Bullet Tweeters Vs. Dome Tweeters

Many music lovers find it very difficult to settle on the best tweeters, especially when choosing between bullet tweeters and dome tweeters. In this article, we shall show you the necessity of how this discussion is essential and give you an insight into the two tweeters.

Bullet tweeters are the same as horn tweeters because they have a dome at the center of a flared horn design. They produce very loud output and need a powerful subwoofer to match. 

Bullet tweeters (horn tweeters) produce loud output but need a powerful subwoofer to balance them out. Dome tweeters on the other hand include hard dome tweeters which are loud and offer bright treble frequencies but easily distort and soft dome tweeters which offer loud treble with less distortion.

Read on to learn more. 

Before you continue, you can also check out the following guides:

Horn vs Ribbon Tweeters

What Are Bullet Tweeters?

Bullet tweeters, also known as horn tweeters, are named after their bullet-shaped dome at the center of the flared horn design.

When the bullet design is combined with the powerful ferrite magnets, bullet tweeters deliver unparalleled loudness and better sound clarity. However, they can actually cause distortion and is the reason many people add capacitors to these tweeters. Therefore, the car audio must integrate a powerful subwoofer to balance out this loudness for a better sound experience.

Bullet tweeters do not tend to resonate in audible frequencies compared to hard dome tweeters.

This aspect, therefore, makes bullet tweeters a lousy option for home audio. However, they are a good choice for car audio as they perform better delivering near-field signals in small confined spaces such as in the car.

What Are Dome Tweeters

Like bullet tweeters, dome tweeters are somewhat concave and smaller than cone speakers and have a suspension and an aluminum wire coiled around their rim.

Some of the materials commonly used in the construction of dome tweeters are titanium, beryllium, treated cloth, and composite materials. The two dome tweeter classes include soft-dome tweeters and metal-dome tweeters when classified in terms of material.

On the other hand, dome tweeters made from silk or fabric materials are generally referred to as “soft-dome” tweeters, while those made from metallic components such as aluminum are “hard-dome” tweeters.

Hard Dome Tweeters

Most car tweeters use dome-shaped diaphragms. These diaphragms vibrate to reproduce high frequencies. Generally, these car tweeters are built using metals, mainly titanium and aluminum.

While hard tweeters have the ability to utilize their hardness to produce loud and bright treble frequencies, they also tend to resonate around specific frequencies. To some extent, this causes distortion in the sound produced.

As a result, hard dome tweeters are considered low quality. They are generally less expensive, except for car tweeters with domes made of beryllium, which is a softer and rarer metal, used only on very high-end systems.

Soft Dome Tweeters

This is an alternative to hard dome tweeters. The best soft dome car audio tweeters use synthetic silk. However, modern versions use synthetic plastic.

Generally, silk dome tweeters are not as loud or bright as metal ones. Also, they do not have resonance issues. Some music lovers say that soft-dome tweeters deliver a soft roll-off for higher frequencies making them more appealing to the ear than the sharper hard domes.

Pros Of Bullet Tweeters

·         Dispersion control

A bullet tweeter helps in sound dispersion by controlling the tweeter’s directivity. This sound dispersion comes about due to the off-axis response. The better the directivity, the better the sound pressure.

·         Higher Efficiency

Another advantage of bullet tweeters is Higher Efficiency. Bullet tweeters offer higher efficiency by achieving significant impedance as it couples both speakers and the air impedance to work as one system. In the long run, this impedance affects how audio will give a sound.

·         Longevity

Bullet tweeters can be used for an extended period without wearing out, especially in outdoor speakers.

Cons Of Bullet Tweeters

·         Too much coloration

Just as most people avoid images with sharp colors such as red, which causes coloration to most people’s eyes, so do bullet tweeters, only that eyes are not involved. 

On speakers, coloration takes place when there is an identifiable sound coming from the speaker. It is most common on bullet tweeters and some unprofessional speakers. Coloration in bullet tweeters occurs mainly because of the blending sounds that are dictated by the range of frequency produced by the speaker.

Blending of sounds occurs in speakers that, when set at a particular frequency, give a sound that will cause the blending of sounds if combined with audio music.

·         It can be frustrating

Listening to audio music from bullet tweeter tends to be frustrating a lot. As earlier mentioned, bullet tweeters amplify sound to higher frequencies. While this can be a good thing, it can also be bad, especially for listeners’ ears. 

·         Expensive

Bullet tweeters are often more expensive than other tweeters, such as dome tweeters.

Pros Of Dome Tweeter

·         Wider dispersion

Dome tweeters are an improvement of semi-dome tweeters, and it comes with their advantages.

Being an improvement, dome tweeters produce sound with a more extensive dispersion compared to semi-domed tweeters. This wider sound dispersion helps the tweeter build a wider working spot when setting up the system.

·         Affordable

Dome tweeters are more affordable than other tweeters, such as bullet or horn tweeters.

Cons Of Dome Tweeters

They demand more power to function effectively.

They have a ringing effect caused by stiffness hence not pleasing when hearing audio.

Uses Of Bullet Tweeters

Bullet Tweeters are primarily found in speakers used in outdoor activities because of their loudness and wide sound dispersion. Therefore, they are used to amplify sound, especially in the range of higher frequencies.

Uses Of Dome Tweeters

The primary function of a dome tweeter is to give an audible yet linear and comprehensive frequency. To achieve this, dome tweeters rely heavily on pistonic motion, which enables them to cover a broad audio spectrum.

Regardless of the material used to make them, Dome tweeters are always used in home audio equipment such as home theatres because of their sound distribution.

 Bullet Tweeters Vs. Dome Tweeters: Which Is Better?

This must be the most challenging question we can attempt to answer. This is because both bullet tweeters and dome tweeters are excellent when used in corresponding applications.

To make the right choice between the two tweeters, you need to understand what you really want. For example, if your interest lies mainly in the efficiency of the tweeter with incredible directional highs, then a dome tweeter would be the best choice for you. Because of their balanced frequency and reasonable budget price, most experts conclude that dome tweeters are the best.

But on the other hand, if you are interested in elements such as wider sound dispersion, maintenance, and well-balanced high frequency, you need to consider the bullet/ horn tweeters.

Conclusion

Choosing the right tweeter for your car or living room is essential, especially for the best sound experience. Whether you want to enjoy surround music or just looking for a device that can add more detail to the audio output, make sure your decision on the choice of tweeter is well-guided.