail and dynamics.
Can't comment much on the Raven as I've heard one only briefly and a relatively long time ago, but, if nothing else, it's a beautiful piece of engineering. I'd use one if money was a non-issue.

[one1speed]

Illusus

Good to hear from you. Yes, I saw something I liked in your set-up. After much research and messing around, I am going in about the same direction, only with the Fostex 12" FW305 woofer and 168E Sigma, (168 on open baffle). I also have a pair of the 166es-rs to play with. I'll be crossing the low end at 200 hz.

If you don't mind, where are you crossing in the ribbon and what kind of crossover are you using? Do you like the ribbon a lot better than the 166 alone?

I'm basically just trying to decide if the Raven is worth the extra $$.

Thanks!

[Variac]

I run a 2si crossed about 5k above a FE208 sigma

It seems like the bigger, more expensive ribbon tweets are ones that cover most of the mids too. 5k is still a pretty high cross for a tweeter, most tweeters are crossed much lower. IMHO prob isn't as crucial.

I think at 5-7 k the 2si would be perfect, and isn't it a third of the price of the Raven?

I approve of your approach- try 'em as super tweets and enjoy, but also try crossing lower-it might well sound better, and the cross is still above the most crucial part of the midrange..(lower is probably harder to get right, but until you do , you have the super tweeter approach.

If the price of the 2si is what you want to pay, I'd say its a no-brainer. Get 'em and you will be THRILLED.

[Illusus]

In my situation the best results are with the XO at ~about 7kHz (it was actually a second hand recommendation from Dave D.). I tried the xo point from 10k through 6k. I think it has a lot to do with the 'whizzerectomy', which may(I haven't measured yet) have given the Fostex a nice roll-off in that 7k range...the Sigma should integrate nicely. I think that above that combing becomes a bigger issue due to spacing between the drivers. I'd love to try a pair of Sigmas myself but I'm short on funds for a couple months. I have a great design idea for the 166es-r's so when the $ starts flowing again I'll, most likely, buy a pair of Sigmas for the OB's.

I definitely prefer the sound with the tweeter in. It went from 'wow' to 'holy wow!'. The hf detail is amazing and remains easy on the ears. The added hf information rounds out a lot of mid frequencies, some sounds now have resonance artifacts which were missing earlier; decay of cymbals and string instruments became more realistic, ie. longer and more pronounced... twelve string numbers are simply amazing. Everyone that has heard the change so far has made similar comments (so I'm not crazy or everyone I know is just as). For me, a good super tweeter is now almost a must have not just a nice addition. It's still not an absolute necessity for a 'religious' listening experience but it sure helps.

[Cloth Ears]

Had a mate down here in Aus who went through a couple of replacement ribbons for the R1 - although he was crossing it a bit lower than 7K. The Aurum Cantus have pretty much the same sound, so I think they're better value then the Raven.

Go for the smaller one, as the longer ribbons don't have as good dispersion vertically as the shorter ones (I'm spoilt by the folded ribbon in my Elacs, and am always comparing). I'm currently working on some sort of phase plug/shallow horn to try and get better vertical dispersion for my G3's (but all it's doing is showing up my lousy wood-working skills.

[cfbuck]

one1speed,

Just a note on the Raven R1--I had Dennis Murphy design a xover for a 2-way using a Seas W15CY and the Raven. He crossed it at 2700 which was a little low for the Raven but necessary for the Seas. The R1 would prefer at least 3000 so this is well within your parameters. He was astounded at the horizontal dispersion of the Raven--it remains remains consistently the same, as I recall, to 80 degress off axis. He had never seen anything like it. I think that Rick Craig of Selah Audio said this was because it is horn loaded.

Cheers, Fred

[one1speed]

Thanks much, appreciate all your thoughts!

cfbuck, that's interesting. I wondered about that after reading that the vertical dispersion was an issue in many cases.

Cheers!

[planet10]

Originally posted by one1speed
vertical dispersion was an issue

The longer the ribbon the poorer the vertical dispersion. For HF you could generalize that the smaller the tweeter the better.

dave

[Variac]

He was astounded at the horizontal dispersion of the Raven

This is the other hand of the vertical dispersion.

A ribbon is quite tall relative (even the 2si) to a dome which limits dispersion vertically but relatively narrow (like 10mm) which gives better horizontal dispersion...

An advantage of the LCY ribbon tweets is that the have a bout equal hor and vert disp:

http://www.e-speakers.com/products/lcy-components.html