Thread: The best sounding tweeters in the world

Hi folks, To avoid causing another thread to go off-topic, I thought it would be fun to post a thread devoted to the best sounding tweeters over the last 30 yrs. Admittedly, I've only heard a fraction of the many great loudspeakers and tweeters in that time period, but here is my list of the best sounding tweeters I've ever heard;

- Magico MBD28 (M3)
- Acapella TW-1 Ion plasma
- Magico MBD7 (S5 Mk2)
- RAAL 140-15D (Crystal Arabesque glass master)
- Infinity High Energy Emit (IRS Epsilon)
- Infinity Emit K (IRS-V)

Honourable mention to;

- Accuton Cell Concept Diamond (Marten Coltrane series)
- Accuton Diamond (Avalon Eidolon Diamond)

The Acapella and RAAL are the fastest tweeters I've heard, however I've found Magico's latest tweeters are the best 'all rounders', and have particularly good power handling and dynamic range.

Uo to recently, I had not found a dynamic tweeter which could match the RAAL or Infinity High Energy Emit's combination of smooth response, wide bandwidth, wide dispersion, high dynamic range & off-axis performance. That is until I listened to Magico's latest generation of speakers.

Magico have made great strides with their latest tweeters, incl: the MBD7 which is notably smoother, faster, has lower distortion & wider dispersion incl: excellent off-axis performance; the mark of well engineered drivers, crossovers and cabinets. IMHO Magico have hit a home run with this tweeter which is like a more sophisticated version of the Infinity High Energy Emit. Bravo!

With the above said, I should note the Infinity IRS-V's are still the best imaging speakers I've ever heard, even though the Emit K was not the best tweeter. That shows the importance of implementation. So what's your list?

Originally Posted by Mike

Good topic!

Magico M3's/Q7 Mk2/S1 Mk2/S5 Mk2 and S7
Revel Salon 2
Love the Diamond tweeters in the Tidal, Estelon, etc.

During our tour at Magico, Alon was asked about different tweeters. He's tried them all and he gave a fascinating explanation about ones he loved and ones that he liked by themselves, but not as part of the rest of the speaker.

Interesting. I was curious if Alon had considered alternative types of tweeters for the current family of Magico speakers, incl: planar magnetic, true ribbon, AMT, Ion plasma, as well as alternative diaphragm materials such as pure diamond & carbon sandwich (like Vandeesteen). And of all those choices, Magico decided to develop their own diamond-coated BE dome!

I wonder if the next generation of tweeters from Magico will be Nano-graphene/carbon? Time will tell..

Originally Posted by MDP

Revel Salon 2

Raidho Ribbon

+ 1. Revel's beryllium tweeter is arguably the best iteration of a pure BE dome.

Originally Posted by Alpinist

I have to add my personal favorite, the Vandersteen Model 7 MkII tweeter, which is a 1” Patented Perfect Piston Tweeter with 3-Layer Carbon Fiber/Balsa/Carbon Fiber Dome, Aerodynamic Neo-Magnet Assembly. What makes it special is its ultra-low distortion, tremendous ease and amazing cohesiveness due to its identical design and materials as used in its upper and lower midrange speakers.

Ken

Ken, agreed. By all reports, Vandersteen solved the issue of soundstage height and width with this new tweeter. Your description of their qualities sounds similar to what Magico achieved with their new diamond-coated BE dome.

My absolute favorite is the Lansche plasma.

Raidho ribbon and Lansche plasma tweeters are my favorites.


Tapatalk kullanarak iPhone aracılığıyla gönderildi

There is a best "tweeter " just like there's a best speaker ..

Originally Posted by Dizzie

My absolute favorite is the Lansche plasma.

I have to listen to a pair of 5.1's one of these days! I hear nothing but good things about Lansche .

Originally Posted by still-one

The MBL Tweeter is the most realistic to me.

That is another speaker system I need to hear .

Well, I am biased. I own an Acapella Ion TW-1S, so I have to say Acapella But honestly, I think the Lansche is better.

I have also heard those MBL's. The most relaxing sound I have ever heard, they just make you want to sit back and listen to music.

Revel Salon2 tweeter.

Originally Posted by XV-1

Ha, Ha, Haaa! (Great! )

Enviado desde mi LG-E430 mediante Tapatalk

Originally Posted by Alpinist

I was listening to the plasma tweeter on You Tube and it sounds wonderful. I was also reading about it and apparently it uses an electric arc to modulate the air to produce sound, so there is no tweeter diaphragm. I wonder if air temperature or humidity affect the sound?

Not really. I suppose I could experiment with mine - take a frequency sweep, then humidify the room and take another sweep.

Originally Posted by a.wayne

There is a best "tweeter " just like there's a best speaker ..

Most probably you're right...

Enviado desde mi LG-E430 mediante Tapatalk

Originally Posted by Keith_W

Not really. I suppose I could experiment with mine - take a frequency sweep, then humidify the room and take another sweep.

