SBL Tweeters
Posted by: mikeybaby on 20 February 2016
I recently replaced my SBL tweeters with new Scanspeak D2008s and am finding the replacements too bright and edgy after many many hours of use. I want to replace them again. Can I use Credo tweeters? Were the original SBL tweeters ferro fluid cooled? Anyone?
What's the rest of the system?
C.
82/250/2HC/CDS2/SBLMkII
Equipment stand? Speaker wires? Service record of electronics? What is the competence of the person who did the work on replacing the SBL tweeters?
Chris
No ferrous fluid in the originals AFAIK. I've read elsewhere of Hiquphon being a good drop-in replacement/upgrade. I gather (though don't know) that the guy behind the company is happy to discuss. No idea on Credo tweeters as replacements I'm afraid. I'd suspect that even if they're the same model, they'd have been selected with closer tolerances for SBLs during manufacture.
My new (to me) SBLs had new original spec tweeters not long before I got them, and they definitely sound better than my old pair.
Hi Mike,
Assuming you're running passive, the sound can go 'spiky' if the x-overs are ageing. What's their status?
John.
The x-overs are recently serviced. So can I drop in the tweeters from a set of Credos? Or not? Richard Please?
Mikey, how much hours is many many hours? The D2008/D2010 tweeters are found in many fine loudspeakers as Spendor, PROAC and of course Naim but I doubt that Scanspeak has done any modifications to their original design at the request of loudspeaker manufacturers. These fine tweeters are a 35 years old design and the two pairs of new loudspeakers I had (Naim Intro2 and ProAc Response 1s ) took at least 300 hours to settle-in.
I would say around 300 hours. Pushed loud often. I have Scanspeak D2008 8511 right now and they are far brighter than my original 30 year old tweeters. Would the Ferrofluid cooled Scanspeak D2008 8512 as used in the Credo be smoother?
I had actual NAIM tweeters fitted ( by a competent dealer) and they sound great, they sounded great right from the start, can't say I heard a huge change in the following months.
Why not get the matched pair from the factory rather than using the current *off the shelf* Scanspeak?
This way you know they'll work with the existing 30 year old Xovers. Plus you don't know how long Naim is going to keep the servicing parts for the speakers. ( sensitivity can vary amongst the D2008 )
I've a several sets of D2008 ( for my Briks ) and the new ones did not work with my 30 year old passive DMS. My experience was even tho they bear the same model numbers, the sound of D 2008 can vary by the vintage.
Other possible remedy to make the current D2008 work is to tweak the resistor values of the Xover.
Thanks!
SBL tweeters are tweaked D2008, not off the shelf ones.
Buy a pair from Naim.
Mikey,
there are no shortcuts here. If you want proper SBL Scanspeak tweeters then they have to come from the Naim factory - specially tested, selected and matched.
To the Factory then. Case closed. Thanks Richard.