Let's talk Tweeters!


Another thread which talked about specific speaker brands was taken over, so I’d like to start a new one.

Mind you, I do not believe in a "best" type of tweeter, nor do I believe in a best brand of speaker, so lets keep that type of conversation out, and use this instead to focus on learning about choices speaker designers make and what that may mean to the end user.

There is no such thing as a speaker driver without trade offs. Some choices must be forsworn in exchange for another.

In the end, the materials used, magnet and motor structure, and crossover choices as well as the listening room come together to make a great speaker, of which there are many. In addition, we all listen for different things. Imaging, sweetness, warmth, detail, dance-ability and even efficiency so there is no single way to measure a driver and rate it against all others.

Also, please keep ads for your 4th dimensional sound or whatever off this thread. Thanks.
erik_squires
Owned many brands of speakers with most of the tweeter types mentioned.  I’ll take a metal dome please.  The crossover has just as much to do with the sound however.  Diamond is also very good.  Most of the other types just can’t get the top end right.
I was under the impression that the Pass article was specifically regarding full range single drivers being driven by a solid state voltage source amplifier with a very high damping factor. The so-called resistor trick mimics a lower damping factor which in many cases makes the speaker “think” it’s being driven by a current source. I’m sure there’s a much better technical explanation but this was my takeaway when I read his article several months ago.
The ribbon tweeter festooned speakers didn't work out, but the little single ended amp did. Now I have horn loaded tweeters in Klipsch Heresy IIIs that sound amazingly uncolored and sweet, and image like crazy. Great speakers.
The Heresy speakers were the only klipsch speakers I liked.  Just too small for my needs.  Also, the Dyn Esotar tweeters are pretty good as well.