H-Audio Ebony review

[Hillbilly SQ]

Carl (unpredictableacts) gave me his new Ebony mids to do an a/b comparison with my Soul mids. He broke them in for around 60 hours or better so I have no doubt that they're good and limbered up. The Soul and Ebony share a lot of the same parts except the cone. The Soul is an aluminum/poly blend while the Ebony appears to be either solid poly or close to it. They are VERY different sounding drivers. I'd even go as far as saying they are polar opposite of each other.

If you read my Soul review you noticed that I was really happy with their revealing and laid back sound. I can't say the same about the Ebony and this is where being a reviewer gets tough. The Ebony is quite possibly the most laid back driver I've listened to in a very long time. It's a very forgiving driver that has somewhat of a dark sound that can be veiled at times. I'm not hearing nearly as much of the little things in songs that seem to pop out easily with the Souls. Depending on what you're looking for in a driver this could be a good thing but for me it's not. These mids remind me of Dyn, Hertz High Energy, and Morel.

Bottom line is if you don't like my description of the Soul mids you'll most likely love the Ebony mids. If you want something that will help mask a bad recording you'll love the Ebony mids. If you want a mid with a great bottom end you'll love the Ebony mids. If you want a mid that defines a laid back sound you'll love the Ebony mids. If you like the sound of Scanspeak based drivers you'll most likely love the Ebony mids. I was told to be as honest as possible and I tried my best to post both the good and the bad. These mids really do sound good with a nice smooth response but just aren't for me. While my review isn't glowing I hope this will help you make the right choice if you decide to give H-Audio a try.

[H-Audio - AKA - Here-I-Come]

Originally Posted by Hillbilly SQ

Carl (unpredictableacts) gave me his new Ebony mids to do an a/b comparison with my Soul mids. He broke them in for around 60 hours or better so I have no doubt that they're good and limbered up. The Soul and Ebony share a lot of the same parts except the cone. The Soul is an aluminum/poly blend while the Ebony appears to be either solid poly or close to it. They are VERY different sounding drivers. I'd even go as far as saying they are polar opposite of each other.

If you read my Soul review you noticed that I was really happy with their revealing and laid back sound. I can't say the same about the Ebony and this is where being a reviewer gets tough. The Ebony is quite possibly the most laid back driver I've listened to in a very long time. It's a very forgiving driver that has somewhat of a dark sound that can be veiled at times. I'm not hearing nearly as much of the little things in songs that seem to pop out easily with the Souls. Depending on what you're looking for in a driver this could be a good thing but for me it's not. These mids remind me of Dyn, Hertz High Energy, and Morel.

Bottom line is if you don't like my description of the Soul mids you'll most likely love the Ebony mids. If you want something that will help mask a bad recording you'll love the Ebony mids. If you want a mid with a great bottom end you'll love the Ebony mids. If you want a mid that defines a laid back sound you'll love the Ebony mids. If you like the sound of Scanspeak based drivers you'll most likely love the Ebony mids. I was told to be as honest as possible and I tried my best to post both the good and the bad. These mids really do sound good with a nice smooth response but just aren't for me. While my review isn't glowing I hope this will help you make the right choice if you decide to give H-Audio a try.

I would have to say it a pretty go description of the two drivers. This is exactly want I have said the entire time about the two drivers. I will also add they do have nearly the exact same response, But sound totally different.

This is the reason H-Audio states no entry or highend levels. Its more of the sound your looking for. The Ebony is the perfect match for the Trinity and Enigma in the EET 3-way arrangement (Harmony Series), warm and laid back with a very natural sound, very scan like. The X-Series is all about detail which is correct, can be a bad thing or a good thing, they can be a little over critical on some recordings, but this is what some people want and some others hate.

[Hillbilly SQ]

Thanks for taking my review so well Mark. I hesitated clicking the button to post it. I will also add that the Ebony has a sound that really won't offend anyone. That's what makes it such a forgiving driver it seems.

[H-Audio - AKA - Here-I-Come]

Originally Posted by Hillbilly SQ

Thanks for taking my review so well Mark. I hesitated clicking the button to post it. I will also add that the Ebony has a sound that really won't offend anyone. That's what makes it such a forgiving driver it seems.

