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anybody else hate tweeters?
- Thread starter jim primate
- Start date
I can take them or leave them. I never turn them on higher than halfway if I can help it. Nice to have sometimes, not necessary.
Greetings from the North,
I'm not too partial towards them and I tend to turn 'em down or off. But then again it's one of those things created to try and dee-vide the World Wide Bass Community. And it won't work. (Because too many like 'em) and the rest turn em down.
Rezdog
I'm not too partial towards them and I tend to turn 'em down or off. But then again it's one of those things created to try and dee-vide the World Wide Bass Community. And it won't work. (Because too many like 'em) and the rest turn em down.
Rezdog
Feedback due to a horn? Also, a horn just puts out whats given to it. If you use a horn and are getting lots of hiss it means that something in your chain is creating hiss.
I use overdrive most of the time and don't want to sound like a buzzsaw, and when I play clean I don't want all that top end. So I'm not a fan of horns personally, but I can see why people like them.
I use overdrive most of the time and don't want to sound like a buzzsaw, and when I play clean I don't want all that top end. So I'm not a fan of horns personally, but I can see why people like them.
Tweeters don't hiss or feedback, they just replicate what is going on in the upper treble range of your amp and/or bass.
If you don't like high treble extension, that's perfectly reasonable. However, if you don't like tweeters because they 'hiss', your problem is earlier in your signal chain IMO and IME.
Not a tweeter fan at all myself. Love the sound of turning up the treble on the amp and running that through a tweeterless cab. I have a Berg HT112/EX112 stack, and I much prefer the sound of the EX112. I think it has excellent treble response. I do see how the slap guys like them though. Have to disagree with Ken's statement above though. I have very good basses, cables, etc... and turning that tweeter up definately adds hiss.
If you turn a tweeter up too much, yes, your will hear a little bit of hiss. If your tweeter is up at the typical level (9 o'clock to noon on most circuits) and you hear any hiss that is louder than the general 'noise' of your amp and bass over the general noice level of the woofers, then there is something causing that in your amplification chain. Again, a tweeter is just a 'speaker'... it doesn't create any noise on its own... just replicates what is coming out of your system.
Again, if you prefer the sound up lower treble from a paper cone driver, I TOTALLY get that (especially if you use any sort of overdrive with your signal). If you don't like tweeters because they hiss, feedback, etc., that is either user error or problems with EQ or other parts of your signal chain.
The hiss isn't a function of the tweeter, just a reflection of the high freqs going through it. Any time you turn the volume of a certain frequency up, it's going to make the requisite noise of the frequency. Like if you turn up 60hz you will get a low rumble noise instead of the hiss in a tweeter. Having said that, some tweeters are worse about the noise than others.
I have horns in my cabs, but they are normally off. At least with the GK bi-amp I can adjust them from th amp itself.
- Jun 25, 2007
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- Artist:TC Electronic RH450 bass system (original test-pilot)
Those happy and chirpy little birds that just will not shut up do get on my nerves. 
Oh you mean "tweeters". I like them mostly unless they sound harsh or shrill. I feel like something is missing when I don't have a tweeter reporducing the high frequencies of natural and precussive harmonics.
Oh you mean "tweeters". I like them mostly unless they sound harsh or shrill. I feel like something is missing when I don't have a tweeter reporducing the high frequencies of natural and precussive harmonics.
My Question is what is a tweeter/high frequency horn doing in a BASS cab? Wouldn't a Mid range or mid Bass driver make much more sense and not be as hissy or as harsh.
Again, the hissy thing makes no sense.
Another way to look at it is... why would you not want to reproduce the entire possible frequency range of your instrument?
I guess to answer my own question, I can see for some tone goals that you wouldn't need to do that, and for an overdriven sound, the upper frequency of the treble range is not very pleasing.
However, I have NO hiss in my system, and my upper treble range sounds warm and musical to my ear.
I'm not pushing back at all on those who prefer a pure paper cone sound... I get that. What I don't get is 'tweeters suck'. For the many of us who like a crisp, clean, modern tone, having high quality crossovers and tweeters in cabs like Epifani's, Bergantino's, etc. is a revelation, and allows our stage sound to much more closely mimic the front of house tone through a DI (PA's have 'tweeters', and they don't seem to hiss or sound 'harsh'
)I'll also post again, that a lot of 'tweeter hiss' and harshness is due to user error.. i.e., thinking that the arbitrary 0db, 'flat' or 'neutral' label on most attenuators is actually 'flat' or 'normal' operation. For most circuits that I'm familiar with, 9 o'clock sound very balanced and natural... anything over noon in some circuits can quickly get 'non-musical' and harsh.
Agreed. A cranked tweeter sounds horrible, but one that's on to just tastefully add a little tiny touch of high end shimmer sounds great, even in more old school settings like my bands. It's called an attenuator...use it!
