Driver composition...what's it all about?

Early B.

There are tons of different materials out there for drivers -- paper, kevlar, aluminum, wood, etc. Some are much more expensive than others. Generally, does the material make a major difference in the sound quality? Are there certain materials that make better drivers than others?

Similarly, what's the deal with ribbon tweeters? How do they differ in SQ from conventional tweets?

ND13

Originally posted by Early B.
There are tons of different materials out there for drivers -- paper, kevlar, aluminum, wood, etc. Some are much more expensive than others. Generally, does the material make a major difference in the sound quality? Are there certain materials that make better drivers than others?

Similarly, what's the deal with ribbon tweeters? How do they differ in SQ from conventional tweets?

As far as I know the ribbons can produce such ridiculously high frequencies that when they produce what humans can hear they're just loafing.

jdhdiggs

Early:

Ribbons give a very natural (to me anyway) sound as instead of the sound coming from a point source less than an inch in diameter, it is coming from 60" of vertical surface so say a violin has the presence of a violin and not just a point source that sounds like one.

As for other materials, its tradeoffs between cost, manufacturability, ringing, flex, strength, weight, etc... I for one dislike metal midwoofers and titanium tweeters. the different materials all introduce their own subtleties due to how the react to the motor force.

Anyway, if you want to hear some ribbons, come to Doro's Polkfest and I'll lug my 3.3r's down there so you can see the differences yourself.

Early B.

Ribbons give a very natural (to me anyway) sound as instead of the sound coming from a point source less than an inch in diameter, it is coming from 60" of vertical surface

I've heard a couple of ribbon tweeters. I couldn't hear the differences between them and conventional tweeters. I know I'll need to listen to some more, though. I'd love to hear a full ribbon speaker in a real world environment. I've only experienced a few Maggies in a demo room (yuck!).

Early B.

As far as I know the ribbons can produce such ridiculously high frequencies that when they produce what humans can hear they're just loafing.

If we can't hear it, why does it matter?

With frequencies below about 20 Hz, it's understandable because you can feel it, but above 20 khz -- what's the deal?

BlueMDPicker

Have you seen the B&W DVD showing 3D modeling of their Kevlar driver, with their head engineer (this guy has forgotten more than I'll ever know) discussing why it was chosen? Interesting stuff, and would answer a large measure of your question.

ND13

Originally posted by Early B.
If we can't hear it, why does it matter?

With frequencies below about 20 Hz, it's understandable because you can feel it, but above 20 khz -- what's the deal?

I guess since they have that ability they will produce audible frequencies effortlessly, therefore less or no distortion. But that's just using logic.

gregure

Personally I think electrostatics are a much better technology than ribbon tweeters. More detail and natural sounding.
A nice 1" tweeter can still do wonders though. Look at the best speakers from Sonus Faber or Vienna Acoustics-they still use ring radiator/silk dome tweeters over ribbons.

aaharvel

what about the ribbon tweeter in the old radioshack lxi5's? what in the hell was that thing? were they any good?

ND13

Originally posted by aaharvel
what about the ribbon tweeter in the old radioshack lxi5's? what in the hell was that thing? were they any good?

Were'nt those the omni-directional bookshelves? If they were, those sounded pretty good from what i can remember.

Early B.

Simply put, a well-designed crossover can correct a multitude of driver sins. It's often much more cost-effective for a speaker systems manufacturer to use a less expensive driver and apply subtle contouring and phase correction in the crossover design.

Found this quote on a DIY website. Don't know if it's true, but I thought it was interesting.

I always wondered why "high end" (uuh - high priced) speakers use similar drivers as speakers that are only a fraction of the cost. For example, Krell and several others use the Vifa ring radiator tweeter which is $50 each. It's the same tweeter as the ones used in the Polk Lsi speakers. What the hell makes them "high end?"

ND13

Originally posted by Early B.
Found this quote on a DIY website. Don't know if it's true, but I thought it was interesting.

I always wondered why "high end" (uuh - high priced) speakers use similar drivers as speakers that are only a fraction of the cost. For example, Krell and several others use the Vifa ring radiator tweeter which is $50 each. It's the same tweeter as the ones used in the Polk Lsi speakers. What the hell makes them "high end?"

My guess is marketing to the wealthy.

gordonf238

Originally posted by Early B.

With frequencies below about 20 Hz, it's understandable because you can feel it, but above 20 khz -- what's the deal?

for one thing, you can effectively silence your neighbor's barking dog at 3am, that's for sure.

jdhdiggs

Originally posted by aaharvel
what about the ribbon tweeter in the old radioshack lxi5's? what in the hell was that thing? were they any good?

Very good for the $$$ With some crossover modificaions and proper amplification they would be between the RTi and LSi series in sound quality. Closer to the LSi.