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BES (Bertangi SM255), Discovery and Questions

71.218.156.186
Posted on June 3, 2017 at 10:39:19
walkstoslow
Audiophile

Posts: 277
Joined: November 18, 2012
 I recently picked up a pair of BES Planar speakers,
After listening for a month or so, I decided to replace the capacitors.
I pull off the rear cover on one, I see a sculpted panel with three separate "drivers" attached to the Panel.
The largest driver is in the middle of the panel, then two smaller drivers attached at the upper and lower corners of the panel.
The lower speaker has a coil on it, the upper small speaker has a 16UF cap
across the driver input (series?).The larger driver has the same cap configured identically.
I receive the new caps and changed them this morning, on the second speaker which I had not looked at until today, it does not have a cap on the larger driver.
I added the cap....
Can someone explain what is going on with these drivers, and x-overs?
I am now listening, they definitely sound better.
I also replaced the spring cup terminals with 3 way gold lugs a week ago.
I would appreciate any comments,I can not seem to find much info on the theory of these.

 

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RE: BES (Bertangi SM255), Discovery and Questions, posted on June 3, 2017 at 16:58:14
Coner
Audiophile

Posts: 3703
Location: S.W. Washington state, USA
Joined: November 17, 2001
 I remember those, and Radio Shack sold a small cheap version of
that type. Simply (as far as I remember) just a styrofoam panel
with voicecoils attached, so the panel takes the place of "normal"
cones. You probably have a 2-way, with the usual coil and cap.
x-overs.

These are more of a novelty type speaker, not for serious
listening :)

 

RE: BES (Bertangi SM255), Discovery and Questions, posted on June 4, 2017 at 06:01:24
walkstoslow
Audiophile

Posts: 277
Joined: November 18, 2012
 Coner:
After posting yesterday, I found some pictures of these speakers on e bay and they showed no caps on the largest driver, I followed that example, I appreciate your input. Of course my wife thinks these speakers are the "Bees knees" now, she does not like shouty speakers,she prefers the laid back sound.... wish me luck, seems like the trick to this hobby is to never actually arrive at being satisfied. I have my Utah co-axials in my room now.
Hopefully the novelty of these speakers will wear off in time with her. By the way the cap that was on the wrong driver was also suffering from a cold solder joint.

 

RE: BES (Bertangi SM255), Discovery and Questions, posted on June 4, 2017 at 15:49:57
Coner
Audiophile

Posts: 3703
Location: S.W. Washington state, USA
Joined: November 17, 2001
 Could be some models had a cap on woofer, you'd have to find
a diagram to know for sure. But any electrolytic types should
be replace...they're old enough.

 

RE: BES (Bertangi SM255), Discovery and Questions, posted on June 5, 2017 at 16:15:23
walkstoslow
Audiophile

Posts: 277
Joined: November 18, 2012
 Sounds crazy,but I was wondering that myself, just knowing that one speaker has a differnt x over than the other one is enough to make me focus on that difference. Maybe these speakers are irrational...I stll know where the two caps go...I will try this..later..

 

RE: Controlled resonance loudspeakers, posted on June 7, 2017 at 13:19:19
BigguyinATL
Manufacturer

Posts: 3475
Joined: April 10, 2002
 The Bertagni speakers ( first saw in a Federated Store in Orange County in the late 1970's) basically are panels with overlapping damped resonant panels the work quite well. The Styrofoam is the panel material and the shape controls the masses and the damping. Actually perform quite well, though Time alignment is not possible as each section is 180 degrees out from the adjacent "Ring". Still, lots of other good sounding loudspeakers are not time aligned and sound pretty good!

Actually I wonder why with modern modal analysis and Finite element Analysis a more Modern version of the loudspeaker technique has not appeared.






"The hardest thing of all is to find a black cat in a dark room, especially if there is no cat" - Confucius

 

Yes, for serious listening, posted on June 8, 2017 at 12:58:17
Drumhead
Audiophile

Posts: 244
Location: Atl, GA
Joined: May 24, 2009
 I had a pair of BES 30 years ago driven by Counterpoint and Mac. Excellent SQ.

 

RE: Yes, for serious listening, posted on June 8, 2017 at 16:29:40
walkstoslow
Audiophile

Posts: 277
Joined: November 18, 2012
 I am not sure but, I am amazed at what I am hearing, by not hearing the cabinet, music that I have been listening to since the 60's, sounds more spatial, Listened to "Abbey Road", I have played this
a zillion times, may have never really heard it until last night.
I have always felt that the piano is the true test of the sound of a speaker. Keith Jarret at Carnegie sounds "alive".
I have always liked the open sound of electrostatics, I have listened to box speakers my whole life, my hearing/brain may be biased, yet I am always listening for "something" better, that drives my wife crazy, generally she thinks all of these box speakers I have owned over the years sound the same, she really likes these...she also liked the Ohm speaker.
I am working a plan to acquire an active x over, and cut the bottom 80hz from the 225"s.
Then add a sub. New territory for me. Suggestions totally appreciated.

 

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