Usher DMD tweeter upgrade: worth it?

I currently own both the non-USA Be-718s with the beryllium tweeter, and the DMD tweetered 718s with the GR Research crossovers. They are both driven by Wyred 4 Sound amps. The two systems are in different rooms - the rooms have quite different acoustic signatures.

To my ears the Beryllium tweeters are sweeter, smoother, but have less detail. They work better in my living room, which has reflective surfaces (one wall is glass doors), is open on one side to a kitchen, and is primarily used for listening to music. The DMD tweeters do more of the things audiophiles seem to like - sharper imaging, more detail. I use them in a smaller, better damped room, which is a den/home theatre. For dialogue in movies they are definitely preferable - the extra clarity is welcome. With both sets of speakers I also use REL subs - excellent integration and only fleshes out the sound all the more.

The crossovers, which I hoped would improve definition in the midrange and bass, seem to make little difference. I doubt I would be able to tell the diffence in these frequencies if listening "blind" to the US vs nonUS versions. Perhaps they are influencing the high frequencies too - with the results mentioned above.

I would add that the dedicated Usher speaker stands made a big difference. Across the frequency range they brought added definition and punch, with no negatives. Previously I used 30+ kilogram steel/sand weigthed stands with bituminous dots between speaker and top plate. Also experimented with cinder blocks and heights. The Usher stands are beautifully put together and actually made the difference between a good speaker and one that I find fully satisfying.

Hope this is helpful.

I purchased the DMD Be718s, the GR crossovers, and the two sets of stands from KCAudio (hifi223)- his service was excellent!

Cheers, Rob.

Bezimienny, My compliment for your 'sound' description of
the sound (differences) you observed. While I assume that
Usher try it best in particular for the BE series I am suprised to hear that GR Research crossover make 'little' difference. This may mean that the both drivers are exceptional as well as 'easy' to handle. From your description I conclude that one should put his money in the stands rather than in DMD tweeters and/or the GR crossover.
In this sense your contribution is obviously very valuable.
Thanks! BTW 'Bez-imeni' means in Slavic languages: without a name.

Regards,

Hi Nandric, Yes, I expected the crossover to have a more dramatic impact - it would be nice to think all those high quality parts made a difference. And to be fair KC (hifi223), an Aussie dealer for Usher, feels they made a big improvement. I know he owns some pretty amazing ultra-high end tube gear, so perhaps with his system the differences are highlighted.

My comparison is not very reliable, since the pair with the GR crossover also have the DMD tweeter, so I can't isolate the effect of the crossover - I'm just assuming that the audible difference should be in the midrange and bass (since that's what Usher USA suggest) and to my ears the difference is slight. Definitely there's a difference in the higher frequencies and I'm attributing that to the DMD tweeter, but perhaps the crossover is playing a role too (for better or for worse).

Still, I can't imagine anyone would fail to notice the improvement provided by the stands. In Australia the stands cost about the same as upgrading the crossover, so if someone had that kind of money to spend on an upgrade then I'd go for the stands first. The stands have two height settings and I found the lower of two suited my setup best. Also, they look better in real life than they do in photos.

And of course you're right about the name - it has a strange history.

All the best,
Rob

Hi Rob, The 'strange thing' is that Usher, while producing excelent drivers themself , buy for their BE series bass and midbass drivers in Germany. There are two Eton 11'' drivers in my BE-20. One can see those in many 'exclusive'
speakers. They can be crossed till 1000 Hz.!. With such drivers one can use even 6dB crossovers. So whatever one thinks of Usher they don't save on drivers.
BTW whatever the 'history' of your name you write your name in Russian pronounciation.

Regards,

Hi Nandric, are you running stock x/over with your Be-20? if not you should upgrade to GR-Research x/over... talk to Danny at GR Reserarch. His x/over made my Be-20 100% better.