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Best ever period-correct tweeter for K-horns, Belles or LS?


Nordschleife

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What was the best tweeter of the:

 

-1950's?

-1960's?

 

Altec, JBL, University, Jensen, EV....in your experience, what was the absolute BEST tweeter in terms of clarity, accuracy, upper range extension, construction quality and reliability?

 

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

 

Best, Andy

Edited by Nordschleife
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I like my original EV T-35 tweeters in our '65 K-Horns but the JBL 075 "bullet" tweeters are simply clearer and cleaner.

 

I've had both.  Actually, 075s, T35s, K77s, K77Fs.  I strrongly suspect that variations in production runs (within group variation) is great enough to make comparisons between the models listed above (between group variation) a problem.

 

In the '70s the two Klipsch dealers (who also carried JBL) I knew well tended to bad-mouth 075s, and thought the Klipschorn tweeters of the time (T35? Or selected T35s relabled K77??) were better.  One said that what passed for increased clarity in the 075 was actually a big peak at about 11K, and it "drove him up the wall."  Another dealer (who did not carry Klipsch, but had many JBL models) did not like the 075 and thought JBL should not have put it in the Paragon and the S8 & S8R speakers.  I think the 075 sometimes got the blame when bad recondings were at fault.  The 11K peak, if it existed (never measured mine), was not objectional with a great recording.

 

In my experience, they all sound good with good recordings. The 075 can sound amazingly clear, but it tends to be a little harsh with recordings that are already that way (many).  I sometimes get the impression that the 075s are a little "colder," and the K77 series tweeters are a little "warmer."

 

I find that Audyssey Flat improves the sound of the K77F.  In my set-up, Audyssey Flat removes a peak at about 8K and boosts a little at about 12K through 16 K.  It also makes the tweeters in all three front channels sound the same.  That works well on most music sources.  On some movies, I do use Audyssey Reference instead.  It produces a mild cinema roll-off at 10K through 16K

 

People here will recommend a variety of tweeters to substitute for the Klipschorn tweets.  Someday, I might, but for now I'm happy with my Audyssey enhanced K77Fs.

Edited by Garyrc
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Nice explanation, Gary.

 

To the OP, if you want to check out the various Klipsch offerings, Bob Crites has a good page, which also includes his replacement for the K77. Some don't like the Eminence driver, some do, and I have a pair, plus a set of the APT50 drivers on a larger Eminence horn.

 

I always found the K77 to sound a little bit harsh (I do 2 channel only and don't have Audyssey or other EQ correcting software).

 

Bruce

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