What are the differances in sound between different types of tweeter? Eg. PEI,soft cone,silk dome,titanium dome,balanced,aluminium cone.........
What type do you think is better/best.
regards JMB
Replies (7)
asplundher on 10/27/2005 19:16:41
In general there are hard domes and soft domes. The hard domes usually are the brightest with a exhibition of extended high frequency response. Being of a hard material enables them to be made smaller than usual giving even higher response and more sensitivity. They also have the tendency to be harsher and hard to tame without some extensive crossover setups or EQ-ing. They sound better with high energy music like hip-hop, rock, electronic, etc; which they give a solid ambience.
The soft domes sound more natural and smoother, yet at times can be a little dull. The soft material usually has a lower resonance frequency which makes them easier to blend with narrower bandwith midbass'. The milder tones of soft domes are often better with music consisting of natural instruments; like jazz for instance. That is not to say that they won't sound good with various genres, just takes a little getting used to. Overall, a good transparent sound that helps them to "disappear" in the soundstage.
There are many other designs that seem to cross in between the two realms with pretty good results: polyerthemide, metal based domes with rubber surrounds (the rubber helps absorb some of the harshness), specially coated textiles and metals, ribbons.
Probably the worst of the whole bunch are piezos. Very shrilly, sensitive, and quite impossible to tame for the average user. They're mostly used for high spl applications (mainly PA). Tip: never attempt to use them in a car. Even though there are many that are made for autos, their sound is even far inferior to a decent pair of low grade hard/soft domes. You will be sorry!
We could probably go on for hours, but I think you get the point. My personal favorites are good ole' silk.
swez on 10/28/2005 11:05:10
Ash gave a pretty comprehensive answer here. I agree and like silks the best for less listening fatigue.
Really, it's more a personal taste position here. What sounds best to one person, may sound terrible to another. The listening environ, also has a lot to do with perceived tweeter performance.
Swez
JMB on 10/29/2005 01:50:02
Hey Swez, what do you mean by listening fatigue?
JMB
asplundher on 10/29/2005 07:05:36
It's kinda hard to explain, but I'll give it a try.
Have you ever listened to a system and the sound was kinda distorted and/or piercing? Of course, we all have. If you listened to it for a while, you might have gotten a little irritated with the song or sound and became less interested. Only to end up not wanting to listen to it anymore and turning it off. You end up losing concentration or focusing on the music. Sometimes you just end up shuffling through a album or disc constantly before deciding to just let your ears take a "break".
This is a common phenomenon and real problem, which occurs mostly when bad sounds are listened to for extended periods, especially at high volumes. Sounds familiar right? Well, this is why we try to have a pure as possible system, to counteract or avoid it. It's kind of like an ear's self-protection unit, to help avoid premature deafness.
swez on 10/29/2005 10:01:50
That pretty well covered it Ash. Basically, "I can't stand listening to this noise" is a good indication of listening fatigue. If it grates on ones nerves and puts us on edge, that's also a sign of same.
Swez
JMB on 10/30/2005 13:16:15
Yeah i do know what u guys mean, some times my current stock standard system, really F!#^s me off eg just cant seem to find a song that sounds good. ive also heard some friends quite expensive (by my standards) systems that also irritate me.
JMB
swez on 10/30/2005 15:30:11
That's often a by-product of listening fatigue. When listening to a system at higher SPL levels for more than a cuts, our hearing starts to play tricks on us and we cannot get it dialed back in until our ears and brain reset to normal SPL levels a while.
Listening to music above 100dB for even 15 minutes, will cause a shift in our perception for a time. When we get that situation going, best to shut things down for a time and go find something quiet to do for a bit. If we get a sinus infection or ear problems, we may lose hearing acquity for several days.
Swez
What type do you think is better/best.
regards JMB
Replies (7)
asplundher on 10/27/2005 19:16:41
In general there are hard domes and soft domes. The hard domes usually are the brightest with a exhibition of extended high frequency response. Being of a hard material enables them to be made smaller than usual giving even higher response and more sensitivity. They also have the tendency to be harsher and hard to tame without some extensive crossover setups or EQ-ing. They sound better with high energy music like hip-hop, rock, electronic, etc; which they give a solid ambience.
The soft domes sound more natural and smoother, yet at times can be a little dull. The soft material usually has a lower resonance frequency which makes them easier to blend with narrower bandwith midbass'. The milder tones of soft domes are often better with music consisting of natural instruments; like jazz for instance. That is not to say that they won't sound good with various genres, just takes a little getting used to. Overall, a good transparent sound that helps them to "disappear" in the soundstage.
There are many other designs that seem to cross in between the two realms with pretty good results: polyerthemide, metal based domes with rubber surrounds (the rubber helps absorb some of the harshness), specially coated textiles and metals, ribbons.
Probably the worst of the whole bunch are piezos. Very shrilly, sensitive, and quite impossible to tame for the average user. They're mostly used for high spl applications (mainly PA). Tip: never attempt to use them in a car. Even though there are many that are made for autos, their sound is even far inferior to a decent pair of low grade hard/soft domes. You will be sorry!
We could probably go on for hours, but I think you get the point. My personal favorites are good ole' silk.
swez on 10/28/2005 11:05:10
Ash gave a pretty comprehensive answer here. I agree and like silks the best for less listening fatigue.
Really, it's more a personal taste position here. What sounds best to one person, may sound terrible to another. The listening environ, also has a lot to do with perceived tweeter performance.
Swez
JMB on 10/29/2005 01:50:02
Hey Swez, what do you mean by listening fatigue?
JMB
asplundher on 10/29/2005 07:05:36
It's kinda hard to explain, but I'll give it a try.
Have you ever listened to a system and the sound was kinda distorted and/or piercing? Of course, we all have. If you listened to it for a while, you might have gotten a little irritated with the song or sound and became less interested. Only to end up not wanting to listen to it anymore and turning it off. You end up losing concentration or focusing on the music. Sometimes you just end up shuffling through a album or disc constantly before deciding to just let your ears take a "break".
This is a common phenomenon and real problem, which occurs mostly when bad sounds are listened to for extended periods, especially at high volumes. Sounds familiar right? Well, this is why we try to have a pure as possible system, to counteract or avoid it. It's kind of like an ear's self-protection unit, to help avoid premature deafness.
swez on 10/29/2005 10:01:50
That pretty well covered it Ash. Basically, "I can't stand listening to this noise" is a good indication of listening fatigue. If it grates on ones nerves and puts us on edge, that's also a sign of same.
Swez
JMB on 10/30/2005 13:16:15
Yeah i do know what u guys mean, some times my current stock standard system, really F!#^s me off eg just cant seem to find a song that sounds good. ive also heard some friends quite expensive (by my standards) systems that also irritate me.
JMB
swez on 10/30/2005 15:30:11
That's often a by-product of listening fatigue. When listening to a system at higher SPL levels for more than a cuts, our hearing starts to play tricks on us and we cannot get it dialed back in until our ears and brain reset to normal SPL levels a while.
Listening to music above 100dB for even 15 minutes, will cause a shift in our perception for a time. When we get that situation going, best to shut things down for a time and go find something quiet to do for a bit. If we get a sinus infection or ear problems, we may lose hearing acquity for several days.
Swez
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