Do piezo tweeters sound worse?

[Racket Scientist]

I guess some have noticed I'll get an idea on the brain and worry it to death. Sorry.

Is there some inherent reason piezo tweeters are considered to sound worse than other tweeter types? I've seen several sources that give suggestions in improving their sound, but no real info other than poor attention to how they're used to suggest why they might sound worse than other types. At least in theory I see no reason they shouldn't sound as good, and in some cases even better. On paper, they look great for use as supertweeters (which is how I got interested in the first place).

I was able to track down some frequency response curves for the old CTS designs - they look actually pretty good. I'm thinking if I could find a design for something like a Zobel to tame the rising response (above about 27KHz) so I don't annoy the dogs too much I'll be in business.

 

[Cal Weldon]

They have excellent transient response but they seem to sound like the plastic they are housed in. The orange juicer type is the least offensive to my ears.

 

[TerryO]

One of the reasons that Piezos have a lousy reputation is that they're often used in poorly integrated systems. The "Orange Juice Squeezer" type is often crossed over far too low in frequency to have any chance of sounding good. Unfortunately, they are often touted as not needing a crossover, which really isn't he case, if quality sound is the goal. There are also modifications that will improve upon the sound of a stock piezo.

Here's Jeff's... umm, ah... I mean Godzilla's take on Piezo mods:

http://www.zillaaudio.com/piezo.htm

Best Regards,
TerryO

 

[CLS]

I remember Audax had a "flagship" model a while ago, with a golden and ellitical shape of diaphragm. I have an impression that tweeter was quite expensive and used on several hi end products.

Seems no longer available now.

 

[dabbler]

I once had a pair of the motorola KSN "juice squeezers". Quite good, compared to my dome tweeter sound is clean and uncoloured but a little too
"clinical" for me. Compared to a decent compression driver / horn they are no match. Dynamics are somewhat lacking.