Best Tweeters
In the 17 years I have been building speakers, I have worked with and listened to many different tweeters. Over time you develop a "short list" of your favourite ones, and in the back of your mind you always have ideas of which ones to use where because of experience with them.
When it comes to dome types, my preference is pretty much always with soft domes.
So, my list of favourite tweeters have historically been these (in order of price from Madisound):
* Vifa BC25SC55 - USD 21.55
* Vifa DX25 - USD 24.85
* SB Acoustics SB27STCN - USD 31.90
* Scan Speak Discovery D2608/9300 (used to be Vifa D27TG) - USD 36.65
* Seas TDFC - USD 42.40
* Seas Excel T25CF001 - USD 107.15
* Scan Speak Classic D2905/9700 - USD 180.25
* Scan Speak Illuminator D3004/6600 - USD 212.95
* Seas Excel T25CF002 Millenium - USD 232.10
A couple of years ago I started playing with the high efficiency drivers, and this has opened up a whole new world for me. I have probably moved forward more in the past 3 years in speaker design and building than I have in the previous 14 years. Most of this progress was caused by the move to the HE side.
So, to add on to my favourites list, here are the high efficiency HF drivers:
* Eminence APT50 - USD 29.99 (This one needs some modifications in order to be on this list)
* 18Sound HD1050 - USD 119.99
* 18Sound ND1030 - USD 139.99
* 18Sound NSD1095N - USD 229.99
The ND1030 was an eye-opener for me. When I first used it in my overly huge HE speakers, I could not believe what I was hearing. As much detail as any of the soft dome tweeters, but with more of everything good. This is really the only way to describe it - it has more. I could push power into this driver and get up to listening levels which are near impossible with most dome tweeters, and it always stays composed and well behaved. The most amazing thing about this driver is the effortless way it presents itself - huge wide soundstage with amazing detail. Used to be my all time favourite until I heard the one below.
The HD1050 is a higher model than the ND1030, and as such it is a bit better. I have been listening to this driver in my current set of speakers for a couple of weeks now, and it is everything the ND1030 is, with the exception of getting a little bit more detail out of the music. Extremely clean and open sounding + indistructable when it comes to power handling. It is cheaper than the ND1030 simply because it uses a ferrite magnet where the ND1030 uses neodimium.
The NSD1095N: I only managed to get my hands on a matched pair of 18Sound NSD1095N drivers yesterday. It took me pretty much a year worth of hassle to finally get them. The local supplier is unable to get them for me, and overseas suppliers are unwilling to ship here to SA (the same old story...) I managed to get this pair from Tony Gee in the Netherlands. Collected them yesterday from airport customs, and plugged them in as soon as I got home. Modified the crossover to accomodate, and sat down to listen...
Now, before I get to the good stuff I need to tell you about my state of mind regarding these drivers: I have been reading things about them for a real long time, and have been chasing them for as long. My expectations were really high. At the same time, the performance of the HD1050 was so good already that I was worried - I didn't really think it possible for the NSD1095N to be much if any better than the HD1050, yet the price is significantly more. As you can see - I was a bit torn up: wanted them to be better, but also didn't believe it was really possible.
...so then, back to the listening:
It's not often I sit forward all of a sudden when listening to music these days. I did this many times yesterday listening to my reference tracks. They are more than just good - are incredible! I went through so many emotions listening to these that I was starting to feel like a chameleon. As unbelievable as it is, there is detail and "texture" in music I have never heard before on any of my other speakers. Even without this tweeter my speakers are pretty detailed, but with this thing they have been transformed into something I have difficulty in describing.
This driver runs circles around everything else I have ever heard. It is so good that I think it would be a bargain even if it cost 3 times the price it does. It makes the expensive dome tweeters seem nearly insignificant in presentation, detail, effortlessness (if there is such a word), intelligibility, and sheer presence. In my mind there is nothing better.
All I can say is that I was in a state of unbelief and amazement last night. I have left the speakers playing all day today so that the drivers have a chance to play in and settle a bit. Hopefully I can give more of a coherent review of them by tomorrow after another good listening session. I guess you can tell I am quite exited here...
So - what's your list of favourite tweeters?
Regards,
Ian.
