Question Your tweeter of choice

[AJM1981]

For a long while I basically only knew domed tweeters as they were and still are the most common on the market.

My wharfedale Evo 4.2 uses an AMT (air motion transformer) tweeter and I really like it for its clarity. Given some reviews it seems that it is kind of a challenge to implement it in a good way, as they might sound a bit harsh. But Wharfedale implemented it well with the Evo and Elysian series.

To me a big plus of a soft dome tweeter over an Amt one is that treble produced by a domed tweeter fills the room at any angle. With an Amt tweeter the listener needs to be at the right height between the two speakers. When I am around the speakers and not sitting between them the natural brightness of the tweeters kind of disappears, this also applies when someone is walking past the speaker.

This is slightly whimsical but to me it is no dealbreaker. However, I can imagine it can be one. On a sidenote; I wonder if this is also a case when using ribbons or electrostatic ones.

Long story short

What is your favorite kind of tweeter?

 

[Wil]

BMR (Balanced Mode Radiator) came to my attention, in 2013, when buying a MS7000:

More info within this Naim White Paper, pdf: https://www.naimaudio.com/sites/def...naim_ovator-s-600_bmr_white-paper_may2009.pdf

 

[Edbostan]

For a long while I basically only knew domed tweeters as they were and still are the most common on the market.

My wharfedale Evo 4.2 uses an AMT (air motion transformer) tweeter and I really like it for its clarity. Given some reviews it seems that it is kind of a challenge to implement it in a good way, as they might sound a bit harsh. But Wharfedale implemented it well with the Evo and Elysian series.

To me a big plus of a soft dome tweeter over an Amt one is that treble produced by a domed tweeter fills the room at any angle. With an Amt tweeter the listener needs to be at the right height between the two speakers. When I am around the speakers and not sitting between them the natural brightness of the tweeters kind of disappears, this also applies when someone is walking past the speaker.

This is slightly whimsical but to me it is no dealbreaker. However, I can imagine it can be one. On a sidenote; I wonder if this is also a case when using ribbons or electrostatic ones.

Long story short

What is your favorite kind of tweeter?

My 70s Wharfedale Teesdales had isodynamic tweeters, whatever they were, and the treble was smooth. They looked like a ribbon tweeter behind a foam covering. Possibly a former Wharfedale engineer could explain it further

 

[12th Monkey]

I choose the one my speaker designer chose - he or she knows a darn sight more than I do.

 

[AJM1981]

z

My 70s Wharfedale Teesdales had isodynamic tweeters, whatever they were, and the treble was smooth. They looked like a ribbon tweeter behind a foam covering. Possibly a former Wharfedale engineer could explain it further

let me shamelessly quote from another forum

-quote-
"The key element of the RT1C-A is the membrane, which consists of Kapton Film with a pattern of Aluminum conductors. The conductors cover about 90% of the whole vibrating area."

So it's not a ribbon, which would be made from a conductor, it's more like the Magnapan type of diaphram, only with aluminum film instead of wire.

I've heard the Hi-Vi planars, they're pretty darn good (and big). Isodynamic might be a silly name, but the drivers are good.
-end quote-

 

[Wil]

@AJM1981 Have you come across much of KHF talking of AMT in his FinkTeam designs? From my (private) 4K playlist, I’ve just rewatched this:

 

[nads]

I have no preference. Some speakers sound better than others to me. It’s the speaker as a whole not the bits.

 

[Al ears]

As others have stated the choice of transducer is irrelevant, it is now all drivers perform together that counts.
My current speakers have ribbons but have no idea if they are preferable to anything else, obviously the designer thought so.
Each design has its pros and cons and depends a lot on integration and good crossover design.

 

[AJM1981]

@AJM1981 Have you come across much of KHF talking of AMT in his FinkTeam designs? From my (private) 4K playlist, I’ve just rewatched this:

Will watch, thanks for sharing

 

[Wil]

I remember (likely, it was) within this 67min interview, going into greater details of how KHF went about tuning his AMT:

https://soundcloud.com/johnhdarko%2Fexpert-opinion-karl-heinz-fink-talks-wharfedale-diamond-12-series-more

View: https://soundcloud.com/johnhdarko/expert-opinion-karl-heinz-fink-talks-wharfedale-diamond-12-series-more

Will watch, thanks for sharing