Tweeter Comparison

[lewisd]

MDT 30S
Vifa XT25
Usher (suggestions???)
Peerless HDS 810921
Seas 27TBFCG
Scan-Speak 9500

Im interested in opinions about these tweeters. How would they perform in a 2-way bookshelf?
The tweeter would be paired with a Usher 8945A 7"mid-woofer crossed over at 2400Hz.

This bookshelf will be used as a high end monitor.

the vifa,seas,scan-speak and peerless are on zaph's site

Thanks in advance

[FullThrottleRic]

I use the Scan 9500 in my system at the moment. They are very 'polite' tweeters, never fatiguing to listen to and very smooth. Possibly not the most detailed tweeter in the world but a good all rounder. The XT25 is another good tweeter, although not suited to your application as they dont like to be crossed too low.

The others I've not used, although a lot of people seem to like the Peerless.

[sdclc126]

Best advice I can offer:

http://www.zaphaudio.com/tweetermishmash/

http://www.zaphaudio.com/audio-speaker17.html

http://www.zaphaudio.com/BAMTM.html

[TurboFC3S]

Any of those can cross at 2400hz, no problem. I've seen people say that they've used the XT25 down to 1800hz and it sound excellent.

You really can't go wrong with any of those choices, probably my least favorite would be the TBFC/G ... it does have a touch of a metallic edge to it.

Any other options you're considering? I've heard people use the Hiquphon (spelled wrong probably) OWI down to 2000hz, and it's a very very open and engaging tweeter. There are also a ton of ribbons you can use that low, Parts Express has some great deals on Aurum Cantus ribbons right now.

[joe carrow]

I agree that most of those tweeters could cross even lower than that, and all should sound great.

Just due to maintaining continuous directivity, I'd recommend moving the crossover point down a bit. The woofer will be beaming by 2.4 khz, and the tweeter will have very wide dispersion. Another way to go is to use a waveguide to control dispersion of the tweeter, and improve the tweeter's range by reducing distortion at its low end.

I can see you wanting to do this project your own way just to get the experience and satisfaction of designing your own, but have you seen the Parts Express project using that woofer?

http://www.partsexpress.com/projects...r701/index.cfm

The designer is well regarded, but I haven't reviewed the crossover to see if I follow exactly what was done. This project might be a good starting point for you.

[cfbuck]

Here is another Usher 8945 design by Dennis Murphy in which he used the Usher 9950 tweeter to analyze for your project. He crossed at 2200 with a L/R 4th order.

http://murphyblaster.com/content.php?f=usher2way.html

I built a pair for my son and he is very pleased with them. He lives in TO if you live in the GTO area were interested in hearing them to get an idea of the performance.

[5th element]

MDT 30S
Vifa XT25
Usher (suggestions???)
Peerless HDS 810921
Seas 27TBFCG
Scan-Speak 9500

Out of those I've used the MDT30s and the scan.

The morels are smooth, unfatiguing, can be crossed low and handle a lot of power.

The scan is much the same, its been so long since I've done a comparison I can't remember much between the two, I agree with what FullThrottleRic said about them though, very easy to listen to. It's also been over a year since I've actually listened to the 95's. I use the 97's myself and they are excellent and do uncover an extra level of detail along with a greater sense of 'speed', then the other two. Both tweeters sound similar, with the 97 having an obvious edge over the 95. Many people have mentioned the 97 sounding firey, this hasn't been my experience, but they WILL show up any issues if your source+amplification isn't up to the same standards, anything grainy or gritty and its presented to you in all its (glory).

The general consensus surrounding the XT is don't cross over too low, it's distortion does increase dramatically as frequency decreases, even though it's flat out to around 500hz. ~2400hz would be fine with a steepish xover, but lower and I would choose another tweet. Although it wouldn't sound 'bad' lower, you can get better performance on paper.

If you can build someone else's design, 99% chance it will sound better then what you will come up with yourself, unless you have measuring software + CAD. So a design like Dennis Murphy's would be highly recommended, you will end up with a great pair of speakers. Then if you wish to have a go at designing yourself, familiarise yourself with Adua's loudspeaker workshop (its free) and go on from there.

I sound like a stick in the mud if you were looking forward to building something you had designed yourself. If this is your goal, to have fun playing around, then by all means knock yourself out, but I'd use the same drivers, that say Dennis has a design for, so you have something to fall back on if what you cook up doesn't live up to standards.

Matt

[lewisd]

Thanks everyone for your replies they are all good points.

This is not my first speaker project and i am very interested in building my own again. BAsically what im after is having detailed highs and mids while having robust bass (above averagefor a monitor bookshelf, thats why im looking at the Usher 8945A)

My reference monitor will also need to have good off-axis response. I would like to have a crossover of 2 kHz so the Usher isnt beaming or forward sounding. The xt25 is my ideal choice but i hate the off-axis response, thats why im interested in the Morel MDT-30S, it can be crossed over lower and is better that average off-axis. Mark K has some distortion graphs as well as off-axis response.

thanks

[R. Jamm]

Has anyone used the Linaeum or the round planar tweeter in their DIY projects? If so, what was the outcome?

R.