Analyzing old/new SBLs
Posted by: graphoman on 05 October 2003
Last thirsday I’ve updated all 4 drivers in my SBLs. Rumours reported that there is a running-in period of some 6 weeks to be expected. Nevertheless, it was 3 hours enough to appreciate the result. Perhaps I stand alone with my all-too-soft-sounding, over-damped room with plenty of 60 Hz as well as old-type equipment (CDS1, chrom 250) around that makes rawness of the unused drivers more acceptable - in more usual situations you may need more time, I accept it.
The new drivers are from the very start on way ahead of the old ones. Previously, I’ve allways felt a frequency response irregularity* in the system, sibilances like “s“s and “th”s were all too near to be “f”s. It happened anywhere in the X-over frequency range, as if there were a hill there, with the obligatory dips on both sides. It had its consequences on a lot of “parameters”. To name but a few, violins tended to be too shrill sounding while the main body of the violins still seemed somewhat under(!)-tuned. Violas, on the other side, sank into the background.
With the new drivers, as if there would be no hole any more between bass and treble units. Gone the mistuned, sleepy character, sound picture got somewhat darker but more healty, more interesting. The most remarkable effect is the complete balance of violins and violas. While the instruments are not shrill and screemy, their main bodies are now well-tuned. On the pop/rock side, archive AADs from the late ’50s (e.g. from Capitol), up till the date totally unlistenable, now begin to come to a new life.
The continuity between the two section of the frequency range has a lot of consequences, it gives better continuity horizontally (between the speakers) as well as in depth, now instruments can be distinguished from their echoes, the space behind them is more real. If I recall it properly, it’s more or less the same difference like changing 32.5 to 72. That time, however, I was not restless happy, I’ve missed some attributes of the 32.5. With the SBLs update, there is no “on the other hand...”.
That’s the picture after 3 days. If rumours are right and the drivers’ quality keeps improving for 6 weeks, I’m looking for a rosy future.
Warning: I’ve realized just in the last minute that the sealant material attached to the drivers supplied by Naim (“blue liquid”) was dried out, so I had to use the normal silicone instead. You may check it the first!
graphoman
*Of course, this irregularity is not necessarily measurable. Measurements like that are of stationary character, they don’t show up errors in the dynamic behaviour.
The new drivers are from the very start on way ahead of the old ones. Previously, I’ve allways felt a frequency response irregularity* in the system, sibilances like “s“s and “th”s were all too near to be “f”s. It happened anywhere in the X-over frequency range, as if there were a hill there, with the obligatory dips on both sides. It had its consequences on a lot of “parameters”. To name but a few, violins tended to be too shrill sounding while the main body of the violins still seemed somewhat under(!)-tuned. Violas, on the other side, sank into the background.
With the new drivers, as if there would be no hole any more between bass and treble units. Gone the mistuned, sleepy character, sound picture got somewhat darker but more healty, more interesting. The most remarkable effect is the complete balance of violins and violas. While the instruments are not shrill and screemy, their main bodies are now well-tuned. On the pop/rock side, archive AADs from the late ’50s (e.g. from Capitol), up till the date totally unlistenable, now begin to come to a new life.
The continuity between the two section of the frequency range has a lot of consequences, it gives better continuity horizontally (between the speakers) as well as in depth, now instruments can be distinguished from their echoes, the space behind them is more real. If I recall it properly, it’s more or less the same difference like changing 32.5 to 72. That time, however, I was not restless happy, I’ve missed some attributes of the 32.5. With the SBLs update, there is no “on the other hand...”.
That’s the picture after 3 days. If rumours are right and the drivers’ quality keeps improving for 6 weeks, I’m looking for a rosy future.
Warning: I’ve realized just in the last minute that the sealant material attached to the drivers supplied by Naim (“blue liquid”) was dried out, so I had to use the normal silicone instead. You may check it the first!
graphoman
*Of course, this irregularity is not necessarily measurable. Measurements like that are of stationary character, they don’t show up errors in the dynamic behaviour.