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Let's talk Tweeters!

Another thread which talked about specific speaker brands was taken over, so I’d like to start a new one.

Mind you, I do not believe in a "best" type of tweeter, nor do I believe in a best brand of speaker, so lets keep that type of conversation out, and use this instead to focus on learning about choices speaker designers make and what that may mean to the end user.

There is no such thing as a speaker driver without trade offs. Some choices must be forsworn in exchange for another.

In the end, the materials used, magnet and motor structure, and crossover choices as well as the listening room come together to make a great speaker, of which there are many. In addition, we all listen for different things. Imaging, sweetness, warmth, detail, dance-ability and even efficiency so there is no single way to measure a driver and rate it against all others.

Also, please keep ads for your 4th dimensional sound or whatever off this thread. Thanks.
erik_squires
ejr1953
914 posts
 
Kind of a related topic, that is using an "array" of tweeters, and midrange drivers as well, what some call a "line source", stacking the drivers vertically in the enclosure.

My brain tells me such a design would not have very good sound stage, that the "localization" of individual performers in the recording would be "all over the place", but the few times I've auditioned speakers like that, they generally have excellent sound stage.

It would seem to me to be a really expensive way to build a speaker.  With multiple drivers, would that offer the designer the option of using much cheaper drivers?
Post removed 
erik_squires OP
16,064 posts
 
@ejr1953 - Yes, well designed arrays are pretty impressive. They have some of the same advantages of large ESL's without their limitations. 

Yes, some use relatively inexpensive "full range" drivers, and adjust them using DSP to make floor to ceiling arrays and they are pretty impressive. 
gnjtack's avatar
gnjtack
41 posts
 
Having built esl's, magnetic planars, ribbons, and owned a variety of domes soft and hard types. I found a reason to like each.
Cant say I spent much time with horns or amt's, or exotic drivers such as plasma or bending wave drivers., though I am impressed with MBL's tweeter.
My consistent favorite has been a line source dipole ribbon.
The dipole nature of the driver just sounds right to me.
The large presentation and effortless way it portrays music is a big plus in my book. 
If I were not a hopelessly addicted speaker builder and was looking for musical satisfaction, I could live with a good pair of ESL's.
But the hot rod in me wants to stretch the legs of the speaker every once in awhile and this is where an esl's shows their limits.
That being said, the heart of the music resides in the mids, there are  single driver speakers out there that can do the job too.
Ignore the frequency plots that roll off quickly on both ends of the spectrum. If it gets the mids right you will know it and not care for the other shortcomings.
Greg
GT Audio Works

georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
Best tweeter in the world!!!!

Plasma, Plasma, Plasma.

There is no diaphragm mass, it’s the ionized air around the Plasma flame that makes the sound.
And once you’ve heard it, it will stay with you forever as a wow!!! moment. The highs are so pristine and crystalline they seem to dance across the sound-stage in front of you. I use them from 10kHz up on my ESL’s
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/V5sAAOSwCJxZ6PXy/s-l1600.jpg

Cheers George
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