It was nothing not to take well sir. From the being we kind of knew which driver you would like from what you was telling me about the kind of sound reproduction you like.

My idea was to have something for everyone, which is not a easy thing to do. Some love the Scan, Morel, and Dynaudio warm, laid back and natural sound, when some other what to hear every last little thing. I kind of go for the warm and natural sound with good detail, This is way I really like the EET arrangement. The Trinity while very smooth has a good amount of detail, add the Enigma to the top end and the smooth, warm and detail sound is complete; now add the Ebony to the bottom end, as its better bottom end and its warmer sound works better to transition in with the Trinity. This combo is kind of the best of both worlds. This is the sound a like a little more as it adds a bit of emotion to the music. But at times I want to hear everything bad or good, so I look to a combo like the X-Soul Series.

What the Prolific will do is give you about 90% of what the EET arrangement gives you in one driver. Very detail, warm and natural, But will a little more detail and dynamics in the midrange.

I also have on the way, what just may be what I will call my High-End. These two new drivers are, well hmmmm, High-Resolution, they will take what the X-Series dose improve on it; then add some of the warm and smoothness of the Harmony series. True Audiophile drivers. Man I let the Cat out the bag sooner then I want to, but as we know I get a little excited at times about great drivers.

[bikinpunk]

Someone going to be running the Ebony at the BBQ? I'd really love to hear the difference between the two myself.

[Hillbilly SQ]

To elaborate on the above no matter how bad the recording is or how jagged the music is I couldn't get these mids to sound bad. They're just so laid back it's unreal. I returned the mids to their rightful owner and have my own back in their home.

[newtitan]

okay im piggybacking a tad, Ill do my full review once I finish these darn pillars lol---my time these days and mood are limited

anyway Ive had the ebony's warmed up for like two weeks now off 70W rms 63hz to 1.6hz mated to my horns for the time being (only getting 25W rms since the sensitivity difference, and I must say ive never been a fan of poly cones--traditional paper man for the most part,

I like smooth, laid back, not really a seas fan (although i appreciate the sparkle and clarity-ive used the lotus, 7, 8, w16, w18 etc)..dyn, scans and morel are more my taste...

but man these are a certified winner IMO

wonderful midrange output, with very little off axis tuning needed (they are in my doors not kicks), dont need a ton of power to reach optimum sensitivity, Very shallow, and amazingly light perfect for sports car, tuners etc

and the low end in the proper midbass arena 63ish to 400ish is extremely pronounced with a very nice kick....im been using 8's for like 5 years now...and these cant match the cone area of course....but the actual sound, and fidelity of the notes is right on with some of the far more expensive drivers ive used

in this 6-7" driver size these are top 5 in my book so far

they need a few more hours of break in (ive finally learned my lesson after wasting some dyns too soon a few years back and then hearing them shine in another car lol) before I can finally do the full review

and of course I have to install the other two parts of the three way

for the price, heck screw the price AWESOME PERFORMANCE

im rather suprised why more people havent taken the chance to try these out

ill be back in a few weeks with more

[Hillbilly SQ]

Glad you like them. They do shine as a midbass and lower midrange.

[H-Audio - AKA - Here-I-Come]

Originally Posted by newtitan

okay im piggybacking a tad, Ill do my full review once I finish these darn pillars lol---my time these days and mood are limited

anyway Ive had the ebony's warmed up for like two weeks now off 70W rms 63hz to 1.6hz mated to my horns for the time being (only getting 25W rms since the sensitivity difference, and I must say ive never been a fan of poly cones--traditional paper man for the most part,

I like smooth, laid back, not really a seas fan (although i appreciate the sparkle and clarity-ive used the lotus, 7, 8, w16, w18 etc)..dyn, scans and morel are more my taste...

