Maximum Supertweeters



    • In the same way that a sub-woofer extends the low end of your system, Maximum Supertweeters reveal a wealth of detail in the midband and treble. Most striking tough, is the amazing improvement in bass detail.
    • Maximum Supertweeters reproduce high and very high frequencies in the most coherent and realistic fashion, delivering a rich harmonic structure that dome tweeters simply cannot match.
    • Coherent high frequencies affect the brain both physiologically and psychologically,revealing the full potential of your favourite recordings.
    • Maximum Supertweeters enhance and define bass, mid and treble. They are the key to high resolution.

Maximum Supertweeters heighten the sense of realism in music by extending the frequency response of conventional hi-fi speakers up to 90kHz. Although this is way above the theoretical limit of human hearing the presence of these frequencies creates a sense of naturalness and reveals detail right down into the bass.

Maximum Supertweeters allow you to get utmost pleasure from both digital and analogue formats by accurately revealing high frequency detail above 6kHz. Even though a CD cannot produce information above 20kHz Maximum Supertweeters make the format sound more natural and reveal a wealth of extra detail when compared with dome tweeters. This is because of the much faster response of the ultra-light ribbon diaphragm when compared with the much slower response of a relatively heavy dome assembly.

The Maximum Supertweeter works from 6kHz upwards making it better able to produce the leading edge of each transient without time smear. That’s why it makes a system sound more relaxed and natural, as it can respond to the signal with greater speed and greater accuracy.

What surprises people the most is the extra detail that they hear in the bass. You might expect the greater sense of ease and openness which they introduce but the harmonic detail that is revealed across the entire audio band is nothing short of miraculous.

The Maximum Supertweeter is engineered to integrate with all high quality speakers with simple connection utilising the 1.5m link cables provided. The Supertweeters are wired in parallel with the main amplifier feed or the tweeter connection at the main speaker. There is a six position level switch which allows for seamless integration with your speakers.

Supertweeters Reveal Detail – Visual Interpretation

Testimonials

  • It's not often that I write reviews, let alone for HiFi equipment where I have limited technical knowledge.  However, what I do have is decades of experience of listening to recorded music.  I must at once declare my allegiance to the Townshend brand.  I use Glastonbury 2 loudspeakers, which I love to bits and have never been tempted to change, Isolda speaker cables and DCT 300 interconnect.  It's all used with a Copland amplifier and cd player of good quality. I had decided that a pair of Supertweeters was going to be my next upgrade having read as much as I could on the subject generally, some of it very negative.  When the Townshend Supertweeters arrived I set them up, very simply done, and just sat down to listen.  Perhaps I may have had some idea of how they might improve things but even the most positive reviews did not prepare me for the revelatory difference they made.  Literally from the moment the music started I was gripped and then astonished.  I am not easily taken aback but there was such a transformation that my jaw dropped and at times there was such an emotional connection to the music that I had tears in my eyes.  I don't exaggerate this. I read one review of super tweeters which suggested that it was like having a new amplifier.  I think it's more than that because my whole system has been transformed.  How can a high frequency unit clarify the timbre and body of lower strings playing solo?  Well they do and much more besides.  I could write pages about the improvements across the audio spectrum including soundstaging, depth, ambience and dynamics.  All anyone needs to know is the bottom line.  They make recorded music sound more like real music and in the process pack quite an emotional wallop.  Anyone with doubts needs to forget all the debate and just listen.
    Edward, UK.
  • I have a fairly " high end" vinyl based system comprising Brinkmann la grange turntable with its10.5 inch arm and a Koetsu Jade cartridge, Allnic H 3000 phono stage, Canary 903 pre amp, Radford STA 25 power amp, Quad ESL 57 ( One Thing Audio ) and Audiophysica Luna subwoofers. The effect of the supertweeter was obvious from the outset , being a cleaner sound with more "air" in the soundstage - which is impressive as the system already majored on that. To begin with I had the Supertweeters on level 3 ( based on an online review I read). After a while I tried it on level 2 which had an interesting effect in that the sound stage became notably more layered and textural - which is exactly what I aim for. Last night I listened to a track I have owned for 20 years in which the vocals have always sounded a bit edgy - despite huge upgrades and  substantial financial outlay. For the first time the vocals were sweet and I may as well have been listening to a different track . I would say that the addition of the supertweeter has made a serious Improvement to an already pretty good sound in my system and I would certainly recommend it to anybody seeking a serious  sound upgrade.
    Howard, UK.
  • I must say that they are all what everybody has said about them, they sound wonderful, I own Quad 989=92s and they truly do improve not only the top end but the whole sound, from the bass up!
    John, Australia
  • Every speaker should have these! Stunning in every way.
    Marco, Italy.
  • I would just like to say again now that I have had the supertweeters for a few weeks, that the sound improvement in my Quad 989’s is superb, a great combination!

