Ant gave me these Metrome’s

[Paul Barker]

#Ant

So Ant gave me these, and With the right amp I can’t fault them.

I hope Ant see’s this and comments on drivers he made them for etc. when using Barbaric they just weren’t driven at all well. On the 801a pse they are driven bang on.

I’ve spent the time trying different paper mid/tweeters and a super tweeter only to takeover at about 50khz so that their greater efficiency doesn’t use an LPad simply I try caps until they sound best. First order. With them operating up their they sharpen the attack at all frequency bass to symbol’s. But as they’re the cheapest compression bullet tweeters sold as car audio use not like you posh guys with Fanes super tweeters and various AMT’s Ribbons et al.

Before I got the cellestion upper mid/tweeters I was crossing the bullets at 20khz and they invaded the beautiful midrange of the main drivers nastily. I understand that cheap tweeters of this nature are prone to pith nastiness into the midrange.

But now they’re rolled off sufficiently in midrange territory for midrange to die for. The main drivers and celestion share midrange beautifully there is absolutely no step change heard, no duplicity heard. Each sound luscious and neither spoils the other.

Deep bass is light but articulate. I wouldn’t play with the stuffing; Ant has got that to perfection.

They require all the power of this 12 watt amplifier though. This amp, though expensive to revolve, is best left alone. I’ll just have to dig deep when valves blow. Cross that bridge when I’ve used all mine.

[Paul Barker]

The three paper tweeters before the celestion. Saba green one only rejected for torn paper. All alnico magnets including celestion.

Obvs if I can fit bullet above main driver I will but it’s dual taper cabinet and may have to mount underneath.

[Ant]

You can tweak the bass response abit by getting them closer to the wall, and by directing the port output forward by blocking off the back and sides where the legs are

[Paul Barker]

Thanks Ant?

Now not using super tweeter. Too cheap. So going forward I’ll either make plasma tweeters, or I’ve got some Deccan ribbon horns the smaller. I forget which way round it goes. Decca London or London Decca. One is smaller horn. I think that’s Decca London. Yet to discover if they need new ribbons I’ve had em 25 years but never used them. Bellow is late Bruce Edgar Titans . Now with a horn I think you line up the membrane at same front back position. I think you can tell in the photo. So Mark probably best to know but plenty of you know much more than me about speakers!

[Paul Barker]

Thanks Ant?

Now not using super tweeter. Too cheap. So going forward I’ll either make plasma tweeters, or I’ve got some Deccan ribbon horns the smaller. I forget which way round it goes. Decca London or London Decca. One is smaller horn. I think that’s Decca London. Yet to discover if they need new ribbons I’ve had em 25 years but never used them. Bellow is late Bruce Edgar Titans . Now with a horn I think you line up the membrane at same front back position. I think you can tell in the photo. So Mark probably best to know but plenty of you know much more than me about speakers!

I think that was vsac which is the very set I heard. See his 6v6 cathode follower front right? That humble looking thing blew away everything else at vsac. Tells you 1 how important speakers are. plus, 6v6 not under estimated! Crazy, I wish you could have been it was infinitely better experience than all the sex I’ve had stacked together! A lot more memorable too!

[Ray P]

I think that was vsac which is the very set I heard...

Yep, VSAC 2003 Paul - the time I spent listening to them is one of my abiding memories too.

[Paul Barker]

Thanks?

[Paul Barker]

Just looked at picture again, I went back in time 19 years. Scary how long ago. Ray I can hear that impossibly perfect sond right now, an image of it has been sent from my memory bank to the part of my thought box that releases seratonin or whatever it is!

[Ray P]

Yes Paul, I know VSAC was a long time ago and memory plays tricks but the impression Edgar's Titans made, so real and yet effortless, made an indelible mark whereas most of the event is now just a blur. BTW, Although the picture above is Edgar with his Titan's at VSAC he was showing the finished commercial versions;



For different reasons I can still recall Josh Stippich's room too, (particularly the smell);

[Paul Barker]

Me too Joshes room was 2nd to Bruces. All the rest was unimpressive. But I believe there is a transatlantic difference in aural perception. North Americans lean toward a different sound, which makes me want to lean away.

Bottle head the hosts had all good sounding stuff, and not tainted with that style I lean away from. Crap like Oris Horns not blending at all with the other frequencies, too many shyte fostex drivers when fostex was mostly under par. Obviously they were learning in them days and theyre better now. Biggest problem was different frequencies dealt different and wasnt good as a whole.

Except in Bruces room.

Bottlehead hospitality to us was second to no ne and Paul Joppa is a very clever cookie.

Im kicking myself for not realising the man in a frock was Stephie! I would have loved to have talked to Stephie.

[steve s]

Biggest problem was different frequencies dealt different and wasnt good as a whole.

Except in Bruces room

I think that describes sums up most loudspeakers Paul.

I've heard oris horns with a bass reflex below, a total miss match in my view.
But many low efficiency speakers suffer the same with parts of the frequency range sounding dull and others sounding slightly more alive

[Paul Barker]

I still need to know where horn tweeters best position. The vintage boxes with Dacca horns had the mouth flush mounted. BUT sure Bruce sees the compression source is lined up in all his horns.

[steve s]

I still need to know where horn tweeters best position. The vintage boxes with Dacca horns had the mouth flush mounted. BUT sure Bruce sees the compression source is lined up in all his horns.

There are noticeable differences once the membranes of all the drivers lined up, I remember an afternoon spent with Scott lining mine up, we took it in turns listening and moving them forwards and back.
When all the membranes lined up they sounded right, although the low frequencies where not so critical

[Nick]

once the membranes of all the drivers lined up

Given that anything with a cone is not flat, what do you take take as the datum point?

[Paul Barker]

What we say in gas fitter talk is lined up “best endeavour”