first off i have never heard a ribbon tweeter in my life so this is just my take based on research i was able to do online and i may be wrong, but this is what it looks like to me:
GRS: seems to be fake Fountek, or at least an el cheapo version of it - probably made in the same factory, but with smaller magnets and regular aluminum ribbon ( not sandwich ). the foil is also very thick. efficiency is low for a pure aluminum ribbon.
Fountek: decent ribbon but spotty availability and it is more than a little bit concerning that manufacturer doesn't even have a website. the housing is made of plastic such that for example the front bezel screws into plastic and the "fins" on top and bottom that hold the ribbon also attach to plastic. not very nice.
i feel like the cheap plastic build of Fountek is appropriate at GRS price point ( which uses the same build ) but not at Fountek's price point. you do get bigger magnets in Fountek and it is unclear what kind of ribbon element you get.
Aurum Cantus: 50% heavier than Fountek because it uses no plastic and magnetic return structure is cast iron, not stamped steel. also because plastic is eliminated it has smaller exterior dimensions for same ribbon size, which is beneficial for line arrays maintaining tighter gaps between ribbons. 100db effcient. replacement ribbons sold through PE.
RAAL: very fancy and expensive. you can buy an entire GRS driver for the price of RAAL replacement ribbon. made in Europe. all the other ribbons mentioned above are made in China.
to me personally i think Aurum Cantus is the sweet spot. all metal construction and cheap replacement ribbons.
but ironically Aurum Cantus seems to be the least talked about out of the four ... any ideas why ?
GRS: seems to be fake Fountek, or at least an el cheapo version of it - probably made in the same factory, but with smaller magnets and regular aluminum ribbon ( not sandwich ). the foil is also very thick. efficiency is low for a pure aluminum ribbon.
Fountek: decent ribbon but spotty availability and it is more than a little bit concerning that manufacturer doesn't even have a website. the housing is made of plastic such that for example the front bezel screws into plastic and the "fins" on top and bottom that hold the ribbon also attach to plastic. not very nice.
i feel like the cheap plastic build of Fountek is appropriate at GRS price point ( which uses the same build ) but not at Fountek's price point. you do get bigger magnets in Fountek and it is unclear what kind of ribbon element you get.
Aurum Cantus: 50% heavier than Fountek because it uses no plastic and magnetic return structure is cast iron, not stamped steel. also because plastic is eliminated it has smaller exterior dimensions for same ribbon size, which is beneficial for line arrays maintaining tighter gaps between ribbons. 100db effcient. replacement ribbons sold through PE.
RAAL: very fancy and expensive. you can buy an entire GRS driver for the price of RAAL replacement ribbon. made in Europe. all the other ribbons mentioned above are made in China.
to me personally i think Aurum Cantus is the sweet spot. all metal construction and cheap replacement ribbons.
but ironically Aurum Cantus seems to be the least talked about out of the four ... any ideas why ?