[TenTec] External Speaker for Paragon II (307G)

[Richards]

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 at aol.com wrote:

> Ten Tec 307G   speaker v.  TT 961 speaker


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