Jim
I see that Song3 Encore and Beats use the same drivers ( are they not? ) except for the bigger woofer in Encores and the smaller one in Beats? Does it mean that the Eton midrange offered in the earlier generation retired?
Here's the story...
Sometime last May, I contacted the US Distibutor asking about the availability of these drivers. They were out of stock at the time and had emailed Eton to get an update as to when they might get a new supply. After repeated emails, they never received an answer. No problem, I thought, I'll just do what I have often done these days. I looked for a European dealer with stock. I found a few that listed the driver on their web site, but they were all backordered. So then I went on eBay and found a dealer in Slovenia who indicated they had them in stock. I paid for a pair and waited. About July, I inquired as to why I hadn't seen them yet. I was told they were backordered and would be available October 1st. So I waited. Finally, in December I asked for a received a refund. The bottom line is that this driver is simply not available.
Since we had used the AT mid successfully in the Song3 BeAT's, it was an easy replacement. And I actually prefer the AT driver myself. I find it a bit smoother sounding and more "musical." So we finally decided to simply make a running change and switch to the AT driver from here on out. It is a bit harder to work with, but the results are worth the effort. As a plus, we now have one less driver to worry about with the supply chain issues plagueing the industry these days.
- Jim