In the 17 years I have been building speakers, I have worked with and listened to many different tweeters. Over time you develop a "short list" of your favourite ones, and in the back of your mind you always have ideas of which ones to use where because of experience with them.
When it comes to dome types, my preference is pretty much always with soft domes.
So, my list of favourite tweeters have historically been these (in order of price from Madisound):
* Vifa BC25SC55 - USD 21.55
* Vifa DX25 - USD 24.85
* SB Acoustics SB27STCN - USD 31.90
* Scan Speak Discovery D2608/9300 (used to be Vifa D27TG) - USD 36.65
* Seas TDFC - USD 42.40
* Seas Excel T25CF001 - USD 107.15
* Scan Speak Classic D2905/9700 - USD 180.25
* Scan Speak Illuminator D3004/6600 - USD 212.95
* Seas Excel T25CF002 Millenium - USD 232.10
A couple of years ago I started playing with the high efficiency drivers, and this has opened up a whole new world for me. I have probably moved forward more in the past 3 years in speaker design and building than I have in the previous 14 years. Most of this progress was caused by the move to the HE side.
So, to add on to my favourites list, here are the high efficiency HF drivers:
* Eminence APT50 - USD 29.99 (This one needs some modifications in order to be on this list)
* 18Sound HD1050 - USD 119.99
* 18Sound ND1030 - USD 139.99
* 18Sound NSD1095N - USD 229.99
The ND1030 was an eye-opener for me. When I first used it in my overly huge HE speakers, I could not believe what I was hearing. As much detail as any of the soft dome tweeters, but with more of everything good. This is really the only way to describe it - it has more. I could push power into this driver and get up to listening levels which are near impossible with most dome tweeters, and it always stays composed and well behaved. The most amazing thing about this driver is the effortless way it presents itself - huge wide soundstage with amazing detail. Used to be my all time favourite until I heard the one below.
The HD1050 is a higher model than the ND1030, and as such it is a bit better. I have been listening to this driver in my current set of speakers for a couple of weeks now, and it is everything the ND1030 is, with the exception of getting a little bit more detail out of the music. Extremely clean and open sounding + indistructable when it comes to power handling. It is cheaper than the ND1030 simply because it uses a ferrite magnet where the ND1030 uses neodimium.
The NSD1095N: I only managed to get my hands on a matched pair of 18Sound NSD1095N drivers yesterday. It took me pretty much a year worth of hassle to finally get them. The local supplier is unable to get them for me, and overseas suppliers are unwilling to ship here to SA (the same old story...) I managed to get this pair from Tony Gee in the Netherlands. Collected them yesterday from airport customs, and plugged them in as soon as I got home. Modified the crossover to accomodate, and sat down to listen...
Now, before I get to the good stuff I need to tell you about my state of mind regarding these drivers: I have been reading things about them for a real long time, and have been chasing them for as long. My expectations were really high. At the same time, the performance of the HD1050 was so good already that I was worried - I didn't really think it possible for the NSD1095N to be much if any better than the HD1050, yet the price is significantly more. As you can see - I was a bit torn up: wanted them to be better, but also didn't believe it was really possible.
...so then, back to the listening:
It's not often I sit forward all of a sudden when listening to music these days. I did this many times yesterday listening to my reference tracks. They are more than just good - are incredible! I went through so many emotions listening to these that I was starting to feel like a chameleon. As unbelievable as it is, there is detail and "texture" in music I have never heard before on any of my other speakers. Even without this tweeter my speakers are pretty detailed, but with this thing they have been transformed into something I have difficulty in describing.
This driver runs circles around everything else I have ever heard. It is so good that I think it would be a bargain even if it cost 3 times the price it does. It makes the expensive dome tweeters seem nearly insignificant in presentation, detail, effortlessness (if there is such a word), intelligibility, and sheer presence. In my mind there is nothing better.
All I can say is that I was in a state of unbelief and amazement last night. I have left the speakers playing all day today so that the drivers have a chance to play in and settle a bit. Hopefully I can give more of a coherent review of them by tomorrow after another good listening session. I guess you can tell I am quite exited here...
So - what's your list of favourite tweeters?
Regards,
Ian.
