I have never had the pleasure of hearing the Neo3.5H but the specs look impressive. I was considering pairing it with the Visaton AL130 im currently using with the G20SC. I have gotten a little tired of the dome sound, and have been considering other options. However, I have doubts that this ribbon will work with the visaton, if i cross around 4k or over. I have considered alpairs 10 or 12, but im unsure which gen...
Has anyone experience of this tweeter? Any suggestions as to suitable midbass to match it with?
Either the neo1.0 or 3.5H seem to be the only ribbons I like the look of, so I guess im aiming for a FR driver or midwoofer that can go high enough cleanly, hence the alpairs.
Has anyone experience of this tweeter? Any suggestions as to suitable midbass to match it with?
Either the neo1.0 or 3.5H seem to be the only ribbons I like the look of, so I guess im aiming for a FR driver or midwoofer that can go high enough cleanly, hence the alpairs.
Last edited:
hmm that seas woofer would be interesting. To be honest though, im not sure my budget will stretch that far. More thought needed i think. The neo3.5H appeals as it is largely free of nasty bumps, and the hornloading should help maintain a good directivity.
hi. Thanks again. I hadnt considered supravox either lol really need to do my research. I had considered Davis but was put off by price, and read about cone sag. The audax i own would be capable of xo at 4-5k, but they sound better crossing lower. Would i NEED a metal cone woofer to go with the neo3.5H? I dont dislike metal cones but i would hope for a very high breakup, so it can still be kept out of band. The seas looks good, but costly. Maybe i would be ok with my visaton, just xo point would be lower than ideal perhaps.
try to get hold of a gen1 Alpair10 bass 😀 and then 2 pair in a d'A config in a nice TL
SEAS PRESTIGE WOOFERS
there are also paper seas drivers that cost a fair bit less, I think you will probubly need a 18cm or smaller woofer, to crossover to a ribbon tweeter, as ribbons seem usally to be crossed higher
This will limit bass extention, so with this arrangement you may like to use a subwoofer
if you are horn oading the tweeter, it may xover abit lower if the waveguide is longer, but you will need a higher resister value in the crossover to level it to a standerd woofermid, or alternitavly you can pair it with a pa woofer if accuracy isnt as important (but you will still need a subwoofer)
Prehaps a more "seasoned" speaker designer can ofer better advice
there are also paper seas drivers that cost a fair bit less, I think you will probubly need a 18cm or smaller woofer, to crossover to a ribbon tweeter, as ribbons seem usally to be crossed higher
This will limit bass extention, so with this arrangement you may like to use a subwoofer
if you are horn oading the tweeter, it may xover abit lower if the waveguide is longer, but you will need a higher resister value in the crossover to level it to a standerd woofermid, or alternitavly you can pair it with a pa woofer if accuracy isnt as important (but you will still need a subwoofer)
Prehaps a more "seasoned" speaker designer can ofer better advice
@ Henkjan: Funny! Always with the crazy ideas lol. Very good idea though...
@ waveinform: thanks for the advice, i have no experience of Seas drivers, so you may be more seasoned than i!
The neo3.5H is already loaded in a short horn, from their data the natural roll off begins at around 1khz, response is controlled with a 5dB rise in the last octave.
They recommend a 3rd order at 2.5k as a minimum. I would prefer to go higher than this, and the 5inch visatons wont cut it crossing much higher than this, otherwise im satisfied with their sound..
maybe my initial question should have been:
considering im going to have to pad down the ribbon by some 8-10dB, is it really a problem crossing at 2.5k 3rd order?
maybe even 2nd.
Ie is safe to detune the 3rd order, lower Q, to a curve between 2nd and 3rd?
@ waveinform: thanks for the advice, i have no experience of Seas drivers, so you may be more seasoned than i!
The neo3.5H is already loaded in a short horn, from their data the natural roll off begins at around 1khz, response is controlled with a 5dB rise in the last octave.
They recommend a 3rd order at 2.5k as a minimum. I would prefer to go higher than this, and the 5inch visatons wont cut it crossing much higher than this, otherwise im satisfied with their sound..
maybe my initial question should have been:
considering im going to have to pad down the ribbon by some 8-10dB, is it really a problem crossing at 2.5k 3rd order?
maybe even 2nd.
Ie is safe to detune the 3rd order, lower Q, to a curve between 2nd and 3rd?
Last edited:
i may check out the alpairs yet...will be ordering the tweeters anyway lol, at the very least they may work reasonably with the visatons i have... The G20SC are great, smooth fabric domes, but they do have some polar 'swell' at the lower end. Im hoping a ribbon may offer a better control of this, especially in the 3.5H. We shall see. It may turn out i get some basswide alpairs in the end and try crossing at 6k+, but then i fear the ribbon may not bleme in polar response and the 'swell' may be worse.
I’ve used the Neo3.5H and it’s a nice low priced ribbon tweeter as long as you don’t cross it over lower than 3kHz (LR4 acoustical).
You need a smaller sized mid-woofer to pair with the Neo3.5H and a mid-woofer that allows a bit higher cross-over frequency (3-4kHz), with a smooth controlled roll-off without sharp cone break-ups like the 5” hard cone Visaton you mentioned.