but man these are a certified winner IMO

wonderful midrange output, with very little off axis tuning needed (they are in my doors not kicks), dont need a ton of power to reach optimum sensitivity, Very shallow, and amazingly light perfect for sports car, tuners etc

and the low end in the proper midbass arena 63ish to 400ish is extremely pronounced with a very nice kick....im been using 8's for like 5 years now...and these cant match the cone area of course....but the actual sound, and fidelity of the notes is right on with some of the far more expensive drivers ive used

in this 6-7" driver size these are top 5 in my book so far

they need a few more hours of break in (ive finally learned my lesson after wasting some dyns too soon a few years back and then hearing them shine in another car lol) before I can finally do the full review

and of course I have to install the other two parts of the three way

for the price, heck screw the price AWESOME PERFORMANCE

im rather suprised why more people havent taken the chance to try these out

ill be back in a few weeks with more

Glad you like them, just wait until you install the complete EET 3-way arrangement.

O yam, I did fry the monitor.

[DAT]

I yet to break my Ebonys in but so far they are sound very good..

Hey Mark - YGPM

[friction]

Cant wait to get hold on the H-audio Ref 6.5. They are on the way to me.will post pictures soon

[miniSQ]

Originally Posted by Hillbilly SQ

Carl (unpredictableacts) gave me his new Ebony mids to do an a/b comparison with my Soul mids. He broke them in for around 60 hours or better so I have no doubt that they're good and limbered up. The Soul and Ebony share a lot of the same parts except the cone. The Soul is an aluminum/poly blend while the Ebony appears to be either solid poly or close to it. They are VERY different sounding drivers. I'd even go as far as saying they are polar opposite of each other.

If you read my Soul review you noticed that I was really happy with their revealing and laid back sound. I can't say the same about the Ebony and this is where being a reviewer gets tough. The Ebony is quite possibly the most laid back driver I've listened to in a very long time. It's a very forgiving driver that has somewhat of a dark sound that can be veiled at times. I'm not hearing nearly as much of the little things in songs that seem to pop out easily with the Souls. Depending on what you're looking for in a driver this could be a good thing but for me it's not. These mids remind me of Dyn, Hertz High Energy, and Morel.

Bottom line is if you don't like my description of the Soul mids you'll most likely love the Ebony mids. If you want something that will help mask a bad recording you'll love the Ebony mids. If you want a mid with a great bottom end you'll love the Ebony mids. If you want a mid that defines a laid back sound you'll love the Ebony mids. If you like the sound of Scanspeak based drivers you'll most likely love the Ebony mids. I was told to be as honest as possible and I tried my best to post both the good and the bad. These mids really do sound good with a nice smooth response but just aren't for me. While my review isn't glowing I hope this will help you make the right choice if you decide to give H-Audio a try.

there is a LOT going on with describing this driver...
1. exact opposite of the soul
2.but yet they are both "laid back" does this mean they love to chill on a friday night? what does laid back mean in a speaker review?
3. very forgiving yet dark and veiled..but still laidback.
4. lacking in detail
5 similar to dyn, hertz HE, and Morel
6. great bottom end...this must mean the soul has no bottom end?
7. again with some more "laid back"
8. scanspeak...i almost forget scanspeak...this driver will appeal to folks who like scanspeak
9. they sound good and have a smooth FR..but overall not an appealing sound i guess??

Geez send me a set i would be happy to review them for ya

[miniSQ]

Originally Posted by Hillbilly SQ

To elaborate on the above no matter how bad the recording is or how jagged the music is I couldn't get these mids to sound bad. They're just so laid back it's unreal. I returned the mids to their rightful owner and have my own back in their home.

sorry i missed this one...so all the bad things you said about them being veiled and lacking in detail, but yet you couldn't get them to sound bad???

laid back is NOT a good sonic quality.....it may be good marketing speak....but a speaker should not sound laid back....imagine going to a concert and coming away with the impression that the SQ was "laid back"....

[DAT]

Originally Posted by friction

Cant wait to get hold on the H-audio Ref 6.5. They are on the way to me.will post pictures soon

LUCKY @#$%


We will need Pics

[Hillbilly SQ]

Originally Posted by DAT

LUCKY @#$%


We will need Pics

Agreed. Hopefully I'll be able to work out a deal with Mark for a Ref setup to show off at the next Bama meet and give the DFW boys something different to take a gander at.

