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Improving tweeter clarity. Felt.

I would like to share one of my better tweaks. I bought six medium felt half inch thick polishing wheels. six inch dia. 

Then, I used a band saw, and cut square. Then I used an offhand grinding wheel, to shape the pieces, till they matched the tweeter plate. I created a funnel shape to the inside. 

My tweets are focal 120s, and I also created some CHEEKS, affixed top and bottom, as acoustic lenses. This disperses the tweet well, and then knocks down any early reflections. It protects some from intrusion of mids. Seems to create more solid soundstage. May help in other ways. 

They look like the MFG made them, and don't detract. The cheeks resemble the cheeks that focal added to the top of line. 


I don't think it horn loads, as it is absorptive, not reflective, in the funnel area. 
highfido
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,788 posts
 
John Bau installed a thick felt blanket on the baffle of his Spica loudspeakers, primarily to prevent diffraction of the tweeter output off the outside edges of the baffle.
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,463 posts
 
My Vandersteens have that from the factory.
highfido OP
8 posts
 
It gets even better, they are rehoused, focal, mini utopias. I use them point source. I just finished my 15 inch, twin pass radiator monster.

The sum total is, the MASSIVE woof, does NOT intrude on the midtweet anymore. Somehow, the woof has become ethereally part of music, and separate.  The tweet reaches the ear directly, with minimal reflection. While I used to be able to pinpoint where the sound was coming from, and hear the sound go out of balance, as you move your head from rt to lft, the image stays solid. Which is nice, as I don’t have a balance on pre.

It quite literally, is the finest stereo I have ever heard. Many other tweeks as well. 

With the lows going to somewhere actually, around 20s, I don't have to turn it up as loud anymore, and I get perfect insight into lyrics etc. 

You really can help make your rig all it can be. 


erik_squires
16,041 posts
 
So, as I understand it, if we are talking seriously thick felt, you end up changing the radiation pattern of the tweeter. Some speakers have this deliberately built in, and use several centimeters of felt.

Others, like I use, use very thin, maybe 1/8" or less.

I think of the two as being quite different.
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