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Cure for the ribbon tweeter bug?

G

gfisher2001

Member
Hello,

I'm a dirt cheap budget guy, but have found some ribbon speakers in my travels. To my ears they just sound so clear they put all of my other speakers to shame. I need more ribbon's in my life and I am wondering if a middle ground (in the budget category) would be some Air Motion Tweeters such as the Dayton line.

The speakers I have now that win the clarity contest are:
-Infinity Crescendo 3006 (picked these up from a guy giving them away for free, surround rotted on mid and low woofer both sides, no problem with the help of these forums :) )
-My most recent find is a Optimus LX-4 Pro with ribbon. Found at a goodwill, probably dumped by someone because the wood laminate is in pretty rough shape. The tweeter/woofer however sound excellent. Unfortunately was only one speaker, i've been back hoping they put out the other but no luck.

Would the dayton towers/bookshelf or most specifically the Dayton Center AIR C452 get me that ribbon clarity?

I currently have a set of.....don't laugh....Onkyo 540 7.1 system. I am using the Crescendo's as the Front L/R and the Onkyo MTM as the center channel. Would a Dayton Air C452 fit in well as the Center Channel with the EMIT-R's in the Crescendos?
 
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FYI: In a blind taste (sound) test I did an A/B comparison of the Optimus LX-4 vs. my rear bookshelf 5.1 speakers. LX-4 hands down. Next LX-4 against my MTM Onkyo Speaker....again clarity no contest the LX-4 won. At that point I fired up the internet and found there is a bit of cult following for these ribbon Lineaam(sp?) tweeters. Man-o-man do I wish they had the second LX-4...............not sure what to do with a single one, other than use them for comparisons.
 
The AMTs in the 652-AIR sound pretty good to me (FWIW). Some folks find them too bright (but they don't have that effect on my own six-decade-old auditory processing system).
 
The linaeum drivers are nice, used a pair of the LX5's as rear channels in a surround system. The Air speakers from Dayton are ok, I've purchased both the bookshelf and tower for friends, the tweeters are the best part of a mediocre speaker. Great as starters but the cabinets at this price point just aren't up to snuff for any kind real musicality.

If really wanting to hear some exceptional tweeters I think it's time you stepped up to an Infinty with the Emit K.
 
To make sure I understand "bright"....is bright what could be associated with lots of clear highs? If say the Linaeum / Emit-R tweers sound right to me and the 1-inch balanced floating in the other speakers sounds weak or overpowered by the mid's coming from the same speaker, does that mean I am a "bright" guy?

I don't mean bright as in smart....in case I wasn't clear, lol.
 
gfisher2001 said:
To make sure I understand "bright"....is bright what could be associated with lots of clear highs? If say the Linaeum / Emit-R tweers sound right to me and the 1-inch balanced floating in the other speakers sounds weak or overpowered by the mid's coming from the same speaker, does that mean I am a "bright" guy?

I don't mean bright as in smart....in case I wasn't clear, lol.
Click to expand...

Bright is associated with overpowering highs, as in "in your face" it's too much kind of thing. We all want crystal clear musical high frequencies, but it should be a balanced whole, not a bass heavy mess either.
 
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Grenadeslio said:
Bright is associated by some with overpowering highs, as in "in your face" i'ts too much kind of thing. We all want crystal clear musical high frequencies, but I think it should be a balanced whole, not a bass heavy mess either.
Click to expand...
Fixed it.


I've seen lots of people say Cerwin Vega's are sharp or shrill or too bright, I don't find those I've tried to be any of those. So yes gf, you might be a bright guy.:)
 
FWIW:
In your face, to me is sort of a midrange thing.
Bright means icepick in the ear high(er) treble -- to me.
Bowers & Wilkins' loudspeaker products come to mind, as do many of JBLs (which are also "in your face", just to close the loop).
The "heritage" Klipsch designs (to my ears) are harsh, in your face, and bright -- even though the treble they produce is not at all extended... but it is emphasized.

