Tweeter Capacitor Upgrade (Coincident PREs)


Hi all, looking to upgrade the Solen 4.7uF 100V caps that filter the low frequencies out of the Accuton tweeters on my Coincident PREs.  Started by looking at Duelund's, but PartsConnection doesn't even list prices for a lot of the models (or is out of stock) at that value... that motivated me to try and collect some impressions from the group.

Apparently Isreal is using Mundorfs in that position at this point.

As always, thanks for the input.
cal3713

Showing 4 responses by brownsfan

@cal3713 Another vote for the Jupiter Coppers in your application as a cap to be placed in series with the Accutron tweeter.   I used the Jupiter in my Coincident Super Victory II for that application with a Duelund Silver by-pass, and could not be happier.  In the end, all we can do is guess.  The good news here is that it is not hard to improve on the Solens, but no one can tell you for sure what the "best" cap for your application is going to be.   Just be aware that the Jupiters are painfully slow on break in.  They oscillate between really good to really bad for at least 120 hours, maybe 200, and apparently it is common for them to require 400 hours to completely stabilize.
@audioman58 I am also perplexed by the crossover design in the PREs.  I don't know what one might find in the woofer cabinet, but since the preferred wiring arrangement is a direct connection from the monitors to the amps, with a second set of cables running to the woofers, and since the monitor enclosure contains only one crossover in series with the tweeter, I must surmise that the midrange is being run full range.  It would seem that the midrange is truly crossoverless, with no inductor or capacitor in series or even in parallel.  When I rebuilt the crossovers on my Coincident Super Victory IIs, I chose to stick with the stock Solen 12 and 14 gauge inductors.  I don't regret the decision, but of course it may have been possible to improve upon them.  I think the big bang for the buck here is going to be in swapping out the tweeter cap.  The PREs are already superb, in my humble opinion, speakers.  It may not take anything more to get cal3713 where he wants to be. 
@charles1dad, I did not consider replacing the internal wiring.  I have used Coincident wire externally, and found it to compare well with a few other options in the same price range, so I didn't think it would be an experiment with a high probability of success.  I did use a few inches of Duelund Tin/Copper here and there where I needed to make things work, as there was nothing extra to work with.  I also did not consider replacing the binding posts.  I spent ~ 1200 on the project, and don't feel compelled to go any further.  I am more than pleased with the speakers as they now stand, so at least in my case, going further might well be diminishing returns.   

The op is starting with speakers that are several levels better than my super victorys in stock form.   I think replacing the solen cap in the PRE is a no brainer, and would advise he start there and proceed slowly.   I suspect the Duelund by=pass caps might give the accutrons a bit too much resolution.  They are not lacking in air and extension even with the Solens, and he could end up with a hyper detailed presentation would be my concern. 
@cal3713,  I am happy you have found the Jupiters to your liking, and I agree completely with your comment regarding the manufacturer's choice of Solens for the PREs.   I know even the PREs are made to a price point, but I know in my case with the Super Victory IIs, those Jupiters were transformative. That cap really moved the speaker to an entirely different level of performance.   I expected you would find that also to be true with your Accutrons, but one never knows for sure.  It is always an experimental question in the end.  Keep us posted as you continue the burn in process. 
@cal3713 ,  I think we are aligned with respect to our thinking on crossover parts selection in the Coincident Speaker family.  I just don't get it.   To pair the superb Accutron with a piece of junk in a 30K speaker to save $500 seams just weird.   I can understand it in a mid-tier speaker, because after all, one needs to ensure a performance differential between one's mid level speaker and one's top tier cost no object offering.   But putting Solens in the PRE, especially in a marketing scenario that eliminates the middleman, is a decision that is hard to understand.