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Best midrange ever? Worst?!

Susurus

Susurus

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"Midrange is where the Music is". True or false?

Favorite midrange? DIY?

Worst midrange in a system-- non-tower AMTs?

I've kinda given up on 2-ways.

Integration problems in the critical listening band-- midrange -- where the ear is most sensitive -- seems best handled by a driver specifically for this. (unless you go planar...Maggies)

What I've got with incredible dedicated midrage: DQ-10, 12, 20, DQM-9, 9c, Bozak Symphonies.

Will be testing another 4-way tonight for midrange worthyness: HPM-series.

After some experimenting I'm convinced that a truly great midrange must have as a foundation a smooth, lifelike, well-integrated midbass.

For DQ-10s, his means close conformity to the original T-S parameters of the original (Advent-based woofer with improved VC).

However, I have not seen these specs. If I had the equipment I'd calculate them.

The tension between trying to achieve IT ALL:

full-range-ness,
best-integration-between-drivers,
and dynamics

...theoretically should be easier today than the vintage era. Better materials, tests, and QC?

- Susurus
 
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Best midrange ever: JBL LE5-2
Worst midrange ever: JBL LE5-2

Two-way, woofer makes the lower midrange and tweeter makes the upper.

Not a lot of tweeters will play down where required.

Compression drivers DO play down there, and better.

They also tweet, with suitable filter compensation.

Try EconoWave plus a competent woofer.... :thmbsp:
 
Best midrange... Quad ESLs (I am personally partial to the orginal -- ESL-57, mostly because I have a pair).

Altec 511B and 1505 horns offer really fine midrange, too. (EDIT: I took out the 811B upon reflection, but I'd still opine that it be fine midrange horn as well)

Radio Shack 40-1354 5-1/4" fullrange (twincone) has (had) excellent midrange for a bargain price.
 
My Infinity RSII's have tremendous midrange -- almost too much for my liking whilst listening to rock, pop and jazz. But for symphony and vocals (i.e. opera), they are outstanding. I actually like the Klipsch KG3.5's for all around listening, and they are two-way.
 
"I've kinda given up on 2-ways."

Wow! I know more 2 ways with incredible midrange than any other design...does Rogers LS 3/5A ring any bells. I could make a list a mile long of 2 ways with incredible midrange.
 
Art K. said:
"I've kinda given up on 2-ways."

Wow! I know more 2 ways with incredible midrange than any other other design...does Rogers LS 3/5A ring any bells. I could make a list a mile long of 2 ways with incredible midrange.
Click to expand...

Totem and Zu come to mind.
 
I find most 2 ways that are "full range" experience some suck out. This said i have never heard high end offerings just EPI's, Advents and the like. The 2 ways I have heard that do mids very well also dropped off quickly on the bottom end and really need a sub for the last octave or 2. This to me is 2 way tweeter / mid so that's kinds cheating in my book. The minute you need to add a sub to get the rest of the spectrum it is a 3 way system.
 
Rectilinear IIIs have a very sweet midrange. They use a Philips driver with a dual cone. Definitely one of the nicest sounding 4 ways out there. IMO

I recently got rid of a pair of JBL L-96s. I was not at all impressed with the LE-5 midrange driver.
 
pilotputz said:
Rectilinear IIIs have a very sweet midrange. They use a Philips driver with a dual cone. Definitely one of the nicest sounding 4 ways out there. IMO

I recently got rid of a pair of JBL L-96s. I was not at all impressed with the LE-5 midrange driver.
Click to expand...

I just heard my first set of Rectilinear's (low boys) a few weeks ago and thought they sounded VERY nice. Smooth.
 
Best midrange I ever heard was the combination of Altec 515B woofer and 288K compression driver on 1005 horn, crossover at 500hz.

As I recall the Apogee Stage made very lifelike midrange.
 
As funny as it may sound.............

The old KLH 17 speakers has amazingly good midrange for a 2-way speaker.

Steve
 
pilotputz said:
Rectilinear IIIs have a very sweet midrange. They use a Philips driver with a dual cone.
Click to expand...
kfa888 said:
I just heard my first set of Rectilinear's (low boys) a few weeks ago and thought they sounded VERY nice. Smooth.
Click to expand...
Thirded for a great quality cone mid driver: Philips AD-5060-M8 whizzer - used in various Rectilinears, among others. Also used an AlNiCo variety in early years - AD-3500-M8, perhaps?
 
kfa888 said:
The 2 ways I have heard that do mids very well also dropped off quickly on the bottom end and really need a sub for the last octave or 2.
Click to expand...
Same here. Such speakers many times use LF drivers around 5" in diameter - a very common size for a mid driver - and the crossover point is usually around 3kHz to 5KHz, very much like what a 3-way loudspeaker uses.

From what I know it's best to use one driver to cover the entire midrange band so as to avoid any unpleasant crossover interactions, so I'm surprised not more companies do that, well at least on their lower-priced gear. A lot of vintage speakers* definitely don't do this & I'm talking about three way configurations: I've seen speaker after speaker with "midrange" drivers being crossed over at 1kHz! And many times with an upper xover at @3kHz. I mean, why bother?


* older Infinitys commonly used heavily-built MF drivers that xover around 500Hz I think; an 80s-era Boston Acoustics (can't remember model #) uses a 6.5 midbass/midrange driver crossed over at a similar point, partly since its 10" LF driver is mounted practically at the bottom of the enclosure for better bass response; and hopefully I don't gross out anyone here by mentioning this brand :^) but the MF driver for Cerwin-Vega's modern 3-way CLS series employ a crossover at 450Hz for the 10" and 12" models & the 15" model's is down at 350Hz. Though to confuse things JBL's K2 model employs a MF horn crossed over at 800Hz. Who's right?
 
Best midrange for critical listening I've heard is the Fostex brand of full range drivers. They are not the most dynamic, that would have to go to a horn based mid. TAD, JBL, and Altec would be the choices of drivers. The LE5-9 in the 4313 JBL Studio monitor is not a slouch, either.
 
Best I've heard was a JBL 375 compression driver paired with short throat adapter and acoustic lens, SMOOOOOOOTH! May not be for everyone though. :music:
 
My fav is the L810 - smooth mid range, very sweet. The worst I have heard is the JBL l100t - yuck yuck yuck ! I had ear fatigue 10 seconds after running them. I actually gave them away to a friend and his cat destroyed the woofers which was the only decent (better than) thing on that speaker.

IMO.
 
My favorite midrange was in our 3-way Transflex 3050. 1-inch silk dome tweeter, 2-inch dome midrange, and a 10 inch woofer in a tranfelx-ported cabinet. It really reached out and touched you with beautiful vocals . . .

The 2050 (3050s little brother) was an 8 inch 2 way that rivaled many other 3-way systems. The 8 inch woofer took care of the mids VERY well.

As others stated above, I've heard some terrible 2 ways (i.e. our Polk R-40 test speakers) Sounds like the singer is stuck in a box . . . Too much cabinet resonance as well. I was playing our 2050s today next to the Polks and it was night and day.
 
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