Now That's a Tweeter!

Made by ScanSpeak, designed by Geva and ScanSpeak's engineers. "The motor, voice coil assembly, and membrane incorporate our most advanced technology." It is assembled in-house at YGA's factory.

COMMENTS
René Lacost's picture

Dear Mr Geva, René again, I have recently built a speaker using, what looks like, the exact ScanSpeak tweeter you are showing here. It is an excellent tweeter and I was wondering what did you change in it? Please explain what are the improvements you made. I am very curious how such a fine piece can be improved. It also looks like you simply mount the entire tweeter to your faceplate form the back. Wouldn’t the transition, clearly visible, from the ScanSpeak faceplate to yours will case refractions and diffractions?

Yoav Geva's picture

Dear Rene,The tweeter that you see here is assembled by us in-house using the following parts: Scan-Speak's Illuminator magnet system, a membrane which is unique to us with a different surround geometry than Scan-Speak's, and machined stainless steel parts in critical locations instead of Scan-Speak's standard polymer parts which I am sure you are familiar with. Through careful optimization of all geometries we are able to avoid diffraction in this complex structure. I am afraid to say that the precise processes that we use, beyond what I have detailed above, are proprietary information.Performance-wise, our tweeter extends flat up to 44 kHz, compared with Scan-Speak's 32 kHz. Thus, it extends as high as Scan-Speak's "Super-Revelator" Ring-Radiator which some of our competitors use, but offers far superior dispersion, and a dynamic range that is about 60% greater.

NOTICE's picture

As one who worked for Tymphany (Scan-Speak mother company) at the time the Illuminator tweeter was design, I find your explanation of “your” tweeter design and manufacturing process somewhat misleading. Although you choose your words carefully, it implies from yours and stereophile writer verbiage that you actually build the tweeter in-house with special Scan-Speak parts. As you very well know, it will be imposable for you to do so. Tymphany holds an array of patents and trade knowhow that will make this process imposable to do in-house for anyone. Implying a special "surround geometry" that extend the highs of the tweeter is completely bogus. Physics are physics and even you will not change it. Same goes for 60% greater dynamic range. How on earth do you come up with such statements? I am not sure what is the purpose of all this nonsense but I can tell you that it is not helping the somewhat tarnished credibility image of high-end audio.

Yoav Geva's picture

Dear NOTICE,I do not know what your position in Scan-Speak was, or why you do not work there any longer and may not be up-to-date. As someone who was employed by Scan-Speak, you probably know that they guard all information about customer-specific engineering highly confidentially, even from people inside the company who are not tied to the specific project. You probably also know that their excellent engineers are very glad to help companies such as ours develop unique solutions. Regardless, I can assure you that once you read John Atkinson's measurements that will surely accompany Wes Phillips' upcoming review, you will see that our tweeter indeed exceeds the standard version's bandwidth.As for in-house assembly - I invite you and all readers to visit our factory, and see with your own eyes the precise things that Wes has accurately described.

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