Hi. I am looking for help with choice of tweeter for my friend's speaker system.
He owns a large pair of fairly old home-made speakers. He didn't actually make them himself but he bought them from a friend.
Originally they had 12" Kef bass drivers, Kef B110's and an unidentifiable 1 1/4" tweeter. He uses them in a mid to low-end Hi-fi/AV system.
Recently 2 things happened:
Firstly, his one of his old Kef bass drivers blew so the 12"s were replaced with Peerless SPH-315s. (Ok so far, they are not so bad for the price but I would personally have gone for something by Volt, i think).
Secondly, me and my partner recently bought a pair of Linn Isobariks in excellent condition. They have the Hyquphon tweeters and as soon as my friend heard them, he decided it was definitely time for an upgrade of his own (obviously cheap) tweeters.
Admittedly, the Briks are on the end of Naim 82/250 amplification and really sing, particularly on vocals.
So, my problem is deciding what fairly cheap tweeters will get him closest to the Briks on vocals? (I am a bit stuck with what I can get from the Wilmslow Audio catalogue here!)
Wilmslow Audio recommend the Scanspeak D2008/8512. There is also the D2010/8513. These are both 19mm like the hyquphons and the latter, I believe, was designed by the same guy who designed the hyquphons. Both the D2008/8512 and the D2010/8513 are about GBP40 each so are ok there.
I have thought about the D2905/9500 but they are GBP75 each. Would they really be better with the B110s, I ask myself? We would pay the extra if so!
Can anyone help or make any suggestions as to alternatives I should consider??
(I realise that crossover tweaking etc. will be necessary and that he won't ever quite get the sound of the Briks).
Thanks.
He owns a large pair of fairly old home-made speakers. He didn't actually make them himself but he bought them from a friend.
Originally they had 12" Kef bass drivers, Kef B110's and an unidentifiable 1 1/4" tweeter. He uses them in a mid to low-end Hi-fi/AV system.
Recently 2 things happened:
Firstly, his one of his old Kef bass drivers blew so the 12"s were replaced with Peerless SPH-315s. (Ok so far, they are not so bad for the price but I would personally have gone for something by Volt, i think).
Secondly, me and my partner recently bought a pair of Linn Isobariks in excellent condition. They have the Hyquphon tweeters and as soon as my friend heard them, he decided it was definitely time for an upgrade of his own (obviously cheap) tweeters.
Admittedly, the Briks are on the end of Naim 82/250 amplification and really sing, particularly on vocals.
So, my problem is deciding what fairly cheap tweeters will get him closest to the Briks on vocals? (I am a bit stuck with what I can get from the Wilmslow Audio catalogue here!)
Wilmslow Audio recommend the Scanspeak D2008/8512. There is also the D2010/8513. These are both 19mm like the hyquphons and the latter, I believe, was designed by the same guy who designed the hyquphons. Both the D2008/8512 and the D2010/8513 are about GBP40 each so are ok there.
I have thought about the D2905/9500 but they are GBP75 each. Would they really be better with the B110s, I ask myself? We would pay the extra if so!
Can anyone help or make any suggestions as to alternatives I should consider??
(I realise that crossover tweaking etc. will be necessary and that he won't ever quite get the sound of the Briks).
Thanks.
Hi,
I successfully integrated D2905/9300s with the B110s. They match up very well, both being polite and not over detailed. The 9300s are also cheaper (also consider the Usher variant).
However, these 1" tweeters don't sound like the 3/4". Less air less dispersion etc.
I was able to get down to about 5 or 6 element xover and am happy with the result.
I successfully integrated D2905/9300s with the B110s. They match up very well, both being polite and not over detailed. The 9300s are also cheaper (also consider the Usher variant).
However, these 1" tweeters don't sound like the 3/4". Less air less dispersion etc.
I was able to get down to about 5 or 6 element xover and am happy with the result.
Thanks for the info.
Yeah, I have read that the 9500 is a bit like the 9300 with some small changes.
I have been considering that maybe I should not just be considering stuff from Wilmslow Audio.
I have been thinking of splashing out and getting a pair of hiquphon OW1s or OW2s. The OW2 is more efficient and looks like a better match to the B110 in this parameter. Most people recommend the OW1 though. I suppose an OW4 might be interesting...!
Has anyone tried any hiquphon tweeters with the B110s with any success??
The ones in the Linn Isobariks are supposed to have been altered slightly.
Another thing I have been wondering about is the difference between 19mm and 28mm tweeters other than dispersion pattern. I have noticed that smaller tweeters usually sound very detailed, very dynamic and image well but often sound a little bit harsh. Larger tweeters generally sound smoother and easier on the ear but seem to lose something in attack and fine detail. Just something I have noticed when I worked in a quality Hi-fi shop. Would anyone tend to agree?
Also, does anyone know if there is anywhere that I can get more info? I've looked at everything that google throws up btw!
Yeah, I have read that the 9500 is a bit like the 9300 with some small changes.
I have been considering that maybe I should not just be considering stuff from Wilmslow Audio.
I have been thinking of splashing out and getting a pair of hiquphon OW1s or OW2s. The OW2 is more efficient and looks like a better match to the B110 in this parameter. Most people recommend the OW1 though. I suppose an OW4 might be interesting...!
Has anyone tried any hiquphon tweeters with the B110s with any success??
The ones in the Linn Isobariks are supposed to have been altered slightly.
Another thing I have been wondering about is the difference between 19mm and 28mm tweeters other than dispersion pattern. I have noticed that smaller tweeters usually sound very detailed, very dynamic and image well but often sound a little bit harsh. Larger tweeters generally sound smoother and easier on the ear but seem to lose something in attack and fine detail. Just something I have noticed when I worked in a quality Hi-fi shop. Would anyone tend to agree?
Also, does anyone know if there is anywhere that I can get more info? I've looked at everything that google throws up btw!
Hi,
The B110 is very inefficient, I doubt there's a dome tweeter in the world that's too inefficient for it. You can go with just about anything in that regards.
3/4" tweeters often sound harsh because they are driven too hard, with too low an xover frequency. The Ows are a good choice to minimize this problem. See Dennis Murphy's post at the parts express board for a brief comparison of the different models.
The b110 was crossed as high as 3khz in the classic KEf/Spendor etc desins of the past, to avoid tweeter harshness. But, the woofer gets lumpy up there. I'm crossing at 2.5 kHz, trading off some flatness, and less woofer out of band break up suppression, for less tweeter distress.
The B110 is very inefficient, I doubt there's a dome tweeter in the world that's too inefficient for it. You can go with just about anything in that regards.
3/4" tweeters often sound harsh because they are driven too hard, with too low an xover frequency. The Ows are a good choice to minimize this problem. See Dennis Murphy's post at the parts express board for a brief comparison of the different models.
The b110 was crossed as high as 3khz in the classic KEf/Spendor etc desins of the past, to avoid tweeter harshness. But, the woofer gets lumpy up there. I'm crossing at 2.5 kHz, trading off some flatness, and less woofer out of band break up suppression, for less tweeter distress.
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