Speakers with Ribbon Tweeters

K_M

mhardy6647 wrote: »

Funnily enough - the Zapf Audio link was provided on the first reply to the original post in this thread.

Even funnier, the links did now show up on your post when I posted about Zaph, but now they do. A forum Glitch maybe?

nooshinjohn

WLDock wrote: »

polkfarmboy wrote: »

If you have tube equipment then its audio crack for the ears as the combination from tubes and panels sounds better than anything I hàve ever heard.

We never forget the first time....
I will never forget in my 20's the first time I listened to top ML's powered by tube monoblocks playing vinyl! It was like the musicians were in the room when I closed my eyes.

Audio Research on Tympani Mk IV at the Magnepan factory sound room in White Bear Lake. Still the best sound I have ever heard.

WLDock

nooshinjohn wrote: »

Audio Research on Tympani Mk IV at the Magnepan factory sound room in White Bear Lake. Still the best sound I have ever heard.

Sounds heavenly...I've listened to very few Magnepan systems and really should listen to more given the used prices.

tonyb

hochpt21 wrote: »

mhardy6647 wrote: »

PS -- no interest in electrostatics?

Actually, something like the Martin Logan ESL's might work in my space.

Having never owned electrostats. Is there anything a buyer would need to be concerned about?

Do those panels go bad? Are they finicky? Pets/kids and issue?

To they go bad ? Yes
Finicky ? Can be
Pets/kid issues- absolutely

With panels, smoke and dust can be an issue. Dogs that shed a lot also. Cats with claws. If they are placed in the open close to your kitchen, grease will destroy them.

Panels need a dedicated room, no smoking, kids with prying fingers throwing toys around, or pet hair that can accumulate. Not if you want them to last anyway.

aboroth00

Any updates on the ribbon search?

I've been a big fan of ribbons ever since I dabbled in the original Infinity Kappa's with the Emit-k. Then I had a progression of speakers with ribbon tweeters which include the Kappa 6.1 with the Emit-R then the Infinity Renaissance with the HE-Emit. Then modern ribbons with the Selah Tanzanite with a Fountek and now with the Tempesta with a Raal. In my opinion, the modern ribbons sound better and don't suffer from the poor dispersion and inability to be crossed low enough with the mid driver. I haven't had a very nice modern dome (beryllium or diamond or what have you) in my setup yet but domes have their advantages but ribbons also sound very nice.

hochpt21

I'm keeping them on my radar for now. I moved the LS90's back into my main system and keeping the grills off. They sound so much better this way and I'm gonna stick with them for awhile.

I'm going to keep my eyes out, though, and build my budget which seems like it would be the right move.

ALL212

Carver Silver Amazings...rebuilt crossovers...refoamed woofers and rebuilt ribbons. WHAT...ya, ribbons. 4' long x2.

Magic...

And...what's that? They are for sale?

Hmmm....

SCompRacer

https://media.yourdailydish.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/IntlCatDay_Ribbons.jpg

ROHfan

I heard the Martin Logan Motion 40's at Magnolia once. Was there to audition Electromotions. To my ears they were unremarkable, but it could have been how they were set up, also.

aboroth00

ROHfan wrote: »

I heard the Martin Logan Motion 40's at Magnolia once. Was there to audition Electromotions. To my ears they were unremarkable, but it could have been how they were set up, also.

Folded ribbons are a little different than conventional ribbons. I believe ML uses an air motion transformer (AMT) instead a flat piece of ribbon.

hochpt21

aboroth00 wrote: »

ROHfan wrote: »

I heard the Martin Logan Motion 40's at Magnolia once. Was there to audition Electromotions. To my ears they were unremarkable, but it could have been how they were set up, also.

Folded ribbons are a little different than conventional ribbons. I believe ML uses an air motion transformer (AMT) instead a flat piece of ribbon.

That might be similar to what the GoldenEar's have. That sounds like what I've read.

FTGV

SCompRacer wrote: »

https://media.yourdailydish.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/IntlCatDay_Ribbons.jpg

RAAL,RAAL,RAAL. I have not heard them but they are much admired by the DIY loudspeaker guys.

The best ribbons I have ever heard were from a now defunct small company from Texas called Clements. Their RT7 and Little D models utilized a proprietary 7" ribbon mated to a transmission line woofer section. They had incredible speed and transparency.

aboroth00

I have a speaker with a RAAL. They're very nice, but they're not like omgosh super mindblowing sell your house to get a pair.

Jaybeez

I'm partial to my Ascend Sierra 2's. The towers are amazing but were a bit out of my price range. Their Sierra 1's sounded incredible ... right up until I heard the RAAL ribbons. Open, airy and very detailed. Works for me.