[H-Audio - AKA - Here-I-Come]

Originally Posted by miniSQ

there is a LOT going on with describing this driver...
1. exact opposite of the soul
2.but yet they are both "laid back" does this mean they love to chill on a friday night? what does laid back mean in a speaker review?
3. very forgiving yet dark and veiled..but still laidback.
4. lacking in detail
5 similar to dyn, hertz HE, and Morel
6. great bottom end...this must mean the soul has no bottom end?
7. again with some more "laid back"
8. scanspeak...i almost forget scanspeak...this driver will appeal to folks who like scanspeak
9. they sound good and have a smooth FR..but overall not an appealing sound i guess??

Geez send me a set i would be happy to review them for ya

Hmmmm, let me see if i can clear it up a bit sir, as I understood what Hillibilly was trying to say.

The Ebony is nearly a 180 of the Soul. The Ebony is a very warm and natural sounding driver with very good detail. If you are a fan of Driver like the Morel, dynaudio, Audio Technology and Scanspeak Rev you will like the sound of the Ebony. It is a very forgiving driver as with most paper and ploy cone drivers. It's not that the Ebony lacks detail, the Soul is just a more revealing driver; as this is what it was designed to be.

After listening to the Soul you may think the Ebony or any other driver with higher 2nd and 3rd other distortion my lack a detail in comparisons, but is just that the Soul is not a forgiving driver. If you have a bad recording then it will/would reveal that. The Soul is/was a very critical and clinical sounding driver like with most hard cone drivers like the Sea Excel/Lotus with is hard magnesium cone, Rainbow Reference/Platinum, Dayton Reference, they are not to everyone liking. The Soul still has/had a good level of smoothness that would be revealed with the right amp/tuning combo.

Not sure how you got that the Soul has no bottom end from him saying the Ebony has great bottom end. The Soul was design to excel in the upper mid-bass and great speed (attack and decay); kind of like the JBL 2118H and 18 Sound MB400; these drivers or more of a midrange then a mid/bass unit. All he is saying is he likes the Soul more transparent and revealing/clinical sound over the Ebony's warmer and more natural sound. But that others would likes the Ebony sound more, as I lean to the Ebony side of things more. But at times I like to hear every little detail bad or good in the recording, then I look to drivers like the Soul.

Hope that helps.

O, ya the new H-Audio Ref 6 is a ture Audiophile's driver and will give you the best of both worlds.

[miniSQ]

Originally Posted by H-Audio - AKA - Here-I-Come

Hmmmm, let me see if i can clear it up a bit sir, as I understood what Hillibilly was trying to say.

The Ebony is nearly a 180 of the Soul. The Ebony is a very warm and natural sounding driver with very good detail. If you are a fan of Driver like the Morel, dynaudio, Audio Technology and Scanspeak Rev you will like the sound of the Ebony. It is a very forgiving driver as with most paper and ploy cone drivers. It's not that the Ebony lacks detail, the Soul is just a more revealing driver; as this is what it was designed to be.

After listening to the Soul you may think the Ebony or any other driver with higher 2nd and 3rd other distortion my lack a detail in comparisons, but is just that the Soul is not a forgiving driver. If you have a bad recording then it will/would reveal that. The Soul is/was a very critical and clinical sounding driver like with most hard cone drivers like the Sea Excel/Lotus with is hard magnesium cone, Rainbow Reference/Platinum, Dayton Reference, they are not to everyone liking. The Soul still has/had a good level of smoothness that would be revealed with the right amp/tuning combo.

Not sure how you got that the Soul has no bottom end from him saying the Ebony has great bottom end. The Soul was design to excel in the upper mid-bass and great speed (attack and decay); kind of like the JBL 2118H and 18 Sound MB400; these drivers or more of a midrange then a mid/bass unit. All he is saying is he likes the Soul more transparent and revealing/clinical sound over the Ebony's warmer and more natural sound. But that others would likes the Ebony sound more, as I lean to the Ebony side of things more. But at times I like to hear every little detail bad or good in the recording, then I look to drivers like the Soul.

Hope that helps.

