[Mad DOg]

i'm not available this weekend or next weekend...my earliest availability would be May 24-25th.

[Ravi]

Too bad the FST is an exclusive, one-of-a-kind, ours-alone construct.  Cone and dome advocates should hear it, just before taking a permanent vow of silence about the virtues of dynamic tweeters.

I've heard a number of good pure ribbon designs lately (FAL mtm design, Criterion, Needles array), and the treble is as sweet as it can get without being colored.

I'm not a cone or ribbon advocate, but a music advocate.  Whatever produces music better is my choice.  Having said that, the OW1 is a dome, and before you turn away in disgust, I seem to like it as much as any ribbon I've heard (Ravens, Esgs, etc.).  Lets not make overly broad statements, as I've even heard cones and domes sound better than electrostats like Quads, Magnepans, and MLs.

[Brian Cheney]

Your experiences notwithstanding, I feel dynamic drivers, particularly mids and tweeters, are history.

[John Casler]

Sa-dono wrote

Well now I'm just going to expect the world from these speakers John  Okay..not really...I am highly interested in hearing the 626R's..but mainly hearing the new tweeter. Oh..and what do you think of the finish? Supposedly Brian started using a new cabinet builder..

Hope I'm not spreading it on too thick, but I am very impressed.  

And Sa-dono it might be just the "newness" taint that you get when you change a component and you hear things differently, but I think if you sit in the "sweet seat" you will get a very good ride.

I'll be interested to hear what you and Mad Dog hear, since you both have had much time with the Ref Ones.

I also don't want anyone to think these are in the same "overall" performance category as the RM40s,... but they do have all the great characteristics I love about the 40s "and" they do surprising things for their size.

There are things about this speaker that surprised even me.  This is the first time I have had the opportunity to spend "real sweet spot time" with the FST.

As Brian says, it is a remarkable tweeter.  Although I have heard it, this is the first time I have "really" heard it.  I mean who would have figured that since I like the RM40s I'd like this one too... DUH

The other surprise was the bass.  Again, I don't want anyone to think that they will hear 20Hz at "gut punching" high volumes.  I won't happen,  But...When listening to music that has much quality Bass information, Like the bass lines in Diana Krall's CDs, or the Fat Disco Bass that provides the opening foundation to Madonna's VOGUE, it is really there.  I mean it is not shy at all.

It is full and solid, deep and tight enough for most music. (Well maybe not rap)

Another pleasant discovery was the nearfield "low level" balance of sound.  Since I live in a condo with neighbors, I can't always "crank" it up like I would prefer with my RM40s.

I have the 626Rs sitting in front of the RM40s and this places them about 6 feet away.  It also spaces them rather wide.  After I performed my convergence set up, I had locked, highly defined and detailed center image, at a rather low listening level and the depth and width of soundstage was huge.

Add to this, that the "balance" of highs/mids/bass was also very good at low level/nearfield.  No "thin spots" in the music.  It was like wearing headphones, but with directional cues.

This for a condo or apartment owner is great.

Now I haven't fully explored the other end of the spectrum (as in VERY LOUD) but I did get to "turn it up a notch" earlier today and there was absolutley no strain or grain, period.

I have a BASS track of SOLO BASS guitar that will literally blow everyone away.  The 626Rs ate it for lunch, with all the clean, dry, detailed etiquette, I have come to expect after hearing it a hundred times on the RM40s.

Wowwy Zowwy   This is fun stuff.  My ears are getting a real workout lately, what with playing with the tweak for the floorstanders and breaking out these 626R beauties.

Oh and Ryan ask about the cabinetry.  Hmmm.  Well to me they look great.  They look like real wood and not plastic and they match my Cherry Flambe RM40s and LRC exactly.  

The fit and finish is consistant with that.  To me they look bold and real and not overly processed, if that makes sense.  To me, however while important, fit and finish are at the bottom of the list in considering a speaker.  

Many speakers sell well because of their cabinetry and look.  I go for performance first and nice looks are just icing on the cake.

Oh and one parting shot.  They are much bigger than I remember.  These are very substantial speakers.  They are hefty and beefy.  They weigh much more than many of the mass marketed floorstanders.

Ok, enough VMPS "trash talkin" already.

 I can most likely make it the weekend that Mad Dog mentioned (May 24?) for at least a couple hours.  I certainly want to hear the Druids and I want to hear the Ref Ones again compared to these 626Rs.

And hopefully by that time I'll have these "well broken in"

Sheesh...  I haven't even touched, tuned, or looked at the pots yet.  I can't tear myself away from the "front" of the speaker

All the best,

Count me in.

[neilr11]

Brian, John, et al,
Is the new FST tweeter standard on the 626R? If it isn't, how much is it over the regular tweeter?

[Psychicanimal]

Your experiences notwithstanding, I feel dynamic drivers, particularly mids and tweeters, are history.

To me this ends the discussion--now let's go on to organize that tour to Venezuela!!!

