Has anybody extensively tested Focal TC120TD5?

[TurboFC3S]

I know I've seen Jon and others mention that they have some Focal TC120TD5's, waiting for testing ... and then to be applied in a design. I'm just wondering if anybody has done so. I have a pair, and am considering a couple different designs.

One would be a 2.5 way with a couple RS180's. Crossing it over low enough to avoid the breakup nodes is the concern, can the TC120TD5 handle a 1500-1700 hz crossover point?

Another design would be a 2 way monitor with Scanspeak 8535's ... if I get really ambitious I'd turn it into a 3 way floorstander with some 10" metal cone.

My main questions about the TD5 are crossover related (obviously). Do completed designs work well without any sort of notch filters or 'smoothing'? And what would be the lowest recomended LR2 and LR4 crossover points?

I'm anxious to start my next project, so any advice or links to designs using the TD5 would be appreciated - I can't find any

[JonMarsh]

LR4 around 2 -2.2 kHz, IMO. Very smooth, as long as you control diffraction. LR2 is quesionable because to get an LR2 response, you'd have to use less than 12 dB/octave roll off unless you have a highish crossover. Then separation distance between driver centers becomes a problem. One thing I can say about published factor Focal response curves is that for a moderate size IEC baffle, I have always gotten pretty much identical curves myself. Can't say that for many brands. It's another tweeter I'd like to try with a waveguide.

[TurboFC3S]

So with a 2.2k LR4 it's probably not a good match for RS180's, right? The Scan 8535's could work well though. Good to know that the published curves are probably fairly accurate!

I could have swore I read on here that you or somebody else tried at 1700hz LR4 with success. Am I dreaming that?

[Paul Ebert]

The last time I saw a fr graph for the TD5 it showed a fairly smooth output around 91 dB with a single spike of 94 or so. But, it's rated as a 94 dB tweeter. What's up with that?

Also, E-Speakers advertises that they have these (and other Focal drivers) for sale. They're not cheap, but compared to other high-efficiency domes, they're not too bad.

How do they compare distortion-wise?

[Jed]

The last time I saw a fr graph for the TD5 it showed a fairly smooth output around 91 dB with a single spike of 94 or so. But, it's rated as a 94 dB tweeter. What's up with that?

Also, E-Speakers advertises that they have these (and other Focal drivers) for sale. They're not cheap, but compared to other high-efficiency domes, they're not too bad.

How do they compare distortion-wise?

zalytron.com has them for $90 each. You can also see FR graph there as well. I've always been a fan of the TC120 series tweeters, though I haven't seen any distortion data.

Jed