1" (25mm) gold-anodized alloy-dome tweeter vs ring radiator

DPT

Hey guys,
considering the new line of polks have a Ferro-magnetic fluid-cooled Aluminum Dome Tweeter and seem to be more expensive than the Lsi15's ring radiator tweeter, does anoybody know which tweeter is superior?

dorokusai

Why would a ferro fluid, Al dome be more advanced than the Vifa ring radiator? Which one is an older design?....it sure isn't the Vifa.

Systems

Companies like SEAS and Vifa have been manufacturing metal dome tweeters since the early 80's, but the Scan Speak /Vifa ring radiator is a relatively new design.

ben62670

The only metal dome tweeter that blew me away was the Focal's high end ones.

DPT

I ask because it seems a lot of high end speaker companies still use the aluminum tweeter or a gold anodized aluminum tweeter. i still enjoy my Lsi 15's but like most, i am always interested in upgrades:D

Face

If you want brighter highs, try silver speaker wire.

Systems

DPT wrote: »

I ask because it seems a lot of high end speaker companies still use the aluminum tweeter or a gold anodized aluminum tweeter.

A good metal dome design can sound very very good,sweet and detailed without harhness.A good example is this one from SEAS.http://www.seas.no/images/stories/prestige/pdfdatasheet/h1212_27tbfc_g_datasheet.pdf .It is a darling of the DIY crowd and my personal fave and am currently using a pair.

dorokusai

Sometimes its a simple, unremarkable piece that makes all the difference when it comes to a design.

skykeys

DPT wrote: »

..considering the new line of polks have a Ferro-magnetic fluid-cooled Aluminum Dome Tweeter and seem to be more expensive than the Lsi15's ring radiator tweeter, does anoybody know which tweeter is superior?

I had asked a slightly different version of this question a week or so ago. Most responses picked the ring-radiator tweeter, and some commented that they didn't like aluminum tweeters.

When I posted the question, I was still waiting to install my new LC265i's, (along with LC-RTS-C and LC80i's). Now my system is installed and I've had a chance to listen to them playing an SACD album. SACD's have far superior audio characteristics than "ordinary" CDs.

I should also add that before I decided to install in-wall speakers as part of a major remodeling job, I had Paradigm monitor speakers. Paradigm uses an aluminum tweeter design on their high-end line (htttp://www.paradigm.com/en/reference/components-14-6-2.paradigm) and a titanium design on their lower end line - which are in the speakers I have (http://www.paradigm.com/en/paradigm/components-4-2-1.paradigm)

I really love my Paradigm speakers. But Paradigm does not have an in-wall center speaker solution. If they had, I may haver never looked at the Polks (or anything else).

So, now that I have my Polks working, and I love them also. I'm very happy. They sound great. I particularly like the mid-range presence. It isn't quite fair to compare my Paradigm's directly to my new Polks, because it's not apples to apples. Nonetheless: Mids and bass are superior in the Polks. But the highs, I have to say - even though i like the Polks, I think the Paradigms highs are just a little smoother and sweeter to my ears; not necessarily more crisp, just smoother.

Overall, my Polks sound better. I really love them and I'm glad I went in this direction. (Again, it's not an even comparison because the LC series Polks are a relatively higher end line (and physically larger) than the older smaller Paradigm Monitors I have.) But in terms of the "sweet", well, I think the Paradigm tweeters have a slight edge.

Regards.

dorokusai

Paradigm and NHT have done a great job with metal domes, just as an example. I wouldn't kick either of the larger offerings out of bed.

Yashu

The aluminum dome was first successfully used by Monitor Audio. They basically perfected it. Now it is kindof old hat, but it works great and many good speakers use one. Paul Barton of PSB swears by them, I know that B&W uses them in many designs, Monitor Audio still uses them prominantly.

You can build a great speaker with either tweeter. The aluminum material's only drawback is that somewhere in the ultrasonic range, it has a steep resonance and breakup curve. Some will say... what happens at 50khz doesn't matter, but there have been studies done that show ultrasonic sound effects our perception of audible sound.

Aluminum makes a good tweeter material in the end, and the speakers I own that I like the most employ one... the material to stay away from is Titanium, as it is hard to work with and can be bright. It took JBL 20 years to get their old Titanium tweeters working right... and by then they stopped producing the speakers that used them in the first place.

Don't be fooled by fabrics though... fabric tweeters can be just as harsh or bright as any metal one... it is all in the design of the speaker and crossover. You can make a great speaker out of almost anything if you design it correctly, even paper can go ultrasonic when constructed properly.

dorokusai

That Monitor Audio comment is a stretch since they didn't do anything groundbreaking.

Yashu

I am pretty darn sure that they were one of the first larger brands to get the aluminum dome to sound "right". I am sure there were many examples previous... but they mastered the technology in a way (as far as mass production) that was not seen before.

And so, if you ever have a chance to hear Monitor Audio speakers, you will notice that they do not sound at all like other metal dome tweeters. Their sound is much more laid back in presentation. My wife likened it to listening to music through a musty sock, I thought it was pleasant, but then I was just testing them in-home because I was friends with a guy that works at one of the boutiques around here. They did seem to be more evolved than some of the other aluminum domes I have heard. It dawned on me, that the tweeter material could play a role in the timbre of certain instruments, and sometimes this is true, but if they do it right, a cymbal will sound just as "metallic" on a fabric, or plastic dome, as on a metal one.

dorokusai

Lol. I've heard and owned MA in my travels but thanks for the theory on Al domes.

DPT

Well after doing a lot of research and reading posts on the topic, I think I will save my money for now and upgrade in a year or two to a speaker with a ribbon tweeter like the Dali Helicon 400 with the combo ribbon/soft dome tweeter or the av123 Focus Line Source LS4. It seems that a ribbon tweeter done right fits right in between the ring radiator/metal tweeters and electrostatics. Electrostatics don't work for me due to their directional characteristics.

It seems that even the speaker companies that employ the metal tweeters use the ribbon tweeters in their higher end models. That is just my humble observation.

Toolfan66

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