    I have had just decent quality speaker leads to the Quads and have been waiting for the right opportunity to try something better, so when I tried  your cables that come with the tweeters, first with them directly connected back to the amplifier (instead of piggy back from the spkrs) and was astounded at the improvements, making the tweeters even more fantastic, it also told me that my spkr leads must have been very average, so I moved the spkrs closer together so that I could hear them connected with your tweeters cables and was duly blown away by an incredible improvement, they were now the most transparent, detailed, natural, open, balanced, uncoloured sound I have ever heard come from them, and this without your tweeters helping them for the moment!
    John, UK.
  • I’m writing just to say the supertweeters made a great improvement to my system, and of course, I’m keeping them.
    Francisco, USA.
  • I have a pair of (much improved) ESL-63 Quads, and recently got a pair of your new ribbon tweeters, after hearing them on a few horn systems over friends houses during the recent Colorado Audio Fest.
    My initial impression of your speakers on the Quads was not favourable.  No matter what I did, my speakers simply sounded more natural without your tweeters.  However, the other day, I went back and re-read the instructions, with particular emphasis on the issue of speaker phasing.  Much to my surprise, and delight, reversing the leads from the tweeters into the Quads (positive of tweeter connected to negative of Quad etc.) did the trick.  Apparently, when connected in normal fashion the tweeters were out of phase with the Quads.  I am now enjoying the added magic of your speakers which I would enthusiastically endorse with ESL-63 WHEN connected as noted.  I sent this so that you could alert other Quad lovers.  
    Barry, USA.
  • I have a pair of your Super Tweeter in Titanium finish and have to say they are fantastic.
    Julie, UK.
  • I recently purchased a pair of supertweeters from SMC (after gentle persuasion for them to get a pair in on trial), the results are amazing, as other people have discovered, you don't really know how they work, but the effects are instant. Even on setting 1 the soundstage opens out, quite how the low frequencies improve I can`t work out but they just do! After many years of Hi-Fi "tweaking" this required very little effort and time in setting up, anyone who thinks that is a lot to spend on supertweeters alone think again, I use PMC OB1 speakers with a Rel sub, the addition of super tweeters means I have a A34500. speaker package, everyone who has heard them has said the sound is an improvement over many speakers which cost 2-3 times that amount. Thank you for a wonderful product, I can heartily recommend them to anyone who loves music,even if they think their systems perfect!
    Mr C, Australia
  • What your tweeters do to the Quads is simply black magic!
    Xavier, Brazil

  • Frequency Resp. Up to 90kHz. (See graph)
    Amplifier power: Up to 400W, unclipped music
    Rating to DIN IEC 268: 500w peak
    Max sensitivity (2.8V @ 1m) 89dB
    Nominal impedance: 11 ohm (min), rising to 20 ohm
    Drive unit: Pure aluminium ribbon.W 5mm, L 25mm, T, 0.01mm Mass 0.003grammes Ultra powerful rare earth neodymium magnets
    Crossover: First order
    Level control: 1:   74dB 2:   79dB 3:   83dB 4:   85dB 5:   87dB 6:   89dB
    Dimensions: Each W 50mm (2"), H 30mm (1.2"), D 100mm (4") Shipping (pair)W 250mm (10"), H 50mm (2"), D 200mm (8")
    Weight: Each 0.5 Kg (1.1lb) Shipping (pair) 1.2Kg (2.6lb)
    Cable: Banana or spade 1.5m

    Supertweeter Frequency Response

  • 5 stars from "the ear"

     

    Native Dutchman Rene van Es explores the Psychoacoustic effects of the Townshend Supertweeters:

    “I love these Supertweeters and will keep them on top of my PMCs to have that extra portion of adrenaline flowing in my veins when listening to my favourite music. Now I’m wondering if should I invest in a second pair for the Harbeths?”

    René van Es

    How the Maximum Supertweeter was born

    supertweeter-pmc-speaker-improved-sound

     

    In the early seventies, I made a version of the HQD speaker system which comprised two Hartley 24” bass drivers, a pair of stacked Quad ESL-57s and a pair of Decca Ribbon speakers (see http://www.marklev.com/systems/). The Decca’s were used as supertweeters here to augment the treble roll-off associated with the ESL-57s. Inevitably, the ribbons got damaged and repairs were routine and I became adept at repairing them. This system sounded awesome and I was a sad chappie when I had to leave all behind in Sydney when I came to the UK in 1978.

