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Piezo super tweeters

I enjoy the contribution super tweeters make and I consider myself an audiophile and a music lover. These high frequency drivers are usually advertised as being used without a crossover. This is probably why piezo's received a bad reputation. To my ears piezo's sound best only at the frequency extreme. Here's how to add a piezo to your speaker system to get the best sound.

First, Adding a resistor and a capacitor reduces the peak between 4 and 7kHz also reducing the fatiguing 'piezo' sound. Using smaller resistors (6, 8, 10 or 20 ohm for example) lowers the peak (and overall output) even further (see charts below).

When using appropriate caps and resistors, these super tweeters are perfect for enhancing the top octaves of ‘full range’ drivers. They add ‘air’ and 'shimmer' by extending response past 20kHz. Adding overtones to instruments will add realism to the sound. They work well facing forward, backwards or pointing up towards the ceiling.

The best strategy for blending piezos into your speaker system is to try several different capacitors and resistors to get the best match. You will know you found the perfect ‘crossover’ point when the piezo doesn’t call attention to itself but you still can hear what its adding to the overall sound. I'd recommend starting with capacitor values of 2uf, 1.5uf, 1uf, .47uf, .33uf and .22uf. The smaller the capacitor the less contribution the piezo will make. Add the appropriate resistor value across the terminals. This will make the piezo safe for an amplifier to drive as well as minimize the harsh sounding peak. Resistor values I've used with good results are 8ohm, 10ohm and 20ohm. The smaller the resistor the less sound the piezo will contribute. 

About Piezoelectric Tweeters (295 kB PDF*)
(As per the Parts Express website)

 Adding dammar to the piezo element will further reduce its  harshness. Just open up the piezo, paint a very light coat of (very smelly) dammar (found at art supply stores and usually used to coat paintings to preserve them). Allow to dry overnight in a ventilated area and put the driver back together. You can even apply clay or plumbers putty to the rear of a piezo to damp the sound of the cheap plastic horn. These improvements are subtle and I would only do this when using the piezo facing forwards. Facing backwards I cannot hear the harshness of a piezo when using crossover circuits like the ones described above even without these tweaks. The addition of an L-pad will provide even more control when using piezo tweeters.

Godzilla
(Godzilla3@hotmail.com)

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