I mostly use a headset because that's what I prefer too. The XYL prefers I
use a headset because she doesn't care for the back round noise. My point
is why should I concern myself with something neither one of us likes? I'd
rather spend my money on a decent headset.
Bill AE7KB
On Sat, Feb 23, 2013 at 1:16 PM, Richards <jruing@ameritech.net> wrote:
> Speaker quality is a very subjective matter. Asking if a guy likes a
> speaker is like asking if he likes a certain bourbon better than another -
> the answer is inherently personal and subjective. Ask any 10 hams what
> speaker they like, and you will get 12 different answers.
>
> What I like is a crisp, bright sound that cuts through ambient shack
> noise. There is good audio theory to support this choice. Nevertheless,
> other guys like a fuller, richer, more bass tone, which sounds more
> natural. Some hams drive themselves nuts trying to wring hi-fi quality out
> of 2800s Hz audio bandwidth (no flame intended, just observing this is a
> fact) because they want to sound as close to broadcast quality as they can.
> There are proponent for every sort of sound quality, and, it seems, just
> as many others who disparage the same.
>
> So asking several hams what speaker sounds better, is a little like asking
> which beauty pageant model looks good to them - each one looks good to
> somebody.
>
> Notwithstanding this ersatz disclaimer, we have been asked to render an
> opinion, and I think the 307 sounds better than the 961.
>
> Notwithstanding, I believe there is a myriad of options which sound better
> than an inexpensive speaker in a metal cabinet. I have tried the
> offerings of each major ham radio manufacturer - Icom, Yaesu, Kenwood, TT,
> and have listened to the other brands in my friends' shacks. In my view,
> they are very expensive for a hollow metal cabinet, with a $4 speaker at
> one end (although some also have a $5 filter network inside) - and they
> leave me flat. I find it hard to spend upwards of $150-$200 for a metal
> cabinet and an inexpensive single paper cone, speaker in it.
>
> I compared the sound of the various TT speakers at TT HQ in Sevierville,
> and, was a tad surprised discover how different they each sound from each
> other. I think the 307 does sound better than the 961 speaker, although I
> (personally) do not feel it it sounds ENOUGH better to warrant spending
> another $100 to get one. (I am not disputing the price, per se - just
> saying I don't think it will sound $100 better than your existing 961
> speaker to warrant spending another $100 to replace what you have now.)
>
> Moreover, I was a tad surprised the 307 speaker and 940 speaker (the one
> with the built-in power supply) sound substantially different from each
> other. I figured they would sound more alike, having the same the same
> speaker element, but I guess the addition of the power supply changes the
> audio characteristics of the cabinet.
>
> There are so many good speaker options - some guys like using small
> passive hi-fi speakers, while others like using passive or powered computer
> speakers, and still others like using passive or powered studio monitor
> speakers. You can tailor the resulting audio with a graphic equalizer,
> perhaps as a ersatz low cut filter to minimize low frequency hummm, and as
> a high cut filter to minimize hiss and static. Speakers from compact stereo
> systems often sound good.
>
> There was a thread (in this group, about two years ago, I think) that
> discussed the optimum size of the speaker element to optimize speed
> intelligibility - It seems like 4" got the most support - and another
> thread where it was argued (based on a comment in QST Magazine, I think)
> that horizontal cabinet vents make for better speech intelligibility, then
> little round holes or vertical vents, and there was some some science to
> support the claim.
>
> I have used various small RadioShack branded speakers (mostly from its
> Minimus line of compact speakers), as well as compact speakers made by
> B*I*C, Pyle-Home, M-Audio, Koss, Genius, Motorola, Cobra, Midland
> -- and many separate speaker elements I mounted in cabinets I made, myself,
> in my workshop -- seeking the Holy Grail of cheap, clear ham radio
> speakers. I should do well at the next swap meet just selling my
> collection of small speakers. My next attempt will be the Behringer
> Behritone C50A 30W active full-range reference studio monitor which is
> based on the popular old Avantone studio monitors. It has a 5.25 " element
> in a 6.25" cube cabinet. Currently, I am using either a 5" speaker in a
> home made wooden cabinet, or a compact B*I*C center channel speaker.
>
> (The truth is, however, I prefer a headset nearly all the time.)
>
> A perusal of the speaker reviews on eHam.net reveals only a fraction of
> the options, and the passion for which operators have for the respective
> options. Each one has its strong supporters, and a few detractors. And it
> also proves there is no consensus among hams as to what constitutes the
> "best" speaker for the task.
>
> I am confident the recommendations made in this thread are "sound" and
> based on good experience. I wonder if the recommended MFJ Clear Tone
> speaker sounds bright and crisp like the communications grade speakers made
> by Motorola, Midland, Cobra, and Uniden. I like this type of speaker
> because it cuts through the mix in the shack - especially fan noise - and I
> think they are selected to cut through automotive noise in cars and trucks
> - and produce a strong middle voice frequency spectrum, supposedly where
> the most speech intelligibility is. My wife and I listen to old radio
> shows, and we clean up, and punch up, the speech audio with a 12 band
> stereo equalizer - cutting the low and high frequencies, to emphasize the
> middle frequencies where the speech is. MFJ makes a product that does this
> for ham radio, and I think it is well founded. It works for me, anyway.
>
> So listen to lots of speaker and pick your fave... they all seem to sound
> good... to somebody... it is what YOU like that counts.
>
> Happy trails, y'all - that is just MY take.
>
> ----------------------- JHR ------------------------------**-
>
>
>
> On 2/21/2013 2:42 AM, ARDUJENSKI@aol.com wrote:
>
> Ten Tec 307G speaker v. TT 961 speaker
>>
>
>
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>
--
Bill AE7KB
During the last century, a great many hams worked a lot of DX until they
got their hands on a SWR meter and found out they couldn't.
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