Speaker crossover mod. Your advice?

Hi Bryon,

yes, midrange driver. Here is a photo of mine: http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/4416/mid6w4361back1.jpg.
If you like, you may look on the second mid driver, whether the label is there better readable.
I would assume, that your 1027 BE was later produced an may have been improved a bit. On the crossover C1 changed from 3.9uF to 3.6 on your board.

louk

Hello Bryon,

I have a Focal 1027 BE spreaker, which is simular to your 1027 S. I like the detailed sound very much, but what I am dissatisfied with, is the midrange. Its to thin and lightweight.
So I am thinking of a modification and found this thread.
I analysed the crossover circuit. It has as your 1027 S, the same layout, board and parts except C1 for the beryllium tweeter section, which has 3.9uF instead of 3.6. The inductors (winding, size) looks very much the same.

Since it is reported by other users, that the sound of the 1027 S is warmer and more filling especially in the midrange, I would like to check, wether the sound can be adapted to the 1027 BE.

Mid and tweeter have on both speakers the same crossover frequency, which is about 2.2 kHz. So this can not be the difference. The used mid chassis in the BE version is Focal 6 W 4361. Can you tell me, which one is build in the 1027 S (top chassis of the speaker)?

Either they used different mid chassis or they modified the inside of the box. Maybe there is no path through below the mid or tweeter to the woofers (closed chamber). Did you make photos from the inside or do you remember how it looks like?

Sorry for my poor english, hope you understand it.

louk

Hi Bryon,

in your first post on top you wrote in the first sentense: "I'm considering modding the crossovers of my Focal 1027s".
So I thought you have the 1027 S version. Then this is a misunderstanding of me. I was questioning for the differences of both (BE and S version) to adapt the midrange design of the 1027 S to the BE. This is supposed to be more present than on the BE and results in a more round and warm sound. But since you have also the BE, you can't answer my question. What a pity.

louk

Hi Bryon,

before I got the 1027 BE I did have the Trent II from Castle, a wonderful sounding little loudspeaker combined with an Infinity subwoofer. Not that perfect as the Focal but not so far of it. For the price, absolute high value. If I compare the 1027 BE with the Trent II and with other loudspeaker, the midrange is to thin. Also my ear is missing some pressure in the mid (voices and some instruments). Clearly it may also be a matter of taste, but I don't beleave, that it is only that. Maybe they changed something in the series. Which midrange chassis is built in your BE (my is as stated 6 W 4361)? The serial number of my BE is 10A 000 115, but there is nowhere a date of production.
One point but very unlikely could be, that the mid chassis has a lost of efficiency. Electrically I could not find a problem. I did wobble the voltage at the mid with a tone generator and checked the wave with an oscilloscope. Below 2kHz it gets a maximum of 80% amplitude of the crossover input. The impedance of the mid is 7 Ohm, I expected 8 Ohm, but I have to verify that with a better multimeter.

louk

Hi Bryon,

thanks for your help. In the meanwhile I could get in contact with someone of the Focal service. He told me, that the mid drives of the S and BE are the same but the casing box construction and the crossover board differs. The S is softer tuned. The S doesn't have the beryllium tweeter.

louk

Hi Bryon,

have some new infos for the 1027 BE fans. Last week I added the Yamaha RX-V2067 AV Receiver to the equipment and used the YPAO calibration function. It complained, that the phase of the 1027 would be wrong connected, but this was not the case. So I asked my self, why does the software report this error. Since I had made fotos of the crossoverboard from front and back sides incl. the wiring I took a look at it. And what surprise, the minus pol of the input terminal is connected to all drivers plus pol except the mid driver. In my opinion, this is the reason, why voices do sound thin and wider than usally experinced.
The YPAO SW is able to calibrate reflection and frequency and so, does equalize this unusual turns in phase.
Since your fotos do show the same crossover board with the same wiring, this is not a factory fault. That is the way focal want let the LS sound, but as reported doesn't satisfy me fully.
I turned the polarity at the input terminals and calibrated again. The error diappeared. Voices are now more in forground and not so thin, the sound not so bright and not unnaturally wide.
The RX-V2067 did neutralize bassmodes of the room and made slight modifications to the frequency response, to have it more linear. With this setup I am now very happy with the focal 1027 BE.
Would be intereseted to here, if anyone experienced the same or could retrace it.

Best Regards