WLDock

aboroth00 wrote: »

I have a speaker with a RAAL. They're very nice, but they're not like omgosh super mindblowing sell your house to get a pair.

Now the million-dollar question. What speakers / tweeter would you consider mind blowing?

SCompRacer

FTGV wrote: »

RAAL,RAAL,RAAL. I have not heard them but they are much admired by the DIY loudspeaker guys.

I love my RAAL tweeters. Of course, they have detractors and haters.

The thing about the RAAL or any tweeter is how well it is matched to the mid driver. Get the mid-range wrong, and that speaker will not be enjoyable. Salk addresses mid-range nicely without forgetting about the other stuff. Dennis Murphy does xovers very, very well.

I drove 12 hours RT to the Salk factory to get my SoundScape 8 speakers with RAAL's. Got a factory tour, a look in the $$ veneer $$ vault, met the guys who built and finished them. Wife came with, nice time. Mine are in custom finish, Black Limba.

Some SS8 owners have jumped ship to the Salk Exotica 3 with Alnico magnet equipped Seas Exotic T35 tweeter and Seas Exotic W8 mids. I listed to them for a bit at a show, stayed with the SS8.

http://www.salksound.com/gallery/SoundScape 8/SS8-blacklimba.jpg

aboroth00

WLDock wrote: »

aboroth00 wrote: »

I have a speaker with a RAAL. They're very nice, but they're not like omgosh super mindblowing sell your house to get a pair.

Now the million-dollar question. What speakers / tweeter would you consider mind blowing?

That is actually a pretty darn good question that I never really contemplated as of late. Of course my original post was intentionally facetious. I don't think there is a speaker/tweeter out there that is truly mindblowing in as much a combination of the right speaker for the right room. I know this is sort of a cop-out answer. When I had a Fountek ribbon tweeter, I thought it was still pretty darn good, not nearly as good as the RAAL but noticeably so.

I believe speaker tech is so advanced today that for the most part, most manufacturers churn out pretty darn good speakers I could see myself living with in the long term. IMHO, correct implementation of a speaker within a room is more important to yield a mind blowing experience than the speaker alone. That being said, I'm still looking for a mind blowing room .

Thorton

SCompRacer wrote: »

FTGV wrote: »

RAAL,RAAL,RAAL. I have not heard them but they are much admired by the DIY loudspeaker guys.

I love my RAAL tweeters. Of course, they have detractors and haters.

The thing about the RAAL or any tweeter is how well it is matched to the mid driver. Get the mid-range wrong, and that speaker will not be enjoyable. Salk addresses mid-range nicely without forgetting about the other stuff. Dennis Murphy does xovers very, very well.

I drove 12 hours RT to the Salk factory to get my SoundScape 8 speakers with RAAL's. Got a factory tour, a look in the $$ veneer $$ vault, met the guys who built and finished them. Wife came with, nice time. Mine are in custom finish, Black Limba.

Some SS8 owners have jumped ship to the Salk Exotica 3 with Alnico magnet equipped Seas Exotic T35 tweeter and Seas Exotic W8 mids. I listed to them for a bit at a show, stayed with the SS8.

100% agree with Rich. Complimenting with the other drivers is crucial along with the associated electronics, placement and the room. The RAAL with the accuton midrange are just pleasant and sweetness to my hears. Also preference plays an important part depending on the person as Rich mentioned.

aboroth00

DSkip wrote: »

The only 'full' ribbon tweeter implementation I've heard that I liked was Evolution Acoustics that also pairs with custom Accuton woofers - the MMMicroOne I mentioned earlier. It could be that there is something to this pairing that just works better than other woofer materials.

I was actually trying to listen to a pair at a local dealer showroom. I think it was the Evo Acoustic mmThree with an aurum cantus ribbon and accuton mids. But alas, they didn't have it hooked up and the guy was new so no demo. I'll probably head back another time to get a listen.

steveinaz

Doing research recently, the RAAL 70-20XR seems to be pretty impressive. I'll find out for sure in a few weeks...

MrBlackCrow

i had two way speakers with the RAAL 70-20XR tweeter and ended up selling them. they just didn't have that leading edge that cuts through the air like i hear w/ dome tweeters.

MrBlackCrow

the speakers w/ the RAAL 70-20XR were smooth and all and had the most natural sound i have heard come out of a speaker, but without that leading edge i felt like there was some part of the information that was missing.

marvda1

anyone heard these?

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/full-range-scansonic-mb-3-5-2017-07-21-speakers