Speakers around the £3.5k mark

On the directivity plot, what is the frequency range? 20KHz is uncommon for a ribbon that size to do 20KHz with a 45degree off axis listening window.

If it does 130dB with only 1%THD think how low distortion will be at 80dB!

If it can really go up to 20KHz with a 30-45degree off axis responce and has a decent CSD plot then that looks like a REALLY good driver!

Can you actually buy them though? Or only get them by buying the full speaker system?

 

The ribbon is narrow and waveguide loaded though. The dispersion measurements in the independent review confirm the performance.

Not sure on the availability, you'd have to email them and ask. TBH who on earth would want such a driver in their home system? I can only guess what the cost would be for one of these but $2000+ each would seem a good guess given a distinct lack of anything comparable.

 

What do you mean who would want one in a home system? :O Its a very nice driver! I'm not interested in the high SPL as much as the low distortion. If they Xover at 1KHz and can do that, it should still be pretty good with a 500Hz Xover, or even lower. Yet it still extends fully to 20KHz... great

Take the B&G large ribbon. It can cross at say 300Hz, but distortion is pretty high, and it only really reaches to about 10KHz before the off-axis response gets too narrow to be of much use.

The review doesn't have the measurements in enough detail to make out the markings for me.

 

Good point, if you do email then please pass on any info you get on pricing.

Would be tough to get a demo though and imagining the price leads me to believe that only the foolhardy or rich would put down the money considering the risk. Although I have to say that given the heritage and coming Phillip de Haan who is acknowledged as possibly the greatest mind when it comes to ribbons I'd say its probably a safe bet.

 

Actually I've just seen the pricing. 3000 Euro for the QR18 which has a single 18" element, that's got to be for a single? Probably worth just buying these and not ripping them to bits but use as is since they look well sorted in measurement terms.

 

I dunno... for a PA speaker its great but for home audio I would do the design very different. But then you and I both like doing things different to most

I have emailed and will let you know if I get a response.

If the specs are right I would be tempted to try them in the near-ish future.

 

Marvellous toys but as Tenson rightly points out, designed for PA use. I prefer something that does not need massive amounts of EQ in order to get a linear response and that presents an easy load to amplifiers. That ribbon also presents a 3.4 ohm impredence. Not nice.

By comparison, whereas that ribbon mesures +/-20db between 500hz and 5khz, the drivers I am using measure like this



which is not bad for a high efficiency horn based system without any EQ.

Specmanship is a grave mistake when it comes to speaker building however - you only have to listen to some Vitavox based systems to realise what a mistake it is to design a speaker by numbers. It has nothing to do with willy waving. It's all about have a firm idea of what works and what produces world class results and going with that. This process tends to be expensive.

 

|Solens make a midrange ribbon - B&G make the neo10

 

The only one I can think of is this -

Which is a B&G ribbon. AKA RadiaPro.

If its not that one can you link, please.

 

What is the part id for that one?

 

They do a few differnt ones.

http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?webpage_id=3&CATID=49&ObjectGroup_ID=577

I am pretty sure the Radia are the same as the B&G ones on parts express.

 

I dont think the neo10 is avaialble for third party yet.

 

I don't think so either, but what is the Solen one? Or is it the same as that big B&G I posted?

 

I will check out a link - its not the big B&G

 

I think you took my chain yanking too seriously.

That ribbon and the horns your talking about are both unattractive to me. The point of my post was just me proving a point about ribbons have differing breeds.

 

Don't worry Shin, I don't take anything said too seriously ;-)

Stretch your budget a little though and you could build a man's speaker

 

Quite possibly Mike, though as you have a penchant for lady boys wouldn't this be a touch overkill?

 

Gentleman please ... what mike does with katoey in the privacy of his own home (or holiday villa) is noones but his own.

 

Nice but I'd also need the room to go with them which would cost significantly more than the speakers.

Room<->speaker symbiosis

 

Shin,

I know it's odd but my experience suggests that bass cones with a large radiating area seem to cause less problems in small rooms than smaller ones. The Japanese certainly don't have huge issues in their small spaces - cause for thought. People sit 10 feet from those monitors all day in studios around the world so integration is also less of an issue.