Again FWIW: I was very disappointed in the B652-AIR overall, but didn't find them to be unacceptably bright. They were wooly and ill-defined otherwise, though, to my ears and taste.
 
mhardy6647 said:
If you've never read it, you might find this interesting. Then again, you might not.
http://www.zaphaudio.com/nondomes/

The Linaeum tweeters are not ribbon drivers, BTW. They're more like a planar driver (like the Magnepan), I think, with a curved radiating surface.

https://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/695ratshack/index.html
Click to expand...
and, technically speaking the emit-R is not a ribbon either, but a magnetic planar.

I agree with OP, they (planars and ribbons) sound fantastic, and no dome or horn I've heard since compares. Every speaker I have in every system running is a magnetic planar, (either Magnepan or Infinity) or magnetic planar/ribbon (Maggie 2.5R)

haven't heard the dayton AIR speakers, can't comment.
 
Grenadeslio said:
Altered it, fixed is only your opinion.
Click to expand...
Actually,no. Obviously I don't fit your "fact" that
Grenadeslio said:
Bright is associated with overpowering highs, as in "in your face" i'ts too much kind of thing.
Click to expand...
which makes it incorrect as you put it. So since you were incorrect to state that all people feel -bright is associated with overpowering highs, as in "in your face" i'ts too much kind of thing- obviously it must be some.
Same applies to your second "fact". I've heard plenty of vehicles driving around booming their bass heavy mess. If they don't like it, why would they do it?
And while I don't like mess, I do like plenty of bass heavy situations. Just ask my neighbors.
 
teal'c said:
Actually,no. Obviously I don't fit your "fact" that

which makes it incorrect as you put it. So since you were incorrect to state that all people feel -bright is associated with overpowering highs, as in "in your face" i'ts too much kind of thing- obviously it must be some.
Same applies to your second "fact". I've heard plenty of vehicles driving around booming their bass heavy mess. If they don't like it, why would they do it?
And while I don't like mess, I do like plenty of bass heavy situations.
Click to expand...
You're right, we might not all want "clear musical highs" maybe you like yours distorted, that's your right lol.
 
Grenadeslio said:
If really wanting to hear some exceptional tweeters I think it's time you stepped up to an Infinty with the Emit K.
Click to expand...

The Infinity Crescendo CS-3006 he said he owns use that exact tweeter.
Several years ago I had a pair of Magnepan MMG speakers and was trying to figure out what box speakers would be a good timbre match since I needed to hang them on the walls for surround. I actually contacted someone at Magnepan directly expecting them to suggest the Infinity EMIT or a lineaum type speaker. Instead they suggested the Ascend Acoustics CBM-170 saying it was the closest match. I was surprised.
 
chop_sooie said:
The Infinity Crescendo CS-3006 he said he owns use that exact tweeter.
Several years ago I had a pair of Magnepan MMG speakers and was trying to figure out what box speakers would be a good timbre match since I needed to hang them on the walls for surround. I actually contacted someone at Magnepan directly expecting them to suggest the Infinity EMIT or a lineaum type speaker. Instead they suggested the Ascend Acoustics CBM-170 saying it was the closest match. I was surprised.
Click to expand...

From this picture I believe you are mistaken, these are Emit R's, not Emit K's. Now it's possible I looked up the wrong speaker, but I believe it was already mentioned he had the Emit R's, not the same tweeter by a long shot.

Infinity-Crescendo-Cs-3006-Floorstanding-Speakers.jpg

Yep, quoted from his first post.

"I currently have a set of.....don't laugh....Onkyo 540 7.1 system. I am using the Crescendo's as the Front L/R and the Onkyo MTM as the center channel. Would a Dayton Air C452 fit in well as the Center Channel with the EMIT-R's in the Crescendos?"
 
Oops- my bad.
Still, it was surprising to me that Magnepan would choose a conventional tweeter over the EMIT or Lineaum. I guess that speaks to the upper frequency clarity of the Ascends.
 
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