Usher Be20

you can remove the grill by inserting a thin credit card between the baffle and grill - just wiggle a bit and you can get a grip on the grill to remove. I think they 20's look much better with the woofer grills removed.

I just read the review of BE-10 from the Taiwanese magazine from a few years back. The reviewer did mention that by adding the lead shots, it helped tighten up the mid-bass which he thought was kind of loose in his early listening sessions.

By the way, JPS cables just announced that they have provided internal wiring and crossover upgrades to the BE-10. The new version will be called BE-10 Examplar. But they will also be providing the kit to retrofit existing ones. The cost will be around $6k (US). I forgot to ask whether that is available for the BE-20.

The USHER room was playing both speakers side-by-side. Both sets were hooked up to two completely different systems, one analog and one digital. One was clearly more transparent than the other. But I am not sure how much of the difference can really be attributed to the "upgrade".

FrankC

The RMAF Exemplar demo used Belles SS on the stock Be10 and tubes on the modded crossover version. I recognized the "sound" of the stock speaker as similar to