Curious because I have never seem a such a large dip starting from 1.4k to 4k in speaker reviews measurements. I am the type who always looked at frequency curves in a speaker review (Stereophile being one of those). The Sota is obviously done with a specific voicing in mind. If I do come across it I will certainly give it an audition and give my impression here.
I am sure the choice of speakers and crossovers to market in the USA is driven 100% by commercial decisions. Having played extensively with my new Alpair-5 Generation 2 (no spider) full-range speakers, in enclosures voicing down to 50Hz, I know that it is sheer waste to place them at 2.4KHz. It is obvious they only want speaker systems which will sell in the US HiFi market.
I note that they don't sell their wonderful Tozzi or Cesti MB in the USA (even though Steve Cheng is holding a Tozzi on their webpage). Which US retailer is going to handle speakers which seem like "toys"?
But I am not complaining. I now have Mark's wonderful Alpair-5 3" speakers - which I didn't believe were possible until I saw their cones effortlessly traversing 6mm at 50Hz (about 20Watts) without the mass of a spider. Single point suspension! Unbelievable! And yes, they sound fine as a tweeter. Or midrange. Or even mid-woofer 🙂
I note that they don't sell their wonderful Tozzi or Cesti MB in the USA (even though Steve Cheng is holding a Tozzi on their webpage). Which US retailer is going to handle speakers which seem like "toys"?
But I am not complaining. I now have Mark's wonderful Alpair-5 3" speakers - which I didn't believe were possible until I saw their cones effortlessly traversing 6mm at 50Hz (about 20Watts) without the mass of a spider. Single point suspension! Unbelievable! And yes, they sound fine as a tweeter. Or midrange. Or even mid-woofer 🙂
The last I checked, the Viotti One's crossover frequency was the result of it being voiced to a specific set of requirements.
For clarity, I should note that it does not use the Alpair 5. The Sota 5 is a different driver, though related.
For clarity, I should note that it does not use the Alpair 5. The Sota 5 is a different driver, though related.
Scott,
Mark did show in a recent video that all his new cones were the same shape and material, just scaled in size. If that is the case, there is little room for variation between the SOTA 5 and the Alpair 5 🙂 But I thank Mark, and MarkAudio-Sota, for allowing us DIY to get our hands on drivers such as the Alpair
At a decent price, too...
.
(Christmas, because that's what I feel like right now..🙂 )
Mark did show in a recent video that all his new cones were the same shape and material, just scaled in size. If that is the case, there is little room for variation between the SOTA 5 and the Alpair 5 🙂 But I thank Mark, and MarkAudio-Sota, for allowing us DIY to get our hands on drivers such as the Alpair
At a decent price, too...
.
(Christmas, because that's what I feel like right now..🙂 )
+1, although for the Pluvia line....But I thank Mark, and MarkAudio-Sota, for allowing us DIY to get our hands on drivers such as the Alpair
At a decent price, too...
Very little variation indeed. They only have different baskets, different suspensions (the Sota 5 is a twin suspension unit), different voice coils, different motors, different dust-caps... other than that, they're exactly the same. 😉 The Sota 11 & Sota 5 drivers are neither superior nor inferior to their cousins in the MA range available to the DIY market; they are not the same however, as they need to fulfil different requirements. I have no involvement with the commercial side (and would not wish to, that's far outside anything I'm fit to do); it would be a shame if the MB and Tozzi's don't make it to the North Americas though. Hopefully in the fullness of time.
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Thanks for setting me straight, Scott 🙂 I guess I was somewhat clumsy in what I was trying to say 🙂
That looks like a damn good driver. I'm jealous... What kind of enclosure was it meant for? Open Baffle?
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I wish the design & maketing team moderate success. Too much could lead to the niche market fullrange drivers becoming a marginal sideline in themselves.
Sam - I've had the A5.2 in at least 6 different enclosures, and my favorite two are the FH-lite, and a very compact floorstanding TL designed by Scott . "Giraffe" I think he called it - perhaps since it's tall and skinny?
I'm sure the driver would make a great very wide band tweeter in a low crossover frequency 2-Way (I'm trying to avoid that 4-letter word beginning with F - as Chelsea Handler would say "wanna buy a vowel?")
edit: I'd be a bit wary about crossing as low in an OB as in a vented or sealed box -and certainly not run unfiltered in such a configuration
I'm sure the driver would make a great very wide band tweeter in a low crossover frequency 2-Way (I'm trying to avoid that 4-letter word beginning with F - as Chelsea Handler would say "wanna buy a vowel?")
edit: I'd be a bit wary about crossing as low in an OB as in a vented or sealed box -and certainly not run unfiltered in such a configuration
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Hey Chris, I was just thinking open baffle for these A5.2's because any reverb in any kind of enclosure would surely cancel out certain freq's. In an OB they would be free to breath. That's all I was thinking... Surely a single suspension driver like this is more sensitive.
More than just the lack of reverb from inside an enclosure going on, I think. Just filter them for reduced excursion below say, 300-400Hz (?) and you'd probably be fine.
Well that's advice for any small driver <=4", isn't it? This one from MA is special since it has a single suspension. I would think any enclosure design would have to be more strict in the A5.2 case?
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