[John Casler]

Brian, John, et al,
Is the new FST tweeter standard on the 626R? If it isn't, how much is it over the regular tweeter?

Hi Neil,

The FST tweeter is not the "stock" tweeter on any but the RM/x

To add it to the others it is $400 list per pair or $200 for the LRC.

[Ravi]

Your experiences notwithstanding, I feel dynamic drivers, particularly mids and tweeters, are history.

How can one argue with that logic...

If you just wish hard enough, those terrible domes and cones might just go away, and you can finally rest assured that they'll never bother anyone's ears again.

[Brian Cheney]

You're right, I shouldn't gloat.  Please resume listening to whatever gear pleases you.

[randytsuch]

I think May 24th is memorial day weekend, and I will be out of town.

Randy

[Rocket]

i have a pair of speakers which use the raven 1 ribbon tweeter and i haven't heard a cone tweeter which sounds as good.  jmho.

the raven has a very natural top end which i haven't heard before.  if the fst tweeter is as good then it's a winner.

regards

rocket

btw brian do you information on your website about the 626r with the fst tweeter.

[ton1313]

Hello all.  Ok, we can have a get together here at my place in L.A.  Lets make it for a Saturday or Sunday, whichever works out better for all.  I will ask Zu to attend as to make sure their speakers are well represented and maybe they will even bring a sub or two and processor along.  

I guess the first issue is to figure out when everyone would be available to attend.

Peace, and have a great weekend.

I wish I could attend, but it is a little far for me (Pennsylvania)  I am glad that you guys will finally have the opportunity to listen to these amazing speakers. I am sure that with your get together and ZU's demo monitors they will be sending out, this will create quite a stir in the speaker world.

If you can pull of a demo with the Zu sub, (it is VERY BIG and VERY GOOD!), you will be amazad! That sub is sooooo articulate and detailed, and it just dissapears into the room.

Gotta Run

[JohnR]

Too bad the FST is an exclusive, one-of-a-kind, ours-alone construct.  

I thought it was the Aurum Cantus tweeter. No?

[Brian Cheney]

Who is Aurum Cantus, and what tweeter do they use?

B

[JohnR]

They're a Chinese company that makes a series of ribbon tweeters apparently designed by the chap that designed the Ravens. In the US they are sold to DIYers by www.e-speakers.com as the ESG1/2/3; in Canada as the ARG1/2/3 by www.creativesound.ca; apparently they are freely available to OEMs.

[John Casler]

Big B,

I think the Aurum Cantus uses the same ribbon tweeter as the Red Rose

http://www.redrosemusic.com/new_site/speakers.html


Or so it is infered by their proponents.

I have heard the Leisure 2D by Aurum Cantus and while it is a nice speaker for $400-$500 (especially the fit and finish) the actual performance (most important to me), was not "stand out" in any way.

[Brian Cheney]

To think I blew $25,000 having the FST made, when I could have just bought a case of those $35 Vifas everybody loves.

[Ravi]

The vifas hardly represent the upper end of dome tweeters, they're meant to be okay tweeters for cheap.  If you want to hear what cream of the crop domes can do, listen to the OW1, Esotar2, new focal tweeter (an ESG ribbon dealer says they are the best tweeters he's ever heard, but they'll never be available to DIY or for OEM).  Even the tweeters used in the Thiel 7.2 are amazing.

Its all in the execution.

Rocket, I'm not saying that the Raven isn't a great tweeter, it is.  I'm saying that one shouldn't over generalize on such things.  Dynaudio isn't stupid, they could easily build a ribbon, but they stick with tweaking Esotar technology, and anyone that has given them an unbiased ear says they're amazing.  Its two ways of doing things, and both have compromises.  Their are plenty of great examples of each.

[Brian Cheney]

It's not unusual for audiophiles to disagree over what constitutes "amazing", or even acceptable performance from a transducer.
This is the case here.

I have heard the Thiel 7.2 optimally setup with great associated equipment and found its trebles, and overall performances, unremarkable.
I have heard many of the domes you praise, and find them equally unremarkable.  The Vifa you claim to be cheap and low-end, not representative of the best dynamic tweeters. is good enough for the $30,000 Krell speaker.

Dynaudio, in my experience, achieves clarity with peakiness and a trademark edge that I dislike intensely.

[John Casler]

I'm getting the FST for my 40's, and also, I'm going to try a pair of "jumper's" between the binding posts, but my jumper speaker wire is gonna have some bybee filters on them, it should be sweet!

Whoa Tyson,

Sorry I missed this comment.  About the jumpers I mean.

Don't know where you heard about it, but this is the "tweak" I have been playing with.

For those RM1/RM2/RM40 (even Tower II) owners who have the speakers "withToggle", I have found that flipping the toggle "up" (bi-amp/bi-wire position) and running jumpers between the binding posts yields a remarkable improvement.

Obviously if one has ordered their speakers "without toggle" or are biamping or biwiring they already are enjoying this reward.

I suggest you try it ASAP and report your impressions.


I will post the details to the VMPS forum