O, ya the new H-Audio Ref 6 is a ture Audiophile's driver and will give you the best of both worlds.

The Ref 6 takes what the Soul did to a new level. While it shares the same basket making it a true 6.5” transducer and the above average Sd rating, the new Ref 6 improves on the motor topology used for the Ebony and Soul. Making for a fast, dynamic, detail and simple put a true to life sounding transducer; a true audiophile’s driver.

You might want to hire a new person to do your copywriting. The description from your website is kind of hard to read. I also read a few others and they were also poorly written. High end drivers deserve high end writing...which was kind of the point of my first post. JMO....and yes, i know what they say about opinions

[H-Audio - AKA - Here-I-Come]

Originally Posted by miniSQ

The Ref 6 takes what the Soul did to a new level. While it shares the same basket making it a true 6.5” transducer and the above average Sd rating, the new Ref 6 improves on the motor topology used for the Ebony and Soul. Making for a fast, dynamic, detail and simple put a true to life sounding transducer; a true audiophile’s driver.

You might want to hire a new person to do your copywriting. The description from your website is kind of hard to read. I also read a few others and they were also poorly written. High end drivers deserve high end writing...which was kind of the point of my first post. JMO....and yes, i know what they say about opinions

Not sure what this has to do with the review of the Ebony, but......

Glad you know they say about opinions sir

But all opinion are welcome good or bad

[Mic10is]

personally I would never describe the Scan Speak Revelator as warm or mellow or laid back. to me its always sounded sterile, analytical and dark or cold.
Dyn and Morel are definite warm and laid back sounding. Seas Excel have a smooth midrange with great detail and clarity which I would describe as being more neutral sounding.

[DAT]

Its good to hear more IASCA, MECA guys opinions.

[H-Audio - AKA - Here-I-Come]

Originally Posted by Mic10is

personally I would never describe the Scan Speak Revelator as warm or mellow or laid back. to me its always sounded sterile, analytical and dark or cold.
Dyn and Morel are definite warm and laid back sounding. Seas Excel have a smooth midrange with great detail and clarity which I would describe as being more neutral sounding.

Hmmm not sure if I agree on the Scan Revs, the Scan 12m and 15W has some warmth to them and are bit more mellow sounding then the Seas Excel. I wouldn't say the Revs are dark or cold. I wouldn't call them very laid back either, I would have to agree with you there.

As for as the Morel and Dynaudio sound, i would have to agree. The Seas Excel/Lotus not sure if i would call them neutral sounding, but greatly detail with great clarity yes.

Well now that I think about it a little more it depends on what you mean by neutral sounding when talking about the Seas Excel/Lotus. If you mean neutral sounding as in; what you put in is what you get out and/or transparent. Neutral meaning not adding much to the signal in the way of distortion when used with in their limits, I would have to agree. This is how I would/would have describe the Soul . I fell the Ebony falls somewhere between the Scan Rev and Morel/Dynaudio sound when used in a 2-way, but by your description it would lean more to the Morel/Dynaudio sound.

[drtool]

Say Hillibilly how do you compare to the Focal's you ran?

[ItalynStylion]

Originally Posted by drtool

Say Hillibilly how do you compare to the Focal's you ran?

That's what I want to know; they were my focals before his. And now I have a pair of Ebony's in the mail for myself. I figure if I'm going to sell them I'd better at least know what they sound like...yeah I'm justifying it that way

[bikinpunk]

Originally Posted by Mic10is

personally I would never describe the Scan Speak Revelator as warm or mellow or laid back. to me its always sounded sterile, analytical and dark or cold.
Dyn and Morel are definite warm and laid back sounding. Seas Excel have a smooth midrange with great detail and clarity which I would describe as being more neutral sounding.

Total opposite of how I'd describe them. On all accounts.

[Mic10is]

Originally Posted by bikinpunk

Total opposite of how I'd describe them. On all accounts.

thanks for your opinion. I still stand by Revelators not being warm, laid back or anything close to that sound.
Ive used them in 3 installs for that purpose b/c I wanted a darker more sterile sound b/c many judges like that kind of textbook analytical sound.
It isnt a sound I really ever enjoyed personally tho.