My thoughts? Amazing how far tweeters have come in 30 years.
My biggest problem with the Ela was the coarseness of the 1980s dome tweeter. The woofer was lovely. It did so much right, but the tweeter was holding everything back. It just sounded like a 1980s dome. And that is not a compliment.
The Hiquphon just did everything better. More detail, more air, more smoothness. Imaging improved dramatically. They got so much easier to listen to. So much more enjoyable.
Tonally nothing really seemed to change. They were still the Ela"s, but better. Definitely a worthwhile improvement.
I am glad to hear the improvement.
I didn't have any doubts that you would like them.
The Hiquphons are like a turbocharged version of the Scan Speak 3/4".
The OW1 and OW2 have not changed much since they were introduced.
I have a pair in my truck from a Fried C6 parts kit.
Actually it's the second truck I have used them in.
spare_parts_for_old_fried_speakers.html
Linn and Fried's use of them made them more popular amongst the audio community.
Turbocharged is right. Really a sweet little tweeter.
How did you use them in your truck?
I have a pair of the Fried C6L satellites in my truck.
As I stated I had to change the enclosure dimensions to get them to fit under the back seats of my truck.
I have them hooked up to the in dash Pioneer Cd player.
Ok. I did some hunting on the interwebs, and found nothing on the C6L. Can you steer me in the right direction?
I'm divided on the Hiquophons. Its been years since I heard and fell in love with the original Elas, and I find that I don't like this pair as much as I remember liking those one way back when...and I don't know if its the tweeters or the decade of hearing more speakers that's doing it. Something in the pair that's here just seems a bit incoherent.
The Elas I have have been modified a bit and I didn’t do the mods so don’t really know what all is going on with them in comparison to a stock pair as it’s been too long since I’ve heard a stock pair. That said, I find the Ela to be more refined but the Minstrel is way more fun and easy to drive. It’s just a happy speaker. It’s lasted a long time in my bedroom system (small room) and I have no plans to replace them. They aren’t going to replace the Harbeths but I really really enjoy them.Curious how you would compare the Elas to your minstrels. I love my Royd Envoys so much that I fear I may not enjoy higher up the Royd line even as much. I think the Envoys are close to a bookshelf version of the Minstrels although they are newer. So fun and easy to drive. Whenever I see a larger pair of their floorstanders I am curious but really have no reason to go there.
Ok, that’s interesting.I honestly never clicked with the modded ELAs. I don’t know if it was the tweeter or what but I felt they were just off somehow.
I heard the Elas a long time ago when my context for what a great speaker was, was more limited. And I loved them. So I made a mental note to track down a pair someday. The ones I ended up getting had the tweeters replaced and a few other minor modifications like some internal damping. I didn’t end up liking them, but since the weren’t original I couldn’t say if it had something to do with the mods shifting them away from what I liked about the originals, or simply that they weren’t as good as I’d remembered, as my speaker journey had progressed a lot in the ten years or so they had passed. The latter is just as likely. But they really lacked dynamics and I wonder if it was the damping applied? I had for comparison at the time a pair of Royd Minstrels that I loved and wish I’d have kept - which makes me question whether it was the time passage, though, as the Royds were even older.Ok, that’s interesting.
So you preferred them in their original state or did you not like that either?
The dampening didn't make anything worse. I didn't connect with them either, hence the upgraded tweeter, etc.I heard the Elas a long time ago when my context for what a great speaker was, was more limited. And I loved them. So I made a mental note to track down a pair someday. The ones I ended up getting had the tweeters replaced and a few other minor modifications like some internal damping. I didn’t end up liking them, but since the weren’t original I couldn’t say if it had something to do with the mods shifting them away from what I liked about the originals, or simply that they weren’t as good as I’d remembered, as my speaker journey had progressed a lot in the ten years or so they had passed. The latter is just as likely. But they really lacked dynamics and I wonder if it was the damping applied? I had for comparison at the time a pair of Royd Minstrels that I loved and wish I’d have kept - which makes me question whether it was the time passage, though, as the Royds were even older.
So in your view the tweeter upgrade was well worth doing.The dampening didn't make anything worse. I didn't connect with them either, hence the upgraded tweeter, etc.
Ok, now I understand, thanksI heard the Elas a long time ago when my context for what a great speaker was, was more limited. And I loved them. So I made a mental note to track down a pair someday. The ones I ended up getting had the tweeters replaced and a few other minor modifications like some internal damping. I didn’t end up liking them, but since the weren’t original I couldn’t say if it had something to do with the mods shifting them away from what I liked about the originals, or simply that they weren’t as good as I’d remembered, as my speaker journey had progressed a lot in the ten years or so they had passed. The latter is just as likely. But they really lacked dynamics and I wonder if it was the damping applied? I had for comparison at the time a pair of Royd Minstrels that I loved and wish I’d have kept - which makes me question whether it was the time passage, though, as the Royds were even older.