Does anyone know the crossover point of the Harbeth 30.2 XD?


I did a quick Google search and another quick search here on the Audiogon Discussion Forum without any luck.  Thanks in advance.

128x128hiphiphan

Bard summarized thusly: “instead of a single crossover frequency, it's more accurate to say the Harbeth 30.2 XD has a crossover region around 3kHz, with gradual handover between the woofer and tweeter for a smooth and natural transition.”

@ghdprentice Thank you sir!  I used Google's AI and came up empty.  I'll have to give Bard a try. 

 

@cfa88 Thanks for the reply.

@erik_squires I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a used pair of M30.2s and then replacing the tweeter with the one described in this review: https://6moons.com/audioreview_articles/aurai-audio-z165/ (The bipole version)

And yes, I know it’s an absurd idea to mess with Shaw’s perfectly good speaker. But I can’t help myself. Harbeths of course are famous for their midrange, but there’s nothing super special about their low or high frequencies. So my fantasy is to try to build on that gorgeous midrange with some really good subs, a world-class tweeter, and an external crossover with the best parts I can afford. This is all in the realm of fantasy at this point. I haven’t taken any concrete steps yet. Although I did email the creator of that tweeter, Alain Pratali, and he’s been very generous and encouraging with his responses.

@hiphiphan You won’t offend me and I don’t think you’ll offend Erik by tinkering. Even if it doesn’t work, you will become more learned.

@ghdprentice I like the way bard deescribed how every analog crossover works like it is a distinctly Harbeth attribute. I’d guess they pulled this out of a review or marketing doc somewhere.  (I don't blame bard)

Jerry

OP:

As @carlsbad2 said, not offended, and tinkering is a way to learn, BUT...

1 - DIYaudio is THE premier place to ask for advice on speaker mods.

2 - Your questions make me see you are not ready for this project yet. You need to learn how to do an electroacoustic analysis of the speaker, and be able to use that data to feed a crossover simulator.  Go look at Troels Gravesen's site and his modes for the Yamahas or B&W speakers.  You'll get a much better idea of what is involved.

3 - I strongly encourage you to reduce your tears by doing a straight up DIY build. Lots of kits already made, and you won’t ruin a perfectly sellable pair of speakers. Alternatively, buy a pair of speakers without working tweeters and learn to adapt a random new tweeter to them. That’s a lot nicer way to learn than on a perfectly good pair. You’ll feel a lot less like a mad butcher that way.

 

Best,

 

Erik

@erik_squires As usual great advice.  I need your bullet #2 if I ever start mofifying speakers.  (as you recall I rebuilt my crossovers to the same design using better parts, but no design changes).  Frankly, I have a lot of confidence in the guy who designed my crossovers. 

My buddy who did the same mod has moved to the next level and is doing the analysis as you suggest to play with his crossover component values.

Jerry

 

@erik_squires Thanks for the tips!  I will definitely check those sites out.  I think a dry run with a cheap pair of speakers is an excellent idea.  

Jerry, thanks for the words of encouragement.