Fountek NeoPro5i Professional Ribbon Tweeter

[kylehallstrom 1]

currently im running:

 

alpine 9887 HU

2  6 1/2" RF power series (2-way) off of T800.4

1 18" FI Q (2010 model) fully loaded (w/o high QTS) off of AQ1200 Box is 7.3 ft^3 tuned to 28hz

Big 3 1/0 guage

1 extra Shuriken battery in the back

in a 2002 S-10 Blazer

 

im looking at upgrading my front stage to some "nice" horns and want some input on the Fountek NeoPro5i Professional Ribbon Tweeters.

 

has anyone run these or something very similar?

 

im willing and able to do some modifications to the doors if needed for some mids (looking at some sundown neo pro 8")

 

would hopefully be running both the horns and mids off the T800.4

 

can someone help me out and tell me if im missing something. I also saw that these MUST have a capacitor, is that correct?

 

according to what ive been reading the horns can only be run passive, can this be a problem with my amp?

 

I had to 6x9 RF power series in the back but took them out because i didnt like the way they sounded.

 

im also looking at possibly getting a equalizer, the ones im looking at is from Phoenix Gold (ive heard good things about them) by budget for this would be $200

 

any other advice would be much appreciated from some people with knowledge from working with this kind of 2-way set up

Edited February 14, 2013 by kyky

[Impious 1,476]

That Fountek is a ribbon tweeter, not a horn.  You appear to be using those two terms interchangeably.....they are completely unrelated.  A ribbon isn't a horn and a horn isn't a ribbon.  I'm presuming it was the sensitivity that drew your eye to the Fountek....but it's not a horn, it's a ribbon tweeter.

 

What exactly are your goals?  Because I'm certain that a ribbon tweeter is not what you are going to end up wanting or the best way to achieve your goal.  True ribbon tweeters are extremely fragile, I'm not even sure one would survive very long in a car.

 

The reason for the passive crossover/cap recommendation is because a ribbon's impedance drops very low at low frequencies and at DC, so it's imperative that the cap is in-line with the ribbon tweeter to prevent a near dead short from being presented to the amplifier.  While most amplifiers have protection circuits built in to protect them, the ribbon tweeter will turn effectively into a fuse and go up in smoke.  Simple little things like turn on/off pop would smoke a ribbon tweeter every time.  So yes it's possible to run them active with an appropriate cap in-line to keep them protected.

 

But like I said before, just based on your post I can tell you that you are not looking for a ribbon tweeter, and I don't think a true ribbon tweeter like that Fountek would survive in a car.  State your goals and budget and we can help you chose much better alternatives.

[kylehallstrom 1]

goal : imagery and sq for a daily driver

 

price : woule be willing to go as high as $600

 

music : in no order -  rap, jazz, acoustic, metal, dubstep, everything except country.

 

and yes it was the sensitivity that i liked. ive looked at a lot of people using ID horns but I cant find them on their site. im looking for something efficient without having to drop 5k-7k on utopias

[Impious 1,476]

For horns you can either purchase them used, or contact Eric Stevens directly (former owner of ID, now sells the horns directly): http://www.diymobileaudio.com/forum/members/eric+stevens.html

 

Horns (actual horns) are a good option of high output and still retaining good SQ, but they can be difficult to tune correctly.  If you are unfamiliar with active setups and equalization it may be a better option to go with standard components. 

 

Are you using the 9887 for your processing?

[kylehallstrom 1]

sorry that was a mistype, my HU is an Alpine 9857.

 

and yes that is what im using right now for my processing

[Impious 1,476]

What processing does the 9857 have?  I'm not familiar with it.  If it isn't active-capable, then you will need a processor.

[mccleery3 166]

Thanks for the email link impious

I'm considering active & utilizing horns.

Good luck original poster & sorry for the thread jack

[dbsupra 69]

I hope you were kidding about the Utopia.  I've heard them and yes they were nice but I wasn't blown away and no way I'd drop a 1/8 of that for them.

 

The case is nice though lol.

