Horn "tweeter" - what do you use?

[Deaf Eddie]

I just reloaded my GK-MB115 with an Eminence C2515. Haven't gigged with it yet, but it sounds fine in my practice room, and now the amp weighs practically nothing. Gonna be a swell small-gig-rig for what I'm usually doing.

I noticed that the "tweeter" in this amp is just a piezo. I'd like to replace it with a compression driver to get some REAL tone out of it, rather than just a little sizzle. I know SRW and other pro cabinets use compression drivers, but what model, and where to get it? I BELIEVE the amp already has a crossover working for the piezo's leads, so I don't know if I want to choke the choke, so to speak... Anyway...

The closest things I've found to a horn that looks like it might work for me are these two:

Pyle Pro PH25

Pyle Pro PH44

The smaller one would fit the cab easily, but the bigger one handles almost twice the power. I confess I'm a little concerned with the "Pyle" name brand. Surely there are better horns available, but if one of these will work, I don't want to go overboard with this idea.

Any thoughts?

[donh]

Email me and I'll look up a horn I've used to good effect in a cab I built a couple years back. If you are lucky I may even be able to find the notes on the crossover parts I used on that build.

Pyle is horrid stuff (and a horrid company), please avoid it.

[SamClemons]

I would disagree and say Pyle is pretty run of the mill. Equivalent to your average Eminence speaker, not as good as the best Eminence speakers. I would say OEM grade for a lot of music gear.

On most bass amps with a tweeter. My first choice would be to turn them off, or disconnect them. Generally prefer bass amps without tweeter for bass.

[fenderslaper]

You will need a cross-over. Piezo doesn't use one.

[Deaf Eddie]

You will need a cross-over. Piezo doesn't use one.

Often, that's true, but...

Here, its leads are not paralleled to the main speaker output. I've played the signal from its leads through a full-range speaker, and it's DEFINITELY had all the bottom knocked out of it.

Just to be on the safe side, I was planning on using a 5K highpass on it anyway...

FYI, in many circumstances, piezos do not require a crossover - they simply don't reproduce anything low enough. However, they DO benefit from blocking the low end in higher-powered situations - they "live" longer. I've been at this a LONG time, and always add a 4.7uF non-polarized electrolytic cap in series with piezos - which can save some blown tweeters, giving you more consistent frequency response throughout the course of an event...

[donh]

The main thing that will save a piezo is current limiting. 22 to 150-ohm resistors are the key, preferably about a 2-watt one.

A 4.7uf cap by itself will do very little on a piezo as the impedance is incorrect for the freqs we want limited.

[donh]

Originally Posted by SamClemons

I would disagree and say Pyle is pretty run of the mill.

There is a huge back-story on Pyle - ask anyone with a long history in the industry and you may get an ear full. They really are horrid. Please don't sully the Eminence name by mentioning them in the same sentence - Eminence are honest people doing an honest job.

[Anchoret]

Pyle stuff is absolutely atrocious.

[fenderslaper]

My Goliath III has a Foster horn. Seems to work ok, but I keep it turned dow to about 30%.

[mbennettbrown]

look at selenium - they have a good variety of drivers and horns

[Deaf Eddie]

The main thing that will save a piezo is current limiting. 22 to 150-ohm resistors are the key, preferably about a 2-watt one.

Ah! This is good stuff (old dawg, new tricks, etc.). Would that be in series with the little bugger?

[donh]

Originally Posted by Deaf Eddie

Ah! This is good stuff (old dawg, new tricks, etc.). Would that be in series with the little bugger?

absolutely

[Anchoret]

Originally Posted by fenderslaper

My Goliath III has a Foster horn. Seems to work ok, but I keep it turned dow to about 30%.

I have all the Foster horns in my SWR Pro gear turned down about that far. You can't hear them, but it's the least strain on the circuit if they aren't switchable.

I don't remember the details, but having the rotating rheostat on the back completely off supposedly contributes to some kind of tweeter-circuit problem or early failure.

Count me among the many who have always regarded tweeters in bass cabs as ridiculous, more wrongheadedness from the plinky, clanky "bass guitar" crowd.

[JimmyJam]

Originally Posted by Anchoret

Count me among the many who have always regarded tweeters in bass cabs as ridiculous, more wrongheadedness from the plinky, clanky "bass guitar" crowd.

I'm just about to buy a new cab for my GK 700RBII. I was looking at the bi-amp features that are built in, and think that having the ability to get some clarity for funk or slap stuff, would be of great benefit.
This amp sends 320 watts to the low frequencies and 50 watts to the horn.

I can always turn down the horn/treble and get boomy "brown your pants" bass. You can't go the other way without the horn.... or can you?

[Arbiter]

FOSTER! Got one in my SWR, one in my Eden. Great, smooth tweeters. Get you that little bit of zing for that piano tone, but never ice-picky.

[Tim Armstrong]

I took the tweeter out of my 2x10 cab, and don't miss it at all. Just sayin'...

Tim