I heard long ago about plasma speakers. In principle, they would be ideal, given there is no mass to move at all (except the air itself).
My concern with a device that ionizes the surrounding air comes from, like storm rays can produce, in a smaller escale, not negligible amounts of ozone, what can be dangerous inside a living room.
Am I wrong about this matter?

Enviado desde mi LG-E430 mediante Tapatalk

The deal-killer for me on plasma tweeters is the known finite life. Periodic replacement is required.

Sequerra T-1 Mk. IV Ribbon Tweeter

Originally Posted by Ventura_Rodriguez_Vallejo

My concern with a device that ionizes the surrounding air comes from, like storm rays can produce, in a smaller escale, not negligible amounts of ozone, what can be dangerous inside a living room.

Don't worry, the amount of ozone produced is negligible. You can barely smell it even with your nose right up to the tweeter.

Originally Posted by Dizzie

The deal-killer for me on plasma tweeters is the known finite life. Periodic replacement is required.

Periodic replacement of the ELECTRODE only, not the whole tweeter unit $900 per pair.

Originally Posted by Keith_W

Don't worry, the amount of ozone produced is negligible. You can barely smell it even with your nose right up to the tweeter.



Periodic replacement of the ELECTRODE only, not the whole tweeter unit $900 per pair.

Thank you, Keith.
One more thing I ignored about this very unusual type of tweeter.
Since I haven't had yet the opportunity of hearing one, I just suppose the sound must be great, based only in the intutive notion, as I posted before, that parts with mass are eliminated.

Enviado desde mi LG-E430 mediante Tapatalk

On Lansche Speakers the Corona tweeter covers a wider frequency range than most tweeters. This provides a very liquid midrange. To me, it is like the speakers don't have any mid/high drivers. They disappear to an extent I have not "not" heard on other speakers. Double "not" is intentional.

Description
plasma tweeter
Impedanz (nominal)*
6.4*Ω (minimum 5.6 Ω)
Sensivity
98 dB / 1 W / 1 m
Frequency range
1500 Hz - 150 kHz*±3dB
Dimension
16 x 16 x 30*cm
*Weight
*2 kg

What range does it cover ?? Ok saw you listed it ...

Originally Posted by Elberoth

The Acapella ION plasma tweeter is probably the best one I've heard, although it is so fast it makes it extremely difficoult (almost impossible) to blend smoothly with the rest of the drivers.

The Raal one is also great, although as you have noticed - in all around performance the Magico M-Pro tweeter may be the best compromise.

Salient observations Adam. As Mike recounted, there are several tweeters which could be considered amongst the best in isolation, but not as part of a complete loudspeaker design. For example, I heard my friend's Acapella Violins and was very impressed by the Ion plasma tweeter which was very fast, but I thought there was a discontinuity with the horn-loaded midrange & bass in particular.

I've only heard the M3's once while they were breaking in, but the performance of the M3's tweeter was eye opening. They were unflappable at any volume level, fast, resolving, natural (more natural than the S Mk2 tweeters) & had excellent dispersion and off-axis performance, making room placement easier. Great tweeters!

Originally Posted by Melbguy1

I heard my friend's Acapella Violins and was very impressed by the Ion plasma tweeter which was very fast, but I thought there was a discontinuity with the horn-loaded midrange & bass in particular.

Thanks to the magic of DSP and several drivers and amplifier upgrades, the discontinuity is now gone

Originally Posted by Keith_W

Thanks to the magic of DSP and several drivers and amplifier upgrades, the discontinuity is now gone

Nice work Keith. The development of those speakers has been an odyssey to say the least! I need to catch up with you after NY & get up to date on your system development. By then, I should have a good handle on how the S5 Mk2's are sounding in my room as a reference .

Originally Posted by Dizzie

On Lansche Speakers the Corona tweeter covers a wider frequency range than most tweeters. This provides a very liquid midrange. To me, it is like the speakers don't have any mid/high drivers. They disappear to an extent I have not "not" heard on other speakers. Double "not" is intentional.

Description
plasma tweeter
Impedanz (nominal)*
6.4*Ω (minimum 5.6 Ω)
Sensivity
98 dB / 1 W / 1 m
Frequency range
1500 Hz - 150 kHz*±3dB
Dimension
16 x 16 x 30*cm
*Weight
*2 kg

Wow!
What amazing specs! Those monsters, apart of sounding great, must be really ease to drive.
A delicatessen for amps and ears!

Enviado desde mi G620S-L01 mediante Tapatalk

Dizzie, hi again.
After reading a. wayne observation, and assuming the frequency range spec is correct (I'm not surprised for the higher point in this type of speaker, but for the lower), I've been thinking about a potential trouble.
I guess 1500 Hz is a problematic frequency in order to match the Lansche Corona with the unit/s covering the lower frequencies all the way down.
I say this 'cause the crossover must work precisely in the region our ears are more sensible (the always present Fletcher-Mundson curves!) and where statistically falls most of musical information.
Is this a limitation for a full-range loudspeaker system which would include the Corona, and what kind of drivers matches better with a so remarkable "tweeter"?

