Ambience Tweeters

Early B.
Early B. Posts: 7,900
edited April 2008 in Speakers
I purchased a pair of ambience tweeters from VMPS and they arrived yesterday. Heres' the link: http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/index.php?topic=51181.0

The spiral ribbon tweeters are designed to face backwards and can be used with any speaker brand. The benefit of ambience speakers is well known and plenty of high end speaker manufacturers use them.

Here's my $0.02: The ambience tweeters add a bit more presence in the highs with a longer decay. There's a little more sizzle in the cymbals, and as the name implies, a bit of an ambient sound. It's a nice tweak. Of course, like most tweaks the difference is a subtle one, but I could tell the difference immediately.

I currently have my ambience tweeters sitting on top of my speakers. Of course, that's not ideal, but I dare to be different. VMPS suggests mounting them on the back of your speaker using double sided tape.

Pics are below. Yeah, I know, they're dusty, but don't nag me about it...
HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

"God grooves with tubes."
Post edited by Early B. on
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,986
    edited April 2008
    Extra tweeters, extra subs - you get your hearing checked lately? ;)
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Midnite Mick
    Midnite Mick Posts: 1,591
    edited April 2008
    Not enough drivers in his mains I guess:)
    Modwright SWL 9.0 SE (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC with Oyaide 004 terminations)
    Consonance cd120T
    Consonance Cyber 800 tube monoblocks (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC's with Oyaide 004 terminations)
    Usher CP 6311

    Phillips Pronto TS1000 Universal Remote
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • WilliamM2
    WilliamM2 Posts: 4,782
    edited April 2008
    I tried similar add on tweeters years ago. I liked them at first, then tired of them.

    I don't see any type of level control on these? I don't see how they would work with all speakers, considering the different sensitivities of various speakers.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited April 2008
    Do you work for Machina Dynamica?
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,986
    edited April 2008
    Maybe he just needs a half dozen of those HSU mid-bass modules?
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • wingnut4772
    wingnut4772 Posts: 7,519
    edited April 2008
    My VS VR4 Jr.s have them. I keep them dialed in at a subtle level 3. I like the effect.It seems to flesh out a more 3-D image.
    Sharp Elite 70
    Anthem D2V 3D
    Parasound 5250
    Parasound HCA 1000 A
    Parasound HCA 1000
    Oppo BDP 95
    Von Schweikert VR4 Jr R/L Fronts
    Von Schweikert LCR 4 Center
    Totem Mask Surrounds X4
    Hsu ULS-15 Quad Drive Subwoofers
    Sony PS3
    Squeezebox Touch

    Polk Atrium 7s on the patio just to keep my foot in the door.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited April 2008
    WilliamM2 wrote: »
    I don't see any type of level control on these? I don't see how they would work with all speakers, considering the different sensitivities of various speakers.

    No level control, although you can partially cover the tweeter with foam, if you want, but it ain't necessary. They're 20 ohms, so they should work with any speaker.
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited April 2008
    RuSsMaN wrote: »
    Extra tweeters, extra subs -

    Yep, and once I get 5,324 more pieces of audio gear, I'll have one-third of what you've got crammed in your closets.;)
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,986
    edited April 2008
    Closets are full of cables and tubes, tubes mostly. The rest of the gear is in the garage, and pickings are nearing the 'slim' status in short order.

    Cheers,
    Russ
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • unc2701
    unc2701 Posts: 3,587
    edited April 2008
    Hmmmm. Rear firing speakers for added ambiance... where have I heard that before?

    I know! Bose!
    Gallo Ref 3.1 : Bryston 4b SST : Musical fidelity CD Pre : VPI HW-19
    Gallo Ref AV, Frankengallo Ref 3, LC60i : Bryston 9b SST : Meridian 565
    Jordan JX92s : MF X-T100 : Xray v8
    Backburner:Krell KAV-300i
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Systems
    Systems Posts: 14,873
    edited April 2008
    unc2701 wrote: »
    Hmmmm. Rear firing speakers for added ambiance... where have I heard that before?

    I know! Bose!
    A few years back Snell also had switchable rear firing tweeters on some models.IIRC the rear tweet only worked from 10k and above.
    Testing
    Testing
    Testing
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited April 2008
    wingnut4772 wrote: »
    My VS VR4 Jr.s have them. I keep them dialed in at a subtle level 3. I like the effect.It seems to flesh out a more 3-D image.

