Noisy and distorted Tweeter in 2-10 cab

[LoveThatBass]

Properly used, there is no problem with Foster drivers at all. 18dB/octave crossovers are not necessary either with a properly designed speaker system.
The majority of issues result from poor application of the HF drivers with the rest of the system. Just slapping a tweeter in a box without doing the rest of the work results in poor results.

The High pass filter Avatar used was cheap 1st order( just a 470mfd cap ) that was set to 4-5khz because it started turning on way early and Foster Horn couldnt handle frequencies below about 2.5-3khz. I used an 18db 4th order high pass filter to allow it to go down to about 2.5khz without destroying it. No disrespect but it depends on what one is trying to do with it. At 5khz the tweeter was way too tinny sounding. And way too high above the 15” woofer they used. Sound had a distinct disconnect to it instead of blending in. As it was I and many others on this forum found it irritating so I kept the tweeter turned down. Lowering the frequency made it more pleasant to listen to. I prefer Eminence and JBL Selenium horn drivers for cleaner more musical tone. The tweeter horns and filters in GK cabs sound much better to me than Fostex( at least the model in Avatar’s in the pre-2010 models(last ones I dealt with)

 

[agedhorse]

The High pass filter Avatar used was cheap 1st order( just a 470mfd cap ) that was set to 4-5khz because it started turning on way early and Foster Horn couldnt handle frequencies below about 2.5-3khz. I used an 18db 4th order high pass filter to allow it to go down to about 2.5khz without destroying it. No disrespect but it depends on what one is trying to do with it. At 5khz the tweeter was way too tinny sounding. And way too high above the 15” woofer they used. Sound had a distinct disconnect to it instead of blending in. As it was I and many others on this forum found it irritating so I kept the tweeter turned down. Lowering the frequency made it more pleasant to listen to. I prefer Eminence and JBL Selenium horn drivers for cleaner more musical tone. The tweeter horns and filters in GK cabs sound much better to me than Fostex( at least the model in Avatar’s in the pre-2010 models(last ones I dealt with)

First of all, 470 mcrofarad is way too large for anything to do with that tweeter, either somebody used the wrong part accidentally or you have your numbers wrong.

Secondly, designing a 2 way speaker is system design. It depends very much on what woofer, what tweeter, and what overall response and from that a crossover cab be designed. This is a DESIGN problem and not a TWEETER problem. The crossover or in the case here of a high pass filter, there are 3 parameters that come into play: slope, frequency and level. Phase goes hand in hand with slope, and we don't really have to worry about Q since these are all passive filters.

How the crossover interacts electrically with the tweeter's impedance and acoustically with the woofer's level, rolloff frequency and slope is what makes a system work as a system.

Just categorically stating something doesn't make it true without the context of everything else.

 

[LoveThatBass]

First of all, 470 mcrofarad is way too large for anything to do with that tweeter, either somebody used the wrong part accidentally or you have your numbers wrong.

Secondly, designing a 2 way speaker is system design. It depends very much on what woofer, what tweeter, and what overall response and from that a crossover cab be designed. This is a DESIGN problem and not a TWEETER problem. The crossover or in the case here of a high pass filter, there are 3 parameters that come into play: slope, frequency and level. Phase goes hand in hand with slope, and we don't really have to worry about Q since these are all passive filters.

How the crossover interacts electrically with the tweeter's impedance and acoustically with the woofer's level, rolloff frequency and slope is what makes a system work as a system.

Just categorically stating something doesn't make it true without the context of everything else.

been years. .47mfd
I agree it was a design problem

 

[agedhorse]

Maybe 4.7uF?

 

[LoveThatBass]

yes thank you. It has been since 2005-2006 since I looked at an Avatar cab. Plus at nearly 70 years old now my memory sucks. I spoke with Dave at Avatar concerning the problem and what I found but his tech would only increase from 1st order to 2nd order ( coil and cap). It was better but still didn’t go far enough for my tastes.

 

[agedhorse]

Different players have different tastes as well.

 

[LoveThatBass]

Different players have different tastes as well.

True That!

 

[lug]

The High pass filter Avatar used was cheap 1st order( just a 470mfd cap ) that was set to 4-5khz because it started turning on way early and Foster Horn couldnt handle frequencies below about 2.5-3khz. I used an 18db 4th order high pass filter to allow it to go down to about 2.5khz without destroying it. No disrespect but it depends on what one is trying to do with it. At 5khz the tweeter was way too tinny sounding. And way too high above the 15” woofer they used. Sound had a distinct disconnect to it instead of blending in. As it was I and many others on this forum found it irritating so I kept the tweeter turned down. Lowering the frequency made it more pleasant to listen to. I prefer Eminence and JBL Selenium horn drivers for cleaner more musical tone. The tweeter horns and filters in GK cabs sound much better to me than Fostex( at least the model in Avatar’s in the pre-2010 models(last ones I dealt with)

If memory serves, the early Avatar cabs were set up with a simple cap filter but they moved on to a "real" crossover a few years after they got started.

 

[LoveThatBass]

correct they went to a second order crossover with 12db slope (coil and cap). It is better than just the cap