Enviado desde mi G620S-L01 mediante Tapatalk

The Lansche Corona tweeter certainly has impressive figures. Looking at the S5 Mk2's frequency response curve as measured by Martin Colloms, the midrange crosses over to the tweeter around 2.4kHz which is about the same as the S5 Mk1, and remains fairly flat to 40kHz indicating excellent driver behavior.

I listened extensively to a pair of Lansche 5.1s at a show and could not hear any discontinuity between drivers. My favorite music is vocals with acoustic instruments or electric guitars but not played at rock levels. If there had been problems I would have walked away. Instead, I sat mesmerized.

Originally Posted by Melbguy1

The Lansche Corona tweeter certainly has impressive figures. Looking at the S5 Mk2's frequency response curve as measured by Martin Colloms, the midrange crosses over to the tweeter around 2.4kHz which is about the same as the S5 Mk1, and remains fairly flat to 40kHz indicating excellent driver behavior.

I would suspect The network is keeping it flat , thats wicked imp/phase angle at 30-60 hz, serious amplfication for bass ...

Originally Posted by Ventura_Rodriguez_Vallejo

Dizzie, hi again.
After reading a. wayne observation, and assuming the frequency range spec is correct (I'm not surprised for the higher point in this type of speaker, but for the lower), I've been thinking about a potential trouble.
I guess 1500 Hz is a problematic frequency in order to match the Lansche Corona with the unit/s covering the lower frequencies all the way down.
I say this 'cause the crossover must work precisely in the region our ears are more sensible (the always present Fletcher-Mundson curves!) and where statistically falls most of musical information.
Is this a limitation for a full-range loudspeaker system which would include the Corona, and what kind of drivers matches better with a so remarkable "tweeter"?

Enviado desde mi G620S-L01 mediante Tapatalk

Do not discount xover overlap or odd order design necessary for coherency ..

Originally Posted by a.wayne

I would suspect The network is keeping it flat , thats wicked imp/phase angle at 30-60 hz, serious amplfication for bass ...

The S5 Mk2's new graphene/carbon midrange unit & diamond-coated tweeter have higher power handling, lower distortion & lower cutoff frequencies compared to the previous generation, which allowed Magico to remove the crossover’s electrical traps necessary for controlling driver breakup. Thus the driver's improved design and behavior seem to be mostly responsible for the flat response curve.

In his review for Hifi Critic, MC described the S5 Mk2's a "fairly tough loading". The test results show the S5 Mk2's stay slightly above 88db sensitivity across their operating range per 8ohm watt, whilst the impedance dips to 3 ohms resistive @70Hz, and 4 ohms @45Hz with what he described as a "moderately high" 50 degrees phase angle, suggesting a momentary amplifier load of 2.2 ohms in the bass. MC still felt valve amps could drive the speakers from a 4 ohm tap, and good ss amps should have no trouble at all.

I became more and more and more intrgued whith the 5.1s behavior, as a whole, when I saw the graph posted by Melbguy1. The imp and phase curves seemed a bit tortured, not in the high freq but in the mid and bass regions. The global impedance is clearly 4 ohms, descending to unquieting figures of 2 and 2,5 in points very demanding of current from the amp. On the other hand, the impedance shown by the Corona tweeter, from some 3ks on, being low (for me, 4 ohms is still a "low" impedance), is almost flat, what are good news (maybe not for all-tube amps). The phase-angle rotation curve is not the very best and bening in the world.
Obviously, the curves show the 5.1 as a bass-refex design (the double peak at 250 and 25 Hz), and as far I don't know if the port fires to the front or the rear, I'm unable to gess how demanding these loudspeakers will be to position them into a normal living room.
Another, and key, thing I don't know is the overall freq response and how well the drivers overlap.
In any case, auditon is always more important than figures and curves, and I haven't had the chance to hear these units in action, so I will take with confidence Dizzie's cinclusions.

Enviado desde mi LG-E430 mediante Tapatalk

Originally Posted by Ventura_Rodriguez_Vallejo

I became more and more and more intrgued whith the 5.1s behavior, as a whole, when I saw the graph posted by Melbguy1. The imp and phase curves seemed a bit tortured, not in the high freq but in the mid and bass regions. The global impedance is clearly 4 ohms, descending to unquieting figures of 2 and 2,5 in points very demanding of current from the amp.

Just to correct you...from MC's Hifi Critic review;

Amplifier loading: 4ohms typical (3ohm min) ‘fairly tough loading'

Originally Posted by Melbguy1

Just to correct you...from MC's Hifi Critic review;

Amplifier loading: 4ohms typical (3ohm min) ‘fairly tough loading'

Well, I wrote "posted by", not "published by"...

Enviado desde mi LG-E430 mediante Tapatalk

Originally Posted by Ventura_Rodriguez_Vallejo

Well, I wrote "posted by", not "published by"...

Enviado desde mi LG-E430 mediante Tapatalk

All good mate! A 1 ohm variance down that end of the response curve can be significant, hence I felt I should clarify MC's figures for that plot.