# Scan-Speak Illuminator 3/4" Soft Dome Tweeter Review



## Deton Nation (Jul 3, 2009)

OK... Ive had these for about a month and a half. Id say they are completely broken in by now. Firstly any part of a system that does not pull its weight can ruin the path to great sound. It took me about 3 weeks, going out in the evenings, sweating with the windows up, lol.. running first the mic with the pioneer 880 HU, then using a Radioshack SPL meter with test tones and my ears to dial in the EQ curves. Im a perfectionist and had to get it completely right, which is relatively flat curves, but the final say was my ears. The Illuminators possess a very natural sound, they are great with instrumentation and most voices. I love Latin Jazz and the drum hits and cymbals sparkle and have a nice decay. The Illuminators pick up a lot of detail, subtle nuances and are extremely open. I havent perfected the sound stage to the exact center of my car, but the soundstage is coherent and tight and the stage is large. Some music sticks to the tweeters, but for the most part you wouldnt even know they were there. You are too busy watching the show go down across your dashboard. These are not bright, nor forward speakers. Their strength lies in the realness of the presentation before you. They are extended on the top but not tinsely, I did EQ 12K -20K up just a bit, while before that(say 5k to 12K) there happens to be a little too much treble energy in the car. Overall it works. They are also not lifeless tweets, they add a lot of meat to the sound and overall I am ecstatic with my purchase. I drive to work in the morning and just enjoy the sounds. Though it was getting aggravating getting to this point, all the sweating and test tones. My ears were ringing for a few days! heh. 
Mike


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## 1sashenka (Nov 26, 2008)

Thanks Mike. I like them already. I have a 1" set that is still waiting for it's time. One day...


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## Mr B (Apr 21, 2009)

Thanks for the review Mike. Did you have them on-axis or off-axis (and by how much if they were)? Very interested in these tweeters. Thanks!


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## Deton Nation (Jul 3, 2009)

They were off axis in the corner window panels, where the stock tweeters were, albeit modified. I cut a hole and mounted them on top, flush, instead of behind the panels since they wouldnt fit that way. They are pretty small though and you shouldnt have much problem fitting them. They are now.. $118 each at Madisound though they are out of stock. They did take a good month plus to really break in, with normal playing.


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## DATCAT (Aug 3, 2009)

Nice review. I would love to see some pics.


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## Mr B (Apr 21, 2009)

Whatttttt? When did they drop in price? I think I checked last week and was hoping for a sale!


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