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In the Forum: Horn-Loaded Speakers
In the Thread: A Moscow setup with Horns/Lowther
Post Subject: We can't escape from inherent sound of our driversPosted by haralanov on: 3/1/2011
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 Wojtek wrote:
I'd like to point out that Fostex 500 MKII is very much not sharp and artificial sounding. If anything it's an opposite -little too syrupy , soft and round so it blends with cone mid better than beryllium tweeter.

Are you saying that you compare it to a beryllium tweeter in context of midrange integration with cone midrange driver? I think that Romy is very correct by saying that everything depends of the reference points. In my view, the correct complementary tweeter for any good sounding midrange (most likely extended midrange) driver, should have the same sound characteristics as the driver itself, in order to be absolutely invisible from the listener’s point of view (and of course IF properly integrated). How could it be achieved if the tweeter uses completely different topology? Have you ever had the opportunity to listen really good tweeter, specially designed to have the same type of sound signature as let’s say 8” or 10” extended midrange driver? I mean exactly the same type of tonal characteristics, similar transient speed, and most important of all – similar type of sound presentation. Let me explain what I mean by saying sound presentation. All those small metal domes have very similar type of presentation – the feeling is that you drive very powerful sports car having ultra small diameter tires (let’s say 2” instead of 20”). You can feel the motor is working very hard and you can also feel that it is very powerful, but as result the speed is very low, because of the small diameter tires. This is exactly how I feel that Fostex super tweeter or any 1,25” metal dome tweeter sounds. The listener hears the sound coming from a very small point, so the “audio window” in front of him is also very small – the same as watching a movie on the display of your mobile phone – you are able to get the image, but not to feel the space and atmosphere around the artists and the artist themselves. If you come to Bulgaria to demonstrate  you how a 90mm tweeter presents the sound, you will immediately feel a very big, almost of unlimited size, audio-window in front of you and you will literally get the feeling that you are able to jump inside the recording and to feel the physical aspect of the sound and the original acoustics of the reproduced material. Once you get that feeling, I’m more than sure you will no longer state that the fostex is “little too syrupy , soft and round".

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The goal for HF reproductions is to get extremely smooth and natural type of sound, which in the same time has dynamic acceleration faster than the speed of light, having that “bite” when music calls upon. This Fostex is not able to do that. Of course it is not necessary for you or anybody else to agree with me, I’m completely OK with that :-)

 Romy the Cat wrote:
I think it is absolutely not need to discuss how Fostex tweeter sounds as it might sound like anything.

Yes, it might sound like anything. But I’m pretty sure you are able to recognize the sound (pretending that you don’t see what kind of tweeter sits in front of you) of a ribbon tweeter, or of a compression type with very hard metal dome or softer dome, horn-loaded tweeter, cone tweeter, plasma tweeter, or of a low sensitivity cloth dome tweeter, no matter what type of electronics have been used for the test, no matter the crossover point, and no matter if the electricity is super-good or just good. So we have some type of basic inherent sound, which varies to some degree, but it could always be identified as such, judging by different sound characteristics, including the way how the sound is radiated.

 Romy the Cat wrote:
I tend to believe that it was just the way how different people used it in two different setups. It is very simple unwilingly to make Fostex-like tweeter to sound sharp and sharp. Unfortunately many people do.

Although I spend a big percentage of my efforts on tweeter/midrange integration, as I find it one of the most important (if not the most important) aspects in any acoustic system, I have to confess I’m one of those people. And I very much doubt there is a person on this planet who has really succeeded to get civilized sound out of that supertweeter, somehow avoiding its inherent sound signature.

Best regards,
Haralanov

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