Audax HD-3P coupled to a ESL57 as a Tweeter.

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JohnG
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#1 Audax HD-3P coupled to a ESL57 as a Tweeter.

Post by JohnG »

I have been gifted a pair of Audax HD-3P Gold Tweeters.
I have had a long time wish to use these as a tweeter with the ESL 57. With this gift pair I can now fulfill, I hope a re-surfaced project.
Now for my usual spiel, I'm a Numpty at electronics, circuitry and I vaguely remember tinning a speaker cable.
Any advice is welcome .
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IslandPink
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#2 Re: Audax HD-3P coupled to a ESL57 as a Tweeter.

Post by IslandPink »

Interesting.
You're not going to need much from the tweeter, are you ?
So a fairly high crossover point.
Best place to start is a FR plot of what the ESL57 does at the top end , plus a datasheet for the HD-3P .
"Once you find out ... the Circumstances ; then you can go out"
JohnG
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#3 Re: Audax HD-3P coupled to a ESL57 as a Tweeter.

Post by JohnG »

Is the following enough info to offer a option on a set up.


AUDAX
http://www.audax.com/tech/tweeter_edome.shtml

The HD-3P tweeter represents the first in a new generation of loudspeakers. This tweeter features a piezoelectric
polymer film, coated on both sides with a vacuum deposit of pure gold, for the diaphragm. This polarized film is clamped to an elliptical ring with a sealed and pressurized chamber behind it. A dome is formed by the constant, positive force from the pressurized gas on the film.
The transducer uses no voice coil or magnet to produce sound. As an electrical signal is fed to the metal electrodes deposited on both sides of the ceramic film, the surface area of the diaphragm responds by elongating and contracting proportionally in size with the signal. Sound waves are generated by the stretching of the diaphragm, which is
converting the vibration into a pulsating motion, rather than a piston motion. The transient ability is unmatchable with
dynamic drivers because the moving mass of the HD-3P is approximately twenty times less than a conventional 20mm dome tweeter, while the directivity is equivalent. The HD-3P is supplied with its own crossover network. The crossover
frequency can be customized by adjustment of the component values.

The HD-3P was developed for use in 2 and 3 way systems, with a -6 dB/octave crossover at or above 6 kHz. System sensitivity should be inthe range of 86 dB to 94 dB. The impedance of the HD-3P is 4 Ohms.
QUAD2-WTR.gif
Quad ESL57 Frequency Response.gif
Quad ESL57 Frequency Response.gif (9.09 KiB) Viewed 8413 times
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IslandPink
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#4 Re: Audax HD-3P coupled to a ESL57 as a Tweeter.

Post by IslandPink »

Cheers
Have to dash, get back to you in a day or two.
"Once you find out ... the Circumstances ; then you can go out"
JohnG
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#5 Re: Audax HD-3P coupled to a ESL57 as a Tweeter.

Post by JohnG »

I,ve got a little time on my hands now, I've give the HD-3P's a new puff of air.
If there is a chance some one can give me a bit of their time to inform me of the requirements to couple the Quads and the HD-3P's it would be very appreciated.
I have access to four HD-3P's any thoughts on using them as a Dipole arrangement ?
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#6 Re: Audax HD-3P coupled to a ESL57 as a Tweeter.

Post by IslandPink »

Sorry, missed this John. Struggling with family issues, but what does the top end of the ESL57 look like ?
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rowuk
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#7 Re: Audax HD-3P coupled to a ESL57 as a Tweeter.

Post by rowuk »

The ESL-57 is good to about 12K where it becomes very directional. It dies after 15K. The ESL is so smooth at the top however, that a "lesser" supertweeter will make things worse. The Kelly/Decca ribbon was almost a perfect match back in the day. I would prefer a ribbon or good magnestat to any other driver.

If you want to try the Audax, get .2, .1, and .05uF caps. Start with the smallest and listen for a week. then try another one for a week. Resist the urge to change a lot. This has to grow on you!
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.
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#8 Re: Audax HD-3P coupled to a ESL57 as a Tweeter.

Post by IslandPink »

Sounds like very good advice !
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#9 Re: Audax HD-3P coupled to a ESL57 as a Tweeter.

Post by JohnG »

I,m looking forward to setting the HD-3P tweeter up to work with the quads.
I just like the way each speaker works the HD-3P in the 3 way system has a presence that is very ESL in my mind, when I play the ESL, I never feel like the 3 Way system is way behind in performance.
So my long time idea to bring the two together, is now very close to being realised.

On another ESL note, I was kindly offered over the holiday period, a visit to a persons home who has Stacked ESL 57's. These were OTA refurbished, using the OTEC2 Treble Panels, and Bass Panels as well as the latest electrics. Stators were matched to within 0.5 Decibles " I think".
These were driven by 120 watt valve amp monoblocks and a front end multimedia player.
I believe these were able to give a much better performance than I heard, as I believe the multimedia player was being revealed as a weak link.
What really got to me though was just how much more presence the stacked had against the singles that were being played as a comparison.
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