    I had, however, been bitten by the supertweeter bug and I spent the next 15 years or so looking for the ideal supertweeter. The Pioneer supertweeters were amazing, but they were very bulky and were not a complete “package”, and the now defunct the excellent Murata spherical radiator Supertweeters had no level control and were very expensive. So I set about making a suitable unit in the Townshend Audio factory here in the UK. After two years of frustrating development, the Maximum Supertweeters arrived, in their cute miniature polished stainless steel case, in 1999, (now available also in satin black or matt silver). The secret of their success is the simplicity of the design and the set-up procedure. The 6-position crossover/level control allows them to integrate with speakers having a very wide range of sensitivity and their very small size allows them to fit in to almost any situation. Further, the supplied interconnecting wires make installation a doddle and there is no extra purchase necessary except for the Quad 57 brackets if needed.

    Why do they work when we can only hear up to about 15 kHz and the Maximum Supertweeters extend to 80 kHz? The standard test for frequency response is to play a pure tone sine wave and to ask the listener to indicate if they can hear it or not. This test is basically flawed since sine waves rarely if ever occur in nature. Extensive research has shown that it is the combination of the lower frequencies with the high frequencies that makes sound more realistic, just as a high resolution digital image looks clearer than a low resolution image because of the sharper delineation of the visual edges due to the higher amount of information in the hi-res image. So it is with audio. The ear is very sensitive to very fast transients and is able to detect very small time arrival differences between the two ears. This capacity evolved in the wild where it is essential to hear the slightest unnatural sound (breaking twig) when sleeping in the open. This capacity only diminishes slightly compared with normal frequency roll-off sensitivity to sine waves with age- related hearing loss.

    Many normal sounds have frequencies extending way above 20 kHz, (see http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~boyk/spectra/spectra.htm), hence the popularity of high resolution audio in the form of Hi-Res downloads, SACD, DVD Audio and quality vinyl replay. The higher the bandwidth, even up to 100 kHz, makes a difference in the fidelity of the overall perceived sound. This can easily be proved experimentally.  Latest research suggests that the very high frequency sounds are picked up by the temple and even the eye, where they are sent directly to the brain by neuron transfer, totally bypassing the ear.

    Why do Supertweeters work on CD replay which extends only to 21 kHz, when the speakers extend to 20 kHz or beyond? The most common tweeter is the dome tweeter. The dome tweeter may measure well on sine waves, but, when playing music, less than 1% of the electrical energy sent to the tweeter is converted to sound, the rest being dissipated over a short time by rippling around the dome, while slowly converting to heat. The wave pattern of this dissipating sound is chaotic, not unlike the wave pattern in the sea on a rough day in an enclosed harbour. The Supertweeter however, which gently rises in output from about 12 kHz up, does not suffer from this problem as the ultra-light ribbon ceases moving almost instantly when the signal stops. This ensures a very accurate high frequency transient response where before there was smearing. An interesting property of the ear is that it responds to the fastest rise-time signal, from the supertweeter and ignores the jumbled time- smeared output from the dome tweeter. This is why it is unnecessary to attenuate the existing tweeter when adding the supertweeter.

    How do they sound? The effect on the sound with the addition of the Supertweeters is quite unexpected. Bass notes sound clearer, especially plucked string bass. Everything in the sound stage appears cleaner and smoother with far greater width and depth. There is a sense of ease about the sound. The effect is most profound when the supertweeters are taken away. It is not subtle! A peculiar effect is that they are inaudible in the listening seat when the main speaker is disconnected. The ear works in mysterious ways! And there are many thousands of happy Supertweeter owners out there who will, agree.

    By Max Townshend BE
    CEO of Townshend Audio

    Interesting reading: Supertweeters and ultra high frequencies

    townshend-maximum-supertweeter-pair

     

    Townshend Audio has included Maximum supertweeters within the reference system for years and obviously High Res formats have never sounded so good, but what about the sound improvement on other lower res formats? We have listed some essential reading:

    A white paper “The world beyond 20kHz

    An article on “Why do we need Supertweeters?

    The story behind the development from Max Townshend “How the Maximum Supertweeter was born“.


    From skeptic to believer - Tony Bolton's review Hi-Fi WORLD magazine

    Townshend-Maximum-supertweeters

    Somewhat initially skeptical, Tony Bolton soon finds the Maximum Super Tweeters a  permanent fixture in his home HiFi system….