My suggestions are:
ScanSpeak Discovery 15W/4434G00 for a T-M configuration or
ScanSpeak Discovery 15W/8434G00 for a T-M-M or M-T-M configuration.
ScanSpeak Discovery mid-woofers
These mid-woofers are in the same price range as the Neo3.5H and they have a nice extended frequency response and a smooth controlled roll-off.
I think the 15W/8434G00 was tested with great results in the latest issue of the German “Hobby & Hifi” magazine.
Regards
/Göran
Thanks Goran,
Another fellow posted a Seas driver as a suggestion, but after looking at the driver, I think the breakup is just too severe. The Nomex version is far tamer looking to me.
This scanspeak may be far better though...., Its a tough choice between these two drivers.
The AL130 is a little limited, but I have managed to sim a 4th order, or at least LCLC, lowpass at around 3.5k, which seems to work reasonably. I used Boxsim and simulated with the MHT12 magnetostat, which I would love to buy, but just cannot justify the outlay £££'s.
with these drivers, I got to roughly +/-1.5dB, and although there is a hint of polar response 'bloom', it is higher and far less than the Dome im used to.
The Neo3.5H looks darn good though, and both fortunately, and unfortunately, they are rather good value. The MHT12 are just dream drivers at 3 times the price.
So perhaps at a stretch it may just work with the AL130, though I do regret not opting for the 'M' version instead, since these would have less trouble getting to 4k. Rather than buy some more visaton, maybe the scan is begging to be had!
Another fellow posted a Seas driver as a suggestion, but after looking at the driver, I think the breakup is just too severe. The Nomex version is far tamer looking to me.
This scanspeak may be far better though...., Its a tough choice between these two drivers.
The AL130 is a little limited, but I have managed to sim a 4th order, or at least LCLC, lowpass at around 3.5k, which seems to work reasonably. I used Boxsim and simulated with the MHT12 magnetostat, which I would love to buy, but just cannot justify the outlay £££'s.
with these drivers, I got to roughly +/-1.5dB, and although there is a hint of polar response 'bloom', it is higher and far less than the Dome im used to.
The Neo3.5H looks darn good though, and both fortunately, and unfortunately, they are rather good value. The MHT12 are just dream drivers at 3 times the price.
So perhaps at a stretch it may just work with the AL130, though I do regret not opting for the 'M' version instead, since these would have less trouble getting to 4k. Rather than buy some more visaton, maybe the scan is begging to be had!
frd/zma
make a frd curve for the NeoCD3.5H to enter in boxsim in the place of the MHT12. i'm sure they are different.
zma could be fairly similar i believe.🙂
make a frd curve for the NeoCD3.5H to enter in boxsim in the place of the MHT12. i'm sure they are different.
zma could be fairly similar i believe.🙂
thats a good idea...the zma should be quite flat? I did wonder about this but wasnt confident in my logic. The only pitfall may ae that i do not know what conditions the founteks graphs were taken. I would imagine IB or DIN would be close enough though. Thanks again.
Almost exactly what I would've written. 😉
Zaph has the driver on his Blog section:
Zaph|Audio
No worries with break-up:
http://www.zaphaudio.com/temp/Scanspeak-15W8434G00-CSD.gif
I'd recommend stacking the two mids with the ribbon off to the side (but still between the two mids relative to vertical position). Somewhat like the older Acoustic Image AE2 (..but with the mids next to each other).
http://www.ebay.co.uk/ctg/Acoustic-Energy-AE2-Main-Stereo-Speakers-/87058116
i agree so far. The scanspeak does indeed appeal, although Zaph doesnt seem THAT overwhelmed by it. Since i am also considering that Seas nomex 15Wsomething, i should check Zaphs review to compare with the S-S. Similar price point too.
meanwhile i think ill check out Inductor's suggestion. If i can sim the AL130 and cd3.h and it looks feasible to use my current woofer, then perhaps ill save the seas or scan for the next project, since their Qts are a little too low for my liking.
once again thanks everyone, i shall get on with some boxsim work, and see if the 4th order route bears any fruit before i commit to another new woofer. Apologies if anyones time was wasted.
meanwhile i think ill check out Inductor's suggestion. If i can sim the AL130 and cd3.h and it looks feasible to use my current woofer, then perhaps ill save the seas or scan for the next project, since their Qts are a little too low for my liking.
once again thanks everyone, i shall get on with some boxsim work, and see if the 4th order route bears any fruit before i commit to another new woofer. Apologies if anyones time was wasted.
Last edited:
Hi!
Take a look at this: Axis 34 by Audio Design Wohlgemuth Udo pairs the Fountek with a Gradient AXT 06
Or his second take at fountek (although using Neo2.0) with the bigger Gradient chassis: Axis 220
The price of the gradient chassis really corresponds to the fountek ribbons.
Kind regards,
Arndt
Take a look at this: Axis 34 by Audio Design Wohlgemuth Udo pairs the Fountek with a Gradient AXT 06
Or his second take at fountek (although using Neo2.0) with the bigger Gradient chassis: Axis 220
The price of the gradient chassis really corresponds to the fountek ribbons.
Kind regards,
Arndt
Ditto. very useful link indeed. I was just contemplating how to take frd from Founteks graphs, which start at 1000hz and barely show the rolloff.many thanks again!
- Status
- Not open for further replies.