I can't speak for DF, but of all the 64-10 tweeters we've sold over the years, none has failed. To be fair, if one did, the whole assembly would have to be replaced. I believe the larger and much more expensive 70-20 tweeter used in the Ascend towers has a user-replaceable ribbon element.
The ancient Jordanov ribbon was very delicate. Glad to see the improvement in this regard. But still, the ribbon is meant to solve a problem that never existed in the first place. Frequency response ad ultimo (123kHz++) and ‚impulse‘ with low mass. It originates in an outdated idealism, prevalent when vinyl was king. It was all totally wrong, not only misconceptions, as we know for sure today.
I could see how ribbons may be better in certain rooms where room/speaker interaction changes with directivity, but I would have a hard time believing a ribbon is better for genre X without considering the room, speaker placement, listening position, recording, etc. There are too many other variables to consider to point fingers solely at the tweeter.
Less durable in shipping for sure. A pair of Salk Silks I had in the past had the tweeters fail during shipping (in the factory box) but UPS insurance did cover part of the replacement cost.
Wide-directivity ribbons really shouldn't be used in 2-way speakers at all. They need a true midrange (<4") to match directivity well.
I currently own Salk Super Charged Song Towers and Ascend ELX ribbon towers - both use the RAAL 70-20xr ….. love them both , I can’t imagine ever having a different tweeter … they’re that good. I bought the Ascends last year specifically because the RAAL was an option. Best tweeter , to my ears , I’ve ever heard.
Why would anyone ever need to do that ?(Don't) Use a vacuum to clean dust off the RAAL tweeter and see how it goes.
Time for a new cleaner , wife or daughter !Usually, it's someone cleaning the speaker grills not knowing the vacuum can easily damage the RAAL. Could be the owner, cleaning people, your loving wife or your daughter who was simply trying to tidy up your listening room.
I found the ribbon in general to be as delicate as before, see the manufacturer's instructions:
That's meant to guard against any sudden decompression during the flight from Serbia. The cardboard cover isn't needed during ground shipping or, obviousl,y during use.And so far, no one has blown a ribbon by violently yanking the cover off of the tweeter.
I get that, thanks. But still the ribbon is delicate. It seems to be overstreched under specific circumstances. I wonder if a bent ribbon makes itself easily known to the unsuspecting user.
Curious, have you listened to a speaker with a RAAL , the 70-20xr in particular?
Now that you ask, I do not know exactly. The manufacturer uses the term in his note of caution, see image above. I'm not sure if the ribbon/diaphragm is millimeters thick?
Of course not, that would be mighty silly in terms of moving mass. I've found values of 6 to 45 µm for the foil itself. It might be in the mm range post corrugation.
