If you want to take your speakers to the next level, here are some basic tips that will have you shaking your head in disbelief. They aren't listed in any specific order and all work together to form a more complete package.
1) Bypass all of the factory attenuation switches in the crossover and delete the wiring that feeds them from the circuit. These speakers are somewhat "warm" sounding as it is and using any of the attenuators simply compounds the non-linearities. If you leave the switches in place for cosmetic reasons, make sure that they form a proper seal by using some type of puddy around them.
2) While you're doing this, replace the existing wiring with the wiring of your choice. I used Kimber 8TC and 4TC inside of my 9's as i thought it was the most complimentary. On top of that, i had dozens of feet of both on hand, so it worked out well for me : )
3) Add a few braces inside of the cabinet. The cabinet itself isn't quite as rigid as it should be. Due to the vertical length involved, the cabinet is quite subject to resonance. Just remember that the more internal volume that you eat up with bracing has to be accounted for in terms of additional damping material. The additional damping material makes the box appear larger than what it is, making up for the internal air volume that you displaced by adding the bracing.
4) Damp the baskets of the 12" woofers and especially the 8" mid-woofers. These ring like a bell when excited through vibration. If you doubt this, "flick" the basket of one of these drivers with your finger and listen to it ring like a bell. This ringing adds a harsh metallic sound to the speaker and tends to sound like the mids are breaking up when driven hard. Liquid nails or any other type of non-acetic type caulk or silicone can be used to great advantage here. Completely fill in the gap between the front plate of the magnet and the rear of the basket.
5) Re-orient the crossover parts. By doing so, you can not only shorten the signal path by reducing the length of interconnecting wires, you can also lower the amount of crosstalk from driver to driver. Coils shouldn't really be oriented in the same polarity when they are right next to each other. That means standing one on end when one is laying sideways, etc... If you use this approach, you can place coils right next to each other and still obtain at least -45 dB's of separation between them. The further that you can get them apart though, the better off you'll be. This reduces the coupling between the various parts of the circuits and drivers, increasing power handling, lowering the noise floor and increasing clarity all at the same time.
6) Whereas AR left the bottom of the cabinet open ( no poly fiberfil ), i recommend laying a solid blanket of fiberglass or poly over the tops of the crossover networks. Taking a sheet of R-13 insulation ( or poly if you don't like fiberglass ) and hanging it vertically from the front of the cabinet to the rear of the cabinet directly between the woofers also works well.
7) Seal the cabinet as best possible. The more air leaks that you have, the looser the bass will be.
8) Experiment with various types of footers. Depending on the flooring underneath the speakers, some types will work better than others.
Hope this helps... Sean
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