So, I'm looking to build a desktop 3-way and, for some reason, I've always been fascinated by AMT's. My design is still very much in the beginning phase, but I'm thinking a Dayton Audio RS100 with a Dayton AMT Mini-8 or (more probable) a Dayton AMT-2 with very shallow crossovers (since the RS100 has a lot of highs and is often used even without a tweeter). The thing is, I hear great reviews about AMT's, but their frequency graph kinda.....well, kinda sucks even compared to a $20 Dayton dome tweeter. How is it that AMT's are often described as "open", "crystal", "smooth", "invisible", "airy", "transparent", and are generally (seemingly) considered a significant upgrade over cheaper dome tweeters when their response is "meh" at best?
There are lots of articles on the AMT out there. Basically, instead of moving in and out like a piston(dome or cone) the pleats open and close squeezing the air out making the sound waves. They have a large surface area and since the voice coil(actually the zig zag trace on the plastic film) is moving very little mass it is quick to respond to the signal and very detailed. I love AMTs especially the bipolar ones like the ESS great Heil. It’s very efficient and the impedance is ruler flat so any amp can drive it easily and xovers are easy to do. They don’t suffer from high frequency break up and are relatively low distortion. Try it you’ll like it!
Look up Kevin K over on PETT. He did a design called the Archers with the RS100 and Mini8 that sounded really good. Another is the Small Batch from ketheredge.
Parts express tech talk:
https://techtalk.parts-express.com/forum/tech-talk-forum/1283738-translam-desktops-my-mwaf-entry
https://techtalk.parts-express.com/forum/tech-talk-forum/1283738-translam-desktops-my-mwaf-entry