To Jeff Fritz,
I enjoyed your review of the Rockport Technologies Altair. I just purchased a used pair built in 2009 with the soft-dome tweeters. I am considering the upgrade to the beryllium-dome tweeter with the new crossover. I know your early (2007) review of the Altair was with the soft-dome tweeter and I’m wondering if you’ve had a chance to compare to a more recent Altair with the beryllium-dome tweeter. If so, can you share your thoughts? I don’t expect the difference to be night and day, but I’m also interested to know if there’s anything the beryllium-dome tweeter doesn’t do as well as the soft-dome tweeter.
Thanks,
Brian Santarcangelo
United States
Congratulations on purchasing a very fine set of loudspeakers! I know you're in for a treat. As to whether to upgrade them, I would and here's why: The Be tweeter is better than the soft-dome tweeter in my experience. It is simply more extended and will sound more brilliant, therefore making certain types of music sound more alive. It also has the ability to unravel scads of detail, making it a real resolution monster. In short, the Be tweeter is a gem in an already great loudspeaker.
The other -- maybe even more important -- benefit of sending your speakers back to Andy Payor at Rockport Technologies for the upgrade is that he will ensure in the upgrade-and-tuning process that your new-to-you speakers are performing at their absolute best. This way you will be sure that your considerable investment is ready for many additional years of enjoyment. . . . Jeff Fritz
