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In the Forum: Audio Discussions
In the Thread: Lowther Driver
Post Subject: Enabled Lowther driversPosted by Retsel on: 10/3/2008
I just found this thread and can comment on the Enabled DX4s.  Limono (Wojtek) very gratiously loaned his Enabled 8 ohm Lowther DX4 drivers to me this past summer (summer of 2008).  It took my a while to make the crossover for these (I have the 15 ohm Lowthers my my Basszilla speakers), but finally I got that together and tried out the enabled Lowthers.

I spent over a month with them and tried a lot of different music (all CDs).  I was able to sum up a lot of significant improvements.  The sound is much more dynamic, the instruments are better deliniated within their own space, therefore the sound is less diffuse (the diffuse sound is probably a symptom of the paper cones).  The more focused sound contributes toward the improved dynamics.  The cones tends to stay more coherent at all sound levels but particularly at higher sound levels, sounding less mish-mashy with complex musical passages.  High frequencies are more focused and again the tone is better (less wooly sound).  People complain about the high frequencies (treble) of the Lowther drivers - the Enable process much improves the high frequencies from the Lowther drivers - cymbals sound much better.  The tone is better for horn instruments as trumpets sound more like trumpets. 

I prefer multiway horn systems for their dynamics and single driver system for the coherency and tone.  The Enabled Lowther drivers bring the Baszilla speaker much, much closer to the dynamics of multiway horn systems.

Overall the Enable process makes the Lowther DX4s much better drivers, and the difference is not small; they are not perceived or a function of my imagination.  Putting back the old drivers back in "let the air out of the balloon.." 

I need to say, though, that the Enabled drivers are more transparent sounding.  They do a much better job of reproducing the electrical signal provided to them.  If you have any harshness upstream, you will hear it.  Limono did not like his Enabled drivers which is why he loaned them to me.  He later on brought over his amps and we were able to figure out that the 45 tubes that he was using were harsh sounding, which he did not pick up on before his Lowther drivers were Enabled. 

By the way, the 15 ohm Lowthers do not have a 2000 hz peak, and do not need a trap like the 8 ohm Lowthers need.

I will have the Enabled process done to my Lowther speakers, but I just have to figure out if I will try to do that myself, or if I will send the drivers to Bud.

Wojtek said that he preferred his horns to my Basszilla speakers.  I should say that I cobbled my Basszilla speakers together with some used plywood from some old closet doors.  They look pathetic, are not optimized and should not be used to compare front horns to open baffle speakers.  In fact, I am thinking of redesigning the Basszilla speakers to be waveguides instead of the flat baffles.  If I stay with the basic Basszilla speaker design, I will fix them and bring them up another level.  Even with these compromised Basszilla cabinets, the music is still wonderful with the Enabled Lowthers. 

Retsel

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