    A loudspeaker designed around the idea is one thing, this is another. DefTech uses it pretty effectively as well but they aren't at Von Schweikert's level.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Systems
    Systems Posts: 14,873
    edited April 2008
    dorokusai wrote: »
    A loudspeaker designed DefTech uses it pretty effectively as well but they aren't at Von Schweikert's level.
    The big Def Techs are bipolar designs so their rear output is full range not just the treble.
    Testing
    Testing
    Testing
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited April 2008
    I'm aware, just making a blanket statement about rear firing drivers of an overall design. I'll try and be exact next time.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited April 2008
    dorokusai wrote: »
    A loudspeaker designed around the idea is one thing, this is another.

    Well, Brian at VMPS has been designing excellent speakers for over 30 years, so he probably knows what he's doing. In fact, some of the earlier VMPS designs had ambience tweeters.
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • unc2701
    unc2701 Posts: 3,587
    edited April 2008
    I think of ambiance tweeters as the opposite of treating your room.
    Gallo Ref 3.1 : Bryston 4b SST : Musical fidelity CD Pre : VPI HW-19
    Gallo Ref AV, Frankengallo Ref 3, LC60i : Bryston 9b SST : Meridian 565
    Jordan JX92s : MF X-T100 : Xray v8
    Backburner:Krell KAV-300i
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited April 2008
    Early B. wrote: »
    Well, Brian at VMPS has been designing excellent speakers for over 30 years, so he probably knows what he's doing. In fact, some of the earlier VMPS designs had ambience tweeters.

    I not concerned with that fact, or if his name was actually Yoda. Not everything is a winner. Why don't they use them now?
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,217
    edited April 2008
    I will say since listening to SDA's again it's amazing how much delay, echo, ambiance many popular recordings use. The feel is to get a "live" room and make it seem like these are natural settings when in fact it's a very small, dead recording studio using digital effects.

    Some of it is over processed and the delay and ambiance is way over the top & some of it is subtle and I personally never noticed it on non-SDA speakers as much if at all. When it's done correctly at the recoding level it really adds something to the recordings.

    I still prefer recordings where the natural ambiance of the recording space is captured by multiple microphones rather than to have it "recreated" by digital effects. One of my favorite acoustic recordings is bootleg show by Sheryl Crow called the Trinity Church Sessions. Recorded with a minimal amount of equipment live in a church. It captures the the recording space very well and is outstanding quality.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,217
    edited April 2008
    unc2701 wrote: »
    Hmmmm. Rear firing speakers for added ambiance... where have I heard that before?

    I know! Bose!

    I get the joke :p

    My brother has a pair of Mirage OM7's which they have patented the name "omnipolar" and they have a rear firing tweeter. They are somewhat of an acquired taste speaker. The center image never quite settles in the center and the other instruments sort of float around without relaying a specific orientation on the soundstage.

    They are very nice sounding speakers and the traits I mention are subtle. They work especially well in unconventional spaces where optimum placement isn't an option. They have great bass and very good presence just a bit unconventional on some types of recordings if you are used to a rock solid center image.

    H9

    P.s. Obviously not anything like Blose. They are actually a nicely civilized speaker
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited April 2008
    dorokusai wrote: »
    I not concerned with that fact, or if his name was actually Yoda. Not everything is a winner. Why don't they use them now?

    VMPS is using ambience tweeters now. They have begun to include them on most of their floorstanding speakers. Read the first post of the link I provided.
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,809
    edited April 2008
    heiney9 wrote: »
    They are somewhat of an acquired taste speaker. The center image never quite settles in the center and the other instruments sort of float around without relaying a specific orientation on the soundstage.

    That sums up my thoughts of MBL speakers, exactly. Kind of a wow factor at first, but just not natural in the end.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • pearsall001
    pearsall001 Posts: 5,093
    edited April 2008
    Very interesting to say the least EB. I'm glad they're working out for you. I've read about other types of ambience speakers & was intrigued. I just never pulled the trigger on any. Fill us in later after they've been up & running for a while.
    "2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • SKsolutions
    SKsolutions Posts: 1,820
    edited April 2008
    Looks like pest control.

    Wonder if it's effective.



    Guess not. . . , he keeps logging in. .
    -Ignorance is strength -
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter