Canuck Audio Mart

I own a nice pair of Paradigm’s Signature 8’s, V. 1. The mid and bass sound fabulous, but the high end leaves me wondering…
I wonder if I can readily replace the current aluminum tweeters with the new (and better sounding) 1" Beryllium Tweeter? Has anyone tried this?

Or...has anyone figured out a way to improve the high level output of the original tweeter without replacing it all together? For those who own the original Signature series (and the recent Studio 100's, I believe), you know what I mean

Cheers,
Loyd

I'm sure that the crossovers would have to be modified in order to use a new tweeter in your speakers.
You could always add a super-tweeter, or just sell and upgrade. S8's usually fetch a pretty nice price, even V1's...

Loyd,,,why not sell me your V1's for $2k? Then you you buy a new pair!!

You're unlikely to be able to integrate a different tweeter successfully yourself. Also, should you make the change, your speaker will be worthless on the 2nd hand market. There's better stuff out there - time to do some research.

Sure, after I try changing the tweeters

Cheers,
Loyd

I thought I would show you my solution to the pitiful Paradigm tweeter. The overall sound is a little raunchy but is so musical that my feet (yes, both of them ) won't stop tapping. For those who don't recognize these vintage beasts, they are Kenwood LS 770's. Using the dial on the front, I have maximized the treble and minimized the bass. The sub has picked up the slack in bass, and the Signature 8's excel in the mids. What a flukey solution

Cheers,
Loyd

Doesn't this create massive imaging problems...are both speakers of equal sensitivity? I am confused as to how you connected this to make it work?

No magic, really I heard the Kenwoods on my second system and realized that they could add a dimension to the image that the Paradigms could not. I had no idea if this would work. So I lugged the Kenwoods downstairs, ran a second set of speaker cables out of my amp to them, and then moved the Kenwoods around until the three speakers blended into an acceptable image. Unable to find any specs on these Kenwoods, I have no idea as to their sensitivity. My guess is they are more sensitive than the power hungry Paradigms. Also note that the Kenwoods have most of the bass tuned out because I have moved the dial to maximize treble (no idea how this dial thing works). The treble, which passes through the horn, overwhelms the weak treble response of the Paradigms and adds a satisfying ribbon of music at a level above the Paradigm's response. So far, the pros outweigh the cons.

Hope this helps. Like I said, I fluked into this set-up, and it seems to work. Maybe some of the more tech-savy members can explain.

Cheers,
Loyd

aaasen:
Two other thoughts on the set-up. Now that I have had more time with the speaker configuration, I sense there are two compatible soundstages at play here. The Kenwoods seem to image most strongly across the rear part of the sound stage and then image back towards the wall (like an auditorium stage) whereas the Paradigms image more strongly into the room towards the audience.

My other thought is that this set-up would not be possible if the Kenwoods didn't have that phase-in dial (I don't know what else to call it). Like the phase-in dials on my subwoofers that match the bass with the low frequencies of the Signature 8's, this dial on each speaker lets me blend the Kenwoods with the Paradigms (which were already functioning well together).
Here are a couple of photos.

It is a really unique setup, I would be interested in listening to it. It's kind of cool that they image well, usually when I try two separate speakers it is a disaster. I wonder if you might get better sound and a more asthetically pleasing setup if you tried a set of supertweeters wih the paradigms. I myself am currently debating trying the grant ones just for fun. IMHO I don't think the new paradigms signature sound any better than the old

aaasen:

Supertweeters are still a mysterious commodity to me. I think there was a forum on them not too long ago. I briefly considered this route, but the cost seemed high (2 to 3 thousand ).

For the time being, I'll enjoy the novelty of my unexpected set-up. However, I would be interested in following your experiences with supertweeters. Maybe you'll start a forum

Cheers,
Loyd

No... Never.... You can't change the tweeter and think it will sound good. But, you can change the low grade crossover parts! If the speaker crossovers have the white cube ceramic resisters, they should be changed with the green resisters for Solen.ca. They only cost a few buck each and you will hear a very noticeable improvement. The caps can be changed also. I've found aluminum domes sound best with oil and paper caps...

The parts replaced must have the same values!!!

Hmmmm This is an angle I never considered. One thought: I run the high frequencies and low frequencies of the Paradigms with separate amplifiers. Will the crossovers be a factor under these circumstances?

Cheers,
loyd

I guess you are bi-amping... The crossover parts can always be upgraded.. Why are you bi-amping? Are you running tube for highs? Most crossover points are at 3200hz. Tweeters rarely use more then 2-10 watts.

I remember using separate cables to run the tweeters from the same amp was beneficial to tune the sound to your preference. High frequencies travel faster down a cable as compare to low frequencies. Therefore, having longer cables for the highs made a very distinguishable difference. I found the high frequency cables needed to be about 40% longer. Try it out:)

Hi Roy:

Slowly, through trial and error, I am arriving at your point of view. My latest scheme is, in the near future, to use my MF 308 amp to power the lo and hi terminals through separate Acoustic zen cables, and then to let the M 250 mono amps power the vintage Kenwood LS 770's. Here is what the set-up currently looks like, prior to the cable changes. The Kenwoods really do add a new, complementary soundstage

Cheers,
Loyd