I'm old too, I don't recall a Fostex Omega series driver and it's not on their discontinued list. Discontinued Models : Speaker Components : Fostex
Are you confusing Sigma and ∑ Sigma with Omega?
Or is this what you are referring to? 6moons audio reviews: Omega Loudspeaker Systems TS33 FollowUp
Are you confusing Sigma and ∑ Sigma with Omega?
Or is this what you are referring to? 6moons audio reviews: Omega Loudspeaker Systems TS33 FollowUp
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vizion,
The grey cones of the Alpair 11MS are still in stock:
Markaudio Alpair-11MS Grey Cone 6.5" Full Range
So is the Alpair 10P:
Markaudio Alpair-10P Paper Cone 6" Full Range: Madisound Speaker Components
vizion,
Cannot comment on how these would compare to one another, as I have no experience with the Cain and Cain Ben Horns or the Alpair MS. 🙂 Also there is the question of room, source, amplifier, and material playing when you heard them...
I've heard the Alpair 10P and found it smoother vs Fostex drivers like the FE166EN or the FE206EN. The top range is less prominent than the Alpair 10.3 metal, and that can be a good or bad thing, based on what someone prefers.
Btw, none of the Alpair drivers had the more forward presentation of the few Fostex drivers I have heard; but in the cabinets I listened to (MLTL, bass-reflex, and BLH types), the top to bottom frequency coverage of the Alpair drivers was better.
Some folks also like the Tang Band W5-2143.
Cannot comment on how these would compare to one another, as I have no experience with the Cain and Cain Ben Horns or the Alpair MS. 🙂 Also there is the question of room, source, amplifier, and material playing when you heard them...
I've heard the Alpair 10P and found it smoother vs Fostex drivers like the FE166EN or the FE206EN. The top range is less prominent than the Alpair 10.3 metal, and that can be a good or bad thing, based on what someone prefers.
Btw, none of the Alpair drivers had the more forward presentation of the few Fostex drivers I have heard; but in the cabinets I listened to (MLTL, bass-reflex, and BLH types), the top to bottom frequency coverage of the Alpair drivers was better.
Some folks also like the Tang Band W5-2143.
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I have Alpair10p and W5-2143.
I keep returning to the latter, mainly for its overall balance; has a bit more top end air, at least to my ears.
I keep returning to the latter, mainly for its overall balance; has a bit more top end air, at least to my ears.
vizion - good luck getting a response from anyone here with sufficient experience and flawless acoustic memory to objectively opine on the comparison between Terry Cain’s Ben (an almost 20yr old design), and any current driver and enclosure designs readily available to the DIYer, but I’ll obliviously venture into that minefield.
I did have occasion to meet with Terry at a couple of VSAC events in 2001 and 2003, and heard several of his full range speakers: the original BIB (FE164?), the single and double BENs (FE208) and both versions of the Abby (FF165K and FE166E). Sometime in the mid 2000s - after the 2003 show, I think it was, a buddy of mine replaced a pair of Hammer Dynamics Super 12s ( which I personally found to be very “colourful”) with Abbys - he tried both drivers and I much preferred the FF165K.
Zia has summarized things nicely, but I’ll add that the Alpair 10P is well worth consideration, and there are dozens of enclosures of several topologies designed by Dave and Scott for the entire MA line - heck, I’ve even built some of them.
As a very broad generalization, the A10P could probably be considered closer to the sonic signature of the Sigma or more recent WK series of Fostex drivers than the FE series that were current when Terry was active.
Gosh, I wonder what he’d make of the embarrassment of riches with which we DIYers are blessed these days, both in terms of drivers and electronics.
I did have occasion to meet with Terry at a couple of VSAC events in 2001 and 2003, and heard several of his full range speakers: the original BIB (FE164?), the single and double BENs (FE208) and both versions of the Abby (FF165K and FE166E). Sometime in the mid 2000s - after the 2003 show, I think it was, a buddy of mine replaced a pair of Hammer Dynamics Super 12s ( which I personally found to be very “colourful”) with Abbys - he tried both drivers and I much preferred the FF165K.
Zia has summarized things nicely, but I’ll add that the Alpair 10P is well worth consideration, and there are dozens of enclosures of several topologies designed by Dave and Scott for the entire MA line - heck, I’ve even built some of them.
As a very broad generalization, the A10P could probably be considered closer to the sonic signature of the Sigma or more recent WK series of Fostex drivers than the FE series that were current when Terry was active.
Gosh, I wonder what he’d make of the embarrassment of riches with which we DIYers are blessed these days, both in terms of drivers and electronics.
I'd say our late friend would be loving it. 🙂
As I recall, Terry's pre-production prototype BIBs (never went into series production) ran the original whizzer cone FE168Sigma; I think that's one reason it never got released -the driver was replaced, and he didn't have time to redesign the cabinet for the new model.
As I recall, Terry's pre-production prototype BIBs (never went into series production) ran the original whizzer cone FE168Sigma; I think that's one reason it never got released -the driver was replaced, and he didn't have time to redesign the cabinet for the new model.