    Obviously, given the frequency response of these components, I expected any alteration to the sound to be focussed on the midrange and the treble, but was pleasantly surprised to find that this change included an opening up of the bass sound as well, adding layers of texture to its tonal qualities, also surprised me was the fact that high-frequency sound,such as record surface noise, instead of being enhanced, was actually reduced in perceived presence and became less intrusive”

    Tony’s conclusions that both musical instruments and our response to their stimuli extend into the ultrasonic spectrum seem to hit the nail on the head. Listening to music with out them is sacrilege.

     

    Townshend Maximum supertweeters - Tony Bolton review

    To read the full review please refer to  Hi-Fi WORLD – January 2014 Issue

     


    The eyes have it

    Hi-res music sources carry musical information way beyond 20kHz, while modern tweeters and amps can deliver it to your listening seat. But what are we actually hearing, asks Paul Miller.

    From the very first moment that CD landed on our shores, audio diehards were unconvinced that its limited 44.1kHz sample rate and mere 16-bit quantisation accuracy was anything like sufficient. The sample rate came in for greatest criticism because it limited the practical bandwidth to 20kHz. Surely we needed a wider frequency response – closer to 40kHz, perhaps?

    With the advent of DVD (Audio), SACD and, most crucially, the burgeoning availability of ‘high resolution’ 96kHz music downloads, that’s exactly what we’ve now got [see Graph, below]. And most of us reckon our hi-fi systems sound all the better for it. However, the medical community is still at odds as to how, or indeed if and why, sonic content above 20kHz should be perceptible at all. So who’s right?

     

    SUPER SONIC

    The reason for this musing? A clutch of journal reprints on this very subject mailed to Hi-Fi News, among others in the industry, by Townshend Audio. Bearing in mind the company manufactures an add-on supertweeter, it not unreasonably has a vested interest in the subject.

    ABOVE: Afro Cuban Latin Jazz from El Vuello –an iTrax download with music above 20kHz

    ‘It is postulated that our eyes may act as acoustic lenses for our ears’

    ABOVE: Townshend’s ribbon supertweeter offers a claimed 20kHz to 70kHz (±3dB)

    But the literature bears close examination. First off, a team from Tokyo’s NHK Science and Technical Research Labs reported a ‘Perceptual discrimination of very high frequency components in musical sound…’ [AES Convention Paper 6298, 2004]. The experiment involved two separate digital reproduction chains, one feeding musical content below 20kHz into B&W 801s which were augmented by Pioneer PT-R9 supertweeters fed content expressly above 21kHz. The master tracks were recorded at 192kHz using microphones with a response extending to 100kHz, albeit with a broad +10dB uplift above 10kHz.

    The ultrasonic portion of the recording was switched in and out and the reaction of some 13 test subjects evaluated. To paraphrase, although their sensitivity was linked to the duration of the (listening) test, two of the panellists were reportedly able to discriminate between the 20kHzlimited and full-bandwidth versions with decent statistical odds.Interestingly, when the response of their hearing was measured with standard tones, neither panellist exceeded 22kHz.

    As the researchers concluded ‘We have no hypothesis or scientific reasons that can explain this finding…’ It is worth bearing in mind that the audio and ultrasonic passbands of the two parallel speaker chains were separated by very high order FIR filters, achieving a ‘It is postulated that our eyes may act as acoustic lenses for our ears’90dB rejection within a transition band of just 1kHz. So were these subjects really listening to ultrasound in the raw?

    Plain vanilla CD uses a similar low-pass filter regime and it’s the inherent phase distortion, among other mechanisms, that we seek to avoid with 96kHz+ digital recordings and their gentler, higher frequency filtering. So while 96kHz/192kHz digital audio encompasses the ultrasonic it may sound better simply because any debilitating numbercrunching is deferred to inaudibility.

    EYES FRONT
    But perhaps there’s another reason to doubt the correlation between the ‘response’ of our hearing and our perception of ultrasound. A reason, in part, that lies in the use of headphones to measure human hearing response. As a more recent submission to the International Tinnitus Journal [Vol. 13, No.1, 3-10 (2007)] suggested, our eyesmay serve as ‘fenestrations to the ears’.

    Having measured the physical frequency response of the eye up to 60kHz, it is postulated that our eyeballs may act as acoustic lenses for the ears, ‘passing frequencies beyond the impedance-matching capacity of the eardrum.’ No listening tests here but electroencephalograms that illustrate physiological activity in the brainstem and thalamus ‘when ultrasonic musical frequencies are combined with the musical spectrum below 22kHz.’ Whichever sage suggested that our ‘eyes are the windows to our soul’ was probably onto something.