[Tirefryr 1,742]

That Fountek is a ribbon tweeter, not a horn.  You appear to be using those two terms interchangeably.....they are completely unrelated.  A ribbon isn't a horn and a horn isn't a ribbon.  I'm presuming it was the sensitivity that drew your eye to the Fountek....but it's not a horn, it's a ribbon tweeter.

 

What exactly are your goals?  Because I'm certain that a ribbon tweeter is not what you are going to end up wanting or the best way to achieve your goal.  True ribbon tweeters are extremely fragile, I'm not even sure one would survive very long in a car.

 

The reason for the passive crossover/cap recommendation is because a ribbon's impedance drops very low at low frequencies and at DC, so it's imperative that the cap is in-line with the ribbon tweeter to prevent a near dead short from being presented to the amplifier.  While most amplifiers have protection circuits built in to protect them, the ribbon tweeter will turn effectively into a fuse and go up in smoke.  Simple little things like turn on/off pop would smoke a ribbon tweeter every time.  So yes it's possible to run them active with an appropriate cap in-line to keep them protected.

 

But like I said before, just based on your post I can tell you that you are not looking for a ribbon tweeter, and I don't think a true ribbon tweeter like that Fountek would survive in a car.  State your goals and budget and we can help you chose much better alternatives.

I had the LCY 108s in my car for a while.  Replaced the ribbon element a couple times too and they were the largest pain in the ass to install.  I loved them though, but there is nothing special they do that can't be accomplished using a standard dome tweeter. 

 

No offense OP, but I think you are stuck on price and marketing here.  The sound of the $5-7K Utopias can easily be duplicated with a $20 driver.

[///M5 2,833]

That and unless the 57 is new and they are re-using the 98xx it has no processing so you can't run active without adding a proc or changing headunits.

[kylehallstrom 1]

no the HU is a couple years old and is no longer made

 

where can i find these said $20 speakers? why wouldnt everyone run those? i know that the install is much, MUCH more important than the equipment itself, placement, direction. but no way that optimal location and tuning and finding the right x-point for a set of $20 speaker can  replicated to the same output and quality of much more expensive speakers that are running in their optimal situation.

 

people on here are not stupid, that is why we use this site. so unless you have actual input, dont say anything

[kylehallstrom 1]

what other companies have horns? im interested at looking at their f/s along with prices

[Tirefryr 1,742]

no the HU is a couple years old and is no longer made

where can i find these said $20 speakers? why wouldnt everyone run those? i know that the install is much, MUCH more important than the equipment itself, placement, direction. but no way that optimal location and tuning and finding the right x-point for a set of $20 speaker can replicated to the same output and quality of much more expensive speakers that are running in their optimal situation.

people on here are not stupid, that is why we use this site. so unless you have actual input, dont say anything

People on here ARE stupid, just not as much ad the other consumers. The fact that multi thousand dollar speakers and cables exist is proof of that. Anyone can make speakers with exotic materials that cost an arm and a leg but still don't sound any different than cheap alternatives. It's been happening for ever. There's alway suckers who buy. It's got exotic materials and costs money so it must be better.

[///M5 2,833]

The law of diminishing returns happens extremely rapidly in drivers.  Sure to a point there are things that are helpful, but after that, meh.  Can't say that I run too many $20 drivers, but I don't spend a whole lot more than that.  Subs excluded of course, but they have a wee bit more raw material.

 

And yes, the price point on the utopia's is absolutely asinine.  At least an order of magnitude is put in just for stupid consumers.   

[Impious 1,476]

what other companies have horns? im interested at looking at their f/s along with prices

The only other recent company is USD audio.  Crossfire had horns briefly, I don't remember exactly but I'm thinking their horn body wasn't very good.  Veritas is an older car audio horn.  Illusion Audio had their CH-1 horns which were good.

 

Image Dynamics is going to be the most prevalent though.  It's rare to see any of the others up for sale on the major forums.  Stay away from the older ID CD1e horns, the compression drivers were crap.

[kylehallstrom 1]

thank you impiou, ill have to do some more researching then i'll decide which way im going and put up a build log

[Shogen 325]

keeps us posted OP.... :-)