snapsc
Member
It is interesting to read all of the pro ribbon and anti ribbon commentary on this thread. If you read through the HiFi Compass tests, you can clearly see the pluses and minuses of the 70xr ribbon tested by itself as a stand alone unit. And if you look at the results that Dave publishes, you can see the 70XR when it is part of the complete speaker.
Maybe even more interesting is an interview with Eric Alexander from Tekton....in which he says that the single most important component in any speaker is the crossover (and maybe not the ribbon, the dome, the diamond, whatever?)
No doubt, ribbons, just like amt's, and domes, etc. have unique characteristics that not everyone will love. From my perspective...they won't play rock concert loud...their sweet spot is bigger than you think....that throw an enormous soundstage...they mate very well with other well chosen drivers, they don't have a lot of sibilant bite...but man are they clear.
You have to hear them in the speaker you are considering....Salk, Ascend, BMR, Selah...the main guys using a RAAL in the U.S., and if they don't float your boat...move on.
I like ribbons...but I've heard some great Be tweeters also (Ryan speakers)...so, I'm pretty sure its all about implementation...and how that works with the various reflections in your specific room.
Maybe even more interesting is an interview with Eric Alexander from Tekton....in which he says that the single most important component in any speaker is the crossover (and maybe not the ribbon, the dome, the diamond, whatever?)
No doubt, ribbons, just like amt's, and domes, etc. have unique characteristics that not everyone will love. From my perspective...they won't play rock concert loud...their sweet spot is bigger than you think....that throw an enormous soundstage...they mate very well with other well chosen drivers, they don't have a lot of sibilant bite...but man are they clear.
You have to hear them in the speaker you are considering....Salk, Ascend, BMR, Selah...the main guys using a RAAL in the U.S., and if they don't float your boat...move on.
I like ribbons...but I've heard some great Be tweeters also (Ryan speakers)...so, I'm pretty sure its all about implementation...and how that works with the various reflections in your specific room.