Should I replace the crossover capacitors in my vintage AR 3a speakers?


Am restoring a set of vintage AR 3a's.  Removed original capacitors and checked all three of them fom each speaker (6 total) with an Atlas ESR70 tester.  Every one of them checked out like they were new.  I then checked some brand new capacitors I had recently purchased for another project and they all check out as new (did this to ensure the meter was functioning correctly).  Should I replace or continuing using the originals in the speakers?

beercanshooter

Showing 1 response by waytoomuchstuff

@erik_squires

Thanks for the info on the ESR differences. Always a good thing to expand my knowledge base on a (very cold) Monday morning. After doing speaker performance upgrades for decades, the typical unexpected sonic difference frrom cap upgrades has been overwhelmingly positive. But, checking the ESR will. now be on our checklist of standard practices.

@beercanshooter

I think there is more to consider here than good vs bad capacitors. Capacitors have gotten much better over the years, and you don’t have to spend $$$$ to get something that sounds MUCH better than the OEM parts. This also applies to resistors, coils -- even input terminals. Our standard practice is to yank all the OEM wire out of the box and replace with "audiophile" grade cabling. Chances are close to 100% that you have good cables from the amp(s) to the speakers. There’s a reason you selected these particular cables. Sound quality? You might see if you can find the same quality cable in bulk to use internally. This could be challenging due to size, availability, difficulty of termination, etc. Just do the best you can. If, the cable is 10 gauge, you might have to reduce the number of strands or conductors to get you at a workable 14 gauge, for example. Yes, even short runs (12") matter.

We’re not trying to paint a mustache on the Mona Lisa here and "mess" with the designer’s intent. Just getting things out of the way, that make them sound worse.