Some alternatives for you (long)

Posted by jusbe (A) on December 14, 2003 at 03:22:49

In Reply to: Re: So, What makes a Lowther DX3 better than a Fostex 206e posted by chopper87 on December 13, 2003 at 13:40:40:

I got into the full-range game a few years ago now. I remember going to a dealer in London once, one selling tubes and the like. I was auditioning a t/table at the time, and he used some Beauhorns just for fun. Like you I was floored, and I remember his assistant hitting me with the reality that "Once you've tried Lowther, you never go back".

I agree with this fully, although with a slight clarification: I believe that once you've sampled a great full (wide) range driver without an energy-sapping crossover, you'll never go back. As such, I ended up living with some Lowther-likes, the AER driver, for a couple of years and enjoyed those even more. They gave a more even presentation than the DX3s I heard, but just as detailed. The debate about which is better reminds me of another tube contest: when I think of the Lowther DX4 (which I think is great) and an AER driver (at least a BD1 or higher), I'm reminded of the differences between the TJ 300B meshplate and new production WE 300Bs. Both the Lowther and the WE *can* convey a kind of burnished quality to the midrange, which is at once extremely lucid and limpid in nature. The AER and TJ seem to forego this a little, in favour of better reponse at the extremes of our hearing range. Both have their advantages, and I'd have 'em all if I could.

It should be mentioned that anyone who has used Lowther drivers (even their latest offerings) will report that they need hundreds of hours to break in, at a minimum. Some will argue that it is your hearing or perception that do the actual breaking in, and there may be some truth in that, but I'm inclined to agree with the notion that the overall Lowther motor assembly benefits from 'settling down' electro-mechanically - but I don't really know why.

I have had Fostex on my radar for while now, and decided to take the plunge recently. This was for a multitude of reason, but one that might be of interest to you is an argument emerging about the interactions of the whizzer cone on the main cone of full-range drivers, and the difficulties this can place on acheiving a fantastically present and distortion-free midband. Some have proposed the whizzerless FR driver, and some doctor their Lowthers accordingly; a new design from Fostex, the FE208E EZ (where Z equals Sigma, in the absence of knowing how to produce an ancient Greek Sigma symbol on my keyboard) has been produced as an up-to-date and serious effort in this direction, without one needing to reach for the razor. The picture below illustrates the special edition dual magnet version on the right (FE208ES) compared with the FE208SS on the left: the normal single magnet version is currently available, and is highly regarded.

I have only just got mine, and have yet to build the cabinet (Back-loaded horn) for them - I'm waiting for the University where I teach to reopen in the New Year, so I can have access to their precision workshops (!) to cut the birch ply I'm buying. You can find more in-depth discussion, if you haven't already, at James Melhuish's Single Driver Website, now an e-institution: use th link below. The Forum is particularly lively and helpful. The treble response of these is often augmented with one of Fostex's compression horn tweeters, such as the T90A or the T500A. I'll probably want to try one of these too. Below is a picture of a horn using the slightly smaller FE168ES driver. This special edition is still available from Japanese suppliers like EIFL.co.jp.

This might give you a useful increase in clarity that you seek, without having to spend huge bucks on drivers like the AER/BD3 (indubitably fine though it is), or more obscure drivers like the Reps-1. Other drivers you might like could be field-coils, but that's a whole other ball-game.

Hope this helps.

jusbe.

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - So, What makes a Lowther DX3 better than a Fostex 206e - chopper87 10:25:43 12/13/03 (50)

Re: So, What makes a Lowther DX3 better than a Fostex 206e - paba 07:16:36 12/18/03 (0)

Re: So, What makes a Lowther DX3 better than a Fostex 206e - larry moore 06:22:25 12/15/03 (0)

dx3 and fostex (long) - njjohn 12:26:45 12/14/03 (31)

Pitch and perception - paul_s 16:53:16 12/14/03 (30)

Strange. Do you mean... - jusbe 07:32:50 12/15/03 (1)

No, I find the back-horns more "box-y" - paul_s 12:52:50 12/15/03 (0)

Re: Pitch and perception - ahendler 07:13:02 12/15/03 (1)

Lowthers and 45s - paul_s 12:39:30 12/15/03 (0)

Re: Pitch and perception - chopper87 17:58:25 12/14/03 (14)

Re: Horn coloration - Dave-A 07:57:09 12/15/03 (4)

Sounds too good to be true - paul_s 13:12:04 12/15/03 (3)

Re: Where for an audition? - Dave-A 22:07:43 12/15/03 (2)

No, no... Encinitas - paul_s 13:35:05 12/16/03 (1)

Re: No, no... Encinitas - Dave-A 17:06:45 12/16/03 (0)

I do not miss my A-7 500s, circa 1968 - paul_s 18:42:16 12/14/03 (8)

2a3 - njjohn 20:21:50 12/14/03 (1)

Truth is, I prefer a 45 -- as far as it goes... - paul_s 12:07:43 12/15/03 (0)

Re: I do not miss my A-7 500s, circa 1968 - chopper87 20:00:54 12/14/03 (5)

Try the Leak! - paul_s 12:25:08 12/15/03 (4)

Re: Try the Leak! - chopper87 14:21:10 12/15/03 (3)

Lowther stridency - paul_s 15:46:21 12/15/03 (2)

Re: Lowther stridency - chopper87 17:08:26 12/15/03 (1)

One way to find out for sure... - paul_s 18:19:22 12/15/03 (0)

the we experience - njjohn 17:32:46 12/14/03 (10)

Re: the we experience - tcain 07:40:17 12/15/03 (9)

difficult choices - njjohn 14:24:35 12/15/03 (8)

Re: difficult choices - tcain 16:03:04 12/15/03 (1)

Re: difficult choices - njjohn 04:10:15 12/16/03 (0)

You got that right! - paul_s 16:00:31 12/15/03 (5)

it was a jazz instrument piece - njjohn 16:08:39 12/15/03 (4)

Odd - JayD 19:06:02 12/15/03 (3)

am i off in my assessment? - njjohn 04:35:55 12/16/03 (2)

Re: am i off in my assessment? - JayD 05:57:21 12/16/03 (1)

abby sound - njjohn 13:04:25 12/16/03 (0)

Patience on the Lowthers - KT 09:32:20 12/14/03 (3)

They take a lot (a lot) of play ..... - Ryder 13:22:40 12/14/03 (0)

Re: Patience on the Lowthers - chopper87 11:11:41 12/14/03 (1)

I wouldn't be surprised if - Triodeuser 13:08:49 12/14/03 (0)

Re: Nothing, but... - Dave-A 09:05:16 12/14/03 (0)

Just the "presence" you aren't hearing! - paul_s 16:40:28 12/13/03 (0)

Re: So, What makes a Lowther DX3 better than a Fostex 206e - Kuei Yang Wang 11:50:37 12/13/03 (0)

Re: So, What makes a Lowther DX3 better than a Fostex 206e - Ryder 11:30:14 12/13/03 (8)

Keep me posted! - paul_s 16:47:50 12/13/03 (1)

Re: Keep me posted! - Ryder 13:33:41 12/14/03 (0)

Re: So, What makes a Lowther DX3 better than a Fostex 206e - chopper87 13:40:40 12/13/03 (5)

Re: So, What makes a Lowther DX3 better than a Fostex 206e - ahendler 07:20:14 12/15/03 (0)

Some alternatives for you (long) - jusbe 12/14/0303:22:49 12/14/03 (1)

Re: Some alternatives for you (long) - chopper87 07:06:54 12/14/03 (0)

Re: So, What makes a Lowther DX3 better than a Fostex 206e - Ryder 14:21:16 12/13/03 (1)

Re: So, What makes a Lowther DX3 better than a Fostex 206e - chopper87 15:16:22 12/13/03 (0)

Follow Ups

Some alternatives for you (long) - jusbe 12/14/0303:22:49 12/14/03 (1)

Re: Some alternatives for you (long) - chopper87 07:06:54 12/14/03 (0)

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