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Anyone ever try a planar tweeter in Original Large Advent

Onebean

Onebean

AK Subscriber
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Anyone have experience with replacing the fried egg tweeter with a planar tweeter like this https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-pht1-6-planar-horn-tweeter-6-ohm--275-087
or some other ribbon or planar tweeter? I have a set of OLA's, and I thought about trying to use a planar / ribbon tweeter instead of the Econowave.

I'm loaded on tube amps, and would use these with a tube amp. What do you think? Would it be difficult to build a cross over for a 2 way? Does it have potential to sound good? Are ribbon / planar tweeters smooth sounding?
 
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More to it than disconnecting the wires on the old tweeter and wiring up replacements. Correct crossover frequency? Matched efficiencies of the drivers?
 
Being a two way system the OLA original orange doughnut tweeters have the ability to go to a fairly low cross-over frequency and due to the size of the radiating surface can play quite loudly with minimal distortion. It is the OLA Tweeter that gives that speaker its signature sound as much or more than the woofer. I have experimented with both the original masonite backed version of that tweeter and the later metal faceplate versions (no masonite) used in some later models (the orange doughnut cone looks the same) and found the early versions have a more sonically pleasing frequency response.

Planar/Leaf tweeters often tend to have a higher minimum cross-over frequency than would work in an OLA and lower efficiency as the peak to peak diaphragm movement can be very restricted compared to a convention cone of dome dynamic tweeter. I personally do not think it would be a good match for an OLA.
 
If you want speakers with a planar tweeter, find/buy a pair of speakers that were designed with a planar tweeter in mind. They will definitely sound better that way. I've been through most all the variations of Advent speakers over the last 15 years or so.....Small Advent, Large Advent, New Large Advent, 5002's, 5012's, 25th Anniversary NLA's....none of which I've kept. Out of all, the best sounding were the 5002 and newer versions with the soft dome tweeters. At least to my ears. But, it was fun to experience them and say I have.
 
Sounds like the general thought is don't mess with success. I hatched the idea after seeing guys do the Econowave thing with them.
 
You could probably try a Dayton Audio amt pro-4 or I have considered trying a pair of Fountek pro5i I have laying around but the crossover slope has to be steep and the crossover components could be pricey.
 
You could always try a planar/ribbon tweeter as a super tweeter. Leave the fried egg tweeter in place, and add the super tweeter for a little more air and sparkle. You could build a small baffle, add maybe a 4uF cap (or smaller), and a L-Pad, to adjust volume. Set it on top of the cabinet, when done. Try pointing it back, instead of forwards. That would make it sound more spacious too.
 
StimpyWan said:
You could always try a planar/ribbon tweeter as a super tweeter. Leave the fried egg tweeter in place, and add the super tweeter for a little more air and sparkle. You could build a small baffle, add maybe a 4uF cap (or smaller), and a L-Pad, to adjust volume. Set it on top of the cabinet, when done. Try pointing it back, instead of forwards. That would make it sound more spacious too.
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I may try this with my utility NLA's and some Rat Shack Linaeum tweeter modules I have laying around.
 
That will sound very good. I ran linaeum dipole tweeters on top of my double advents for years. No issues. Now they reside on my Mirage OM-10 dipoles. The advents are still cranking away as home theater speakers.
 
swechsler said:
FWIW, it's usually a mistake to second guess Henry Kloss.
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A notable exception being the Econowaveguide project in the speaker forum. Otherwise, the mid- woofers and cabs in the Advent 2-ways are exceptional from low end into the mids, and the E-waves make the most of their best.
 
I can recommend the 25th anniversary soft dome. PO did that to my curb score NLA.
They didn’t redo the XO though, so I did.

Even though they don’t compare to my 1290’s, they sound great with tubes and make for a very nice test set.
 
StimpyWan said:
You could always try a planar/ribbon tweeter as a super tweeter. Leave the fried egg tweeter in place, and add the super tweeter for a little more air and sparkle. You could build a small baffle, add maybe a 4uF cap (or smaller), and a L-Pad, to adjust volume. Set it on top of the cabinet, when done. Try pointing it back, instead of forwards. That would make it sound more spacious too.
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Excellent idea I would suggest what is known as the Heil ESS power ring from The Tempest series say for example the ps8. I had a pair of those on top of some Polk RT 16s and they were fabulous when the tri-laminate domes went out on that pair from being over driven with a 20-watt Marantz! I did experiment facing them this way and that with any direction being very good but since high frequencies travel faster than low facing them away seems to be better so they would be time aligned. They can be bought on eBay for probably 60 or 80 bucks and the pleated mylar domes that are aluminized can be had directly from ESS for about 80 bucks a piece.
I am not talking about the $300 tweeters here for example though ones that are in the Rock monitors or the AMT one.
I set them on top with the connection on top in other words inverted and I ran a 3 ft piece of packing tape from the side of the speaker over the Tweeter magnet down the other side of the speaker. These tweeters go quite low I think the crossover is at about 500 Cycles.
It is interesting to look at Wikipedia for Oskar Heil and of course Edgar Villchur and Mr. Kloss!
Maybe Ben Hecht, the inventor of dome tweeters who is a person I have recently been starting to research since I need some orange soft Dome tweeters for my JCPenney MCs 100 lb 4 driver 3 ways.
I'm wondering if Richard So can repair these.
United Audio is a source for some drivers that McIntosh built some of their products with.
 
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Onebean said:
Sounds like the general thought is don't mess with success. I hatched the idea after seeing guys do the Econowave thing with them.
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Remember, the Econowave project included a completely different crossover developed by people who knew a bit about crossovers. And while some may like the fried egg tweeter the Econowave project focuses on overcoming the shortcomings of the "vintage" tweeters.
 
I've tabled this thought / project indefinitely. I don't have the time, skill, or test equipment to take on any project that's not fully documented and ready to build. Thanks for all the response to my post. I'm focusing my efforts on a pair of Bozak's, and a pair of Cornwall's.
 
Guido, I agree, I would prefer to spend some time with them before spending the money or cutting into a classic speaker.
 
Some have placed the waveguide /compression driver on top of the cabinet rather than cutting into the baffle. Easily reversed, & you could sell the parts on BT if you want.
 
sfox52 said:
Some have placed the waveguide /compression driver on top of the cabinet rather than cutting into the baffle. Easily reversed, & you could sell the parts on BT if you want.
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The "podule" approach. Build a waveguide podule with the horn, driver, and crossover with output terminals for the woofer, to be placed on the subject speaker cab near the woofer to be connected to the woofer only. Determine whether the lower or higher sensitivity version crossover is preferred during the build. It can be tried on any number of possible candidates that can work with it having a sufficiently high crossover point.
 
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