JustIntonation
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I've decided to build my own speakers and am orienting myself as to the best design for my specific needs.
Am hoping some here are already well read into the science behind different tweeter designs and can point me in the right direction
I'll be treating a part of my room with enough absorption to turn it into a nearly semi-anechoical space. (have experience doing this)
In it I'll be listening nearfield at a distance of 1 to 1.5m (roughly 4 feet) without any reflections in the highs, only small reflections from the very thick fluffy wool carpet in the mids, and the reflections in the lows besides the floor will be mostly from the sidewalls through 15cm of glasswool absorption but the speakers will be placed against the side walls (so no destructive interference, I'll eq the "constructive interference" flat and use it to my advantage). No real modes in the bass from the side walls as one sidewall is only 2.50m high and the ceiling 4.20m leading to a much bigger room, no modes front-back either and no modes floor ceiling either (all absorbed with 30cm+ glasswool and big enough distances / total room size).
So in this room I will not need to worry about radiation from the speaker at all. So no need for waveguides, and no need for a more even radiation from the tweeter. I'll be listening only to the direct on-axis sound from the tweeter.
I think I would like to start with a 2 way system and later add a sub. A 2 way because it will be easier to build with a small front baffle for nearfield listening.
So for this is would be helpful if the tweeter can support a low crossover point (for instance 1600Hz 24dB/oct?) to get any mid-woofer breakup totally out of the picture (not only the breakup mode itself but preferably the third harmonic down from the breakup mode well reduced in volume as well as it can still excite the breakup mode if I'm reading things correctly).
I also do not need a lot of volume from the tweeter in the highs as I'll be listening so close, though if the tweeter is crossed over so low I may need the volume I can get at close to the crossover frequency.
So what are the differences in tweeter design?
For for instance roughly around $100 per tweeter. What are my best options?
Dynamic dome tweeter? Treated paper or metal? I see there are differences in breakup modes, does metal have lower distortion? Can I use either crossed over at a lower point? Any suggestions here? (I know there are a lot of specific things to pay attention to, but I mean general differences at this price point for paper vs metal)
Ribbon tweeters. Can these offer any advantage at roughly this price point?
I know there are other tweeters, AMT, or even electrostats etc. Right now not looking at them deeply but for my specific application any reason to think I may do good to look at alternatives?
I'm looking of course for the best overall solution for my application at roughly this price point for tweeters for the most flat low distortion transparant sound.
Any help/suggestions from experienced people appreciated! (I know that in the end for a specific tweeter I'll have to look at CSD's etc)
Btw, I haven't decided yet how I'll handle the crossover. Passive, active and bi-amping or perhaps do the crossover in DSP or even one the computer then to DAC for each driver then to amp for each driver. I would like to make the speakers impulse / phase correct and I have too little knowledge of passive crossovers now to know how I'll achieve this so it'll probably become either active or DSP (or I'd have to not use a flat baffle but slanted.. least attractive option for me now I think)
Am hoping some here are already well read into the science behind different tweeter designs and can point me in the right direction
I'll be treating a part of my room with enough absorption to turn it into a nearly semi-anechoical space. (have experience doing this)
In it I'll be listening nearfield at a distance of 1 to 1.5m (roughly 4 feet) without any reflections in the highs, only small reflections from the very thick fluffy wool carpet in the mids, and the reflections in the lows besides the floor will be mostly from the sidewalls through 15cm of glasswool absorption but the speakers will be placed against the side walls (so no destructive interference, I'll eq the "constructive interference" flat and use it to my advantage). No real modes in the bass from the side walls as one sidewall is only 2.50m high and the ceiling 4.20m leading to a much bigger room, no modes front-back either and no modes floor ceiling either (all absorbed with 30cm+ glasswool and big enough distances / total room size).
So in this room I will not need to worry about radiation from the speaker at all. So no need for waveguides, and no need for a more even radiation from the tweeter. I'll be listening only to the direct on-axis sound from the tweeter.
I think I would like to start with a 2 way system and later add a sub. A 2 way because it will be easier to build with a small front baffle for nearfield listening.
So for this is would be helpful if the tweeter can support a low crossover point (for instance 1600Hz 24dB/oct?) to get any mid-woofer breakup totally out of the picture (not only the breakup mode itself but preferably the third harmonic down from the breakup mode well reduced in volume as well as it can still excite the breakup mode if I'm reading things correctly).
I also do not need a lot of volume from the tweeter in the highs as I'll be listening so close, though if the tweeter is crossed over so low I may need the volume I can get at close to the crossover frequency.
So what are the differences in tweeter design?
For for instance roughly around $100 per tweeter. What are my best options?
Dynamic dome tweeter? Treated paper or metal? I see there are differences in breakup modes, does metal have lower distortion? Can I use either crossed over at a lower point? Any suggestions here? (I know there are a lot of specific things to pay attention to, but I mean general differences at this price point for paper vs metal)
Ribbon tweeters. Can these offer any advantage at roughly this price point?
I know there are other tweeters, AMT, or even electrostats etc. Right now not looking at them deeply but for my specific application any reason to think I may do good to look at alternatives?
I'm looking of course for the best overall solution for my application at roughly this price point for tweeters for the most flat low distortion transparant sound.
Any help/suggestions from experienced people appreciated! (I know that in the end for a specific tweeter I'll have to look at CSD's etc)
Btw, I haven't decided yet how I'll handle the crossover. Passive, active and bi-amping or perhaps do the crossover in DSP or even one the computer then to DAC for each driver then to amp for each driver. I would like to make the speakers impulse / phase correct and I have too little knowledge of passive crossovers now to know how I'll achieve this so it'll probably become either active or DSP (or I'd have to not use a flat baffle but slanted.. least attractive option for me now I think)