tc sounds

So if youve been to there website lately then you've probably noticed that they now have a midbass speaker and a planar tweeter. So do yall think these will be as good as their subs?

theterminator wrote:

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So if youve been to there website lately then you've probably noticed that they now have a midbass speaker and a planar tweeter. So do yall think these will be as good as their subs?

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As with any audio question except "is it loud enough?" the answer is 'it depends'.

Odds are if Thilo is the designer of those units, yes, they'll kick ass up and down the block. No one will know until someone buys some and tests them though.

Planar drivers have some significant advantages in well controlled home audio situations. I'm not sure that a car is an ideal spot for them. Mounting them in the right orientation and angle would be tough in a lot of vehicles.

My $0.02

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This is not a sig. This is a duck. Quack.

Like I said earlier... Looks like new "Dave Toys". I might just be the first on the block to be trying a pair of at LEAST the midbass drivers... If I can afford 'em, that is.

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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

yea im sure theyll carry a pretty price tag. But if the price is right im sure to buy them.

Ouch.

The mid-bass drivers are expected (they said expected, as actual delivery is still over 4 weeks out...) to be at 599.00 a pair.

They are designing a three-way system with that mid-woofer, the planar mid, and a planar tweeter, with oil filled capacitors, and all air-core, flat-wire inductors... Called "The Oil", are you ready? 2299.00 for the 6 inch kit, and 2599.00 for the 8 inch kit.

Like I said... Ouch.

I think I'll still be first in line for those mid-bass drivers though!

:::::EDIT:::::

theterminator wrote:

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So if youve been to there website lately then you've probably noticed that they now have a midbass speaker and a planar tweeter. So do yall think these will be as good as their subs?

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And the item shown on the website ISN'T the tweeter, it's actually a mid-tweeter, designed to go as low as (I'd say, as Mike wasn't TOO forthcoming with specifications) around 400Hz. They DO have a tweeter on the way, and they are going to be available in the component kits.

Mike WAS adamant, however, about the deign of the planars; they were conceived to keep up with the woofers, in respects to fidelity, output, and power handling, and THEN the mid-bass came into play.

He wasn't even remotely worried about my questioning the application of 330WRMS from a bridged Alpine PDX4.150, though... I expect great things from these new components...


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Yep... I've decided. I'll let you all know what I think of them! I generally make a third payday every month, and that third payday will EASILY buy a pair. Next month's is gonna be a FAT one, too, so... like I said, I'll keep everybody posted!

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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

Can Planars be dash mounted...assuming you have the real estate for it. How would firing them up onto the widshield sound ? I'm thinking of using a pair of  Bohlender Graebener  Neo8's and a pair of Dayton Audio reference 8's. Actively passing the Planar  at 500hz @12db (maybe 18db) and passing the mid/bass at  50hz  high-pass @12db and 500hz low-pass @6db(passive on the low-pass). I have room to install the Planars lengthwise and flat(facing up) in the outer corners of my dash board. I drive an SUV so the dash has plenty of room. Do Planars need to be situated vertically? If not can they fire up into a windshield? Would mounting them horizontally but facing(on axis) the cabin be acceptable? Each speaker will be receiving 90 watts from dedicated channels of a Kenwood KAC-x501f. The head unit is a Kenwood XXV. The sub is a TC Sounds TC3000 15 powered by a Kenwood KAC-x401m.  Lookinf for opinions, experiences, thoughts, ideas. Thanks!

Usually planars aren't very good for the automobile environment due to poor dispersion. 

Yes, I agree with Steven and was about to post that planers can sound very good, but usually only on axis, which in a car means they'd be very difficult to position properly.  Unless TCS is using some sort of waveguide or diffraction slot over them...?

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The very reason that planars are so good at what they do, is the very reason you WON'T want to do what you are considering.

Planars don't specifically HAVE to be situated vertically, BUT, the way you are thinking of putting them in your dash... won't work. I say this because the "vertical" dispersion (vertical, relative to the diapragm - the ends are STILL acoustically "up" and "down") of EVERY planar will be very poor. Planars do not produce a wavefront in a hemispherical pattern, it is a cylindrical pattern.

Also, because you are bouncing off the windshield, (and only some of it is bouncing - one half of the cylinder only is bouncing, and at different times/frequencies - bad idea) and because you are using one diaphragm for producing nearly the entire audio range, you will end up with QUITE undesirable comb-filtering effects. Also, I can't see how you are going to get an 8" in ANY dash (referring to the Daytons), you'll be putting them into the doors or in the kick panels, and that is TOO FAR AWAY from the planars.

Horizontal placement in the door, with the middle of the diaphragm at ABOUT the vertical line of your ear is the best place to put planars.

I'm with Steven and Dave. I have to wonder what TC is up to with the planars - I think that it's a niche item, and from what I have seen, I think it'll be overpriced, for the perfomance you will be getting (generally speaking). I suppose for the guy wanting to spend 2.5K on a speaker system for the car, the car SHOULD be prepared properly for just such an installation, but I still maintain that conventional dynamic drivers are superior for the difficult acoustic auditorum that is the automotive environment.

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It all reminds me of something that Molière once said to Guy de Maupassant at a café in Vienna: "That's nice. You should write it down."

Thanks for all of the input folks! Good stuff. You're correct Haem, the Dayton's are for the doors.  I'm just trying to decide on a front stage for my SUV.  My dash can handle 3 to 4inch mids and any size tweeter (both firing into the windshield) on opposite corners. My doors will be modified to fit 8's. I have 4 channels to use with 75-150 each(depending on load).  I am currently running diamond audio M5 6.5 seperates and it souds OK. I'm thinking 4inch comps dash mounted and 8's in the doors.....Just not sure what speakers to get or what crossover freqs I want to use. Thanks for the info on the planar speakers.