Ribbon tweeters...out of favor these days?


Hi,

Just a quick question about ribbon tweeters on tower speakers. Has the technology with metal dome and fabric dome tweeters produced results that obviate the need for or advantage of ribbon tweeters. I know that some manufactures such as VMPS and Legacy still seem to favor ribbons, at least as a super tweeter.

But I have been researching speakers, and it seems most of the mid to upper line brands such as B&W, Thiel, Vandersteen, Eggleston, and others employ some type of dome tweeter.

What are the relative advantages/disavantages of each type for a 50/50 mix of music and home theater?
mtrot
What low power amp would you recommend to power the raal amorphous core directly.. ?? the best in your opinion? tube amp?
I have GoldenEar Triton 1s which use a HVFR (High Velocity Folded Ribbon) Tweeter. According to GET literature (and Sandy verbals) it is the "best" outside of an ionic tweeter used in laboratories. Sandy goes further to state that he envisions other speaker manufacturers eventually using the HVFR in their designs. Their literature compares HVFR to dome. If memory serves, I believe Emotiva also uses an HVFR in one of their studio monitor. Also, for what it's worth, I recently "auditioned" a pair of Alta Statement Towers ($200,000 a pair and I wouldn't be buying it) and it utilizes three ribbon-like tweeters about 3 inches long each.

I unintentionally neglected to point out that I do realize this topic is about "ribbon tweeters" and my response is geared towards "high velocity folded ribbon tweeters". The following is an excerpt of GoldenEar literature about the HVFR tweeter:

"Our extraordinary HVFR tweeter, which generates highpressure
by squeezing the air, rather than pushing and pulling
it like conventional domes or ribbons, achieves an exceptional
impedance match to the air for smooth response extending
beyond 35kHz, without the break-up modes and zingy sounding
distortion common to other tweeter types. Greater control
also results in improved dynamic range."