Usher DMD tweeter upgrade: worth it?

I like mine just the way they are...I like the Ushers and they compare nicely to my Kef 201/2's.

I was working in Taiwan and taking the opportunity to get a pair of CP-777 DMD. I had the previous version compared with it side by side in the showroom. I picked the DMD version eventually is simply because DMD sounds nicer with better extension and integrity with the whole spectrum.

Vinylphile, You forget to mention the price of DMD in Taiwan. For such a price anyone would try I think. However by production of any driver there are deviations of, say,
3dB at least. Next to presellection of individual drivers
for a given speaker there is also the 'tuning' of the crossover to adjust the (mutual) irregualarites. Those facts are obviously overlooked by those who propose the
simple exchange of (whatever) drivers. Diamonds may be irresistable for the ladies but why should they be for the guys? Anyway I would never exchange my so called 'beryllium' tweeter for any diamond in my BE-20. One should think how difficult it is to produce good speakers not to mention exceptional kind. Every single part
is not only measured but also listened to. Even the wiring get the needed atention. And there come some amateur , looks to the wire inside and Heureka: 'cheap wire!'. And such an ameteur thinks to improve the design by putting some expensive wire (or capacitor) instead. If this 'art' of speaker production was so simple there would be no bad speakers but only exceptional kinds.

Regards,

I have the Mini Dancer 2's with BE tweeter. They sound very good. I am going to replace the crossover components with better ones, and possibly replace the internal wire.

Eugene, to answer your question, from my research, the DMD tweeter is:

On the positive side: smoother, and maybe more detailed.

On the negative side: less dynamic, and maybe less "musical".

This is all hearsay, from folks I trust. I haven't heard the DMD myself.

However, as you see in this thread, people obviously disagree as to whether the DMD is clearly an improvement over the BE.

Unlike the DMD, the crossover provided by GR Research (Danny Richie) should make a clear, substantial improvement to a pair of 718's. It was this crossover which convinced the folks at Usher America to really push the 718 bookshelf speaker in the first place, and it was this crossover that the reviewers all received (the 718's seem to have received unanimous praise in the audiophile press).

Your first step should be to determine whether your 718's have the Richie crossover. About the first 200 pairs of 718's sold in the U.S. had it. After that, they got the crossover from Taiwan (China?).

Cheers,
Hukk

Hello Again. An update, and a substantial change in my opinion. I recently replaced the DMD tweeters with Beryllium ones, while retaining the GR-research crossovers. So now I have two pairs of Beryllium tweetered 718s, one pair with the standard crossover, and one with the GR-research USA-spec crossover.

Verdict: The GR-research crossover is a spectacular improvement. All the virtues I heard previously were due to the crossover. In fact with the Be tweeter in place, the gains are all the more evident. More detail, more transparency, better imaging, and (for me surprising) clarity in the upper bass - there are no downsides. I am able to interchange the two sets of speakers, and, at least in my system, there is a marked difference in favour of the GR-research version.

The corollary of the above is that in my opinion the DMD tweeter is markedly inferior to the Beryllium model. It adds a layer of grain, and a distinct harshness to some instruments - most evident with violins, both solo and massed, and trumpet - for example, Miles Davis' recordings. The effect is one of congestion; there is less "air" around players. Practically the results saw me turn down the volume, and shorten listening sessions. Ultimately, the DMD equipped set (with GR-crossovers) were relegated to my 2.1channel home theatre set-up, where they were fine for movies. I repeatedly trialled them in the main music system, but always reverted to the Beryllium set-up, usually after only a day or two - even without the GR-crossovers, these were distinctly preferable.

In summary - With Beryllium tweeter and GR-crossovers the Be-718s live up to all the wild praise of the early USA reviewers. Finally I can hear what all the fuss was about. With Beryllium tweeters, but only the standard crossover = nice, very smooth and easy to listen to, but a little slow and unfocused. With DMD tweeters (and GR-crossovers), more snap and some of the detail is there, but with a harshness that, to my ears, makes them tiring and unlovable.

I purchased the Beryllium tweeters through KCAudio (hifi223). His service was perfect. Westan, the Australian distributor, have only a few sets left in stock. If you want to purchase a set you need to quote the "sensitivity" of your DMDs - this is found on a label affixed to the rear of the tweeter. The tweeters are easily removed - you only need a 2mm Allen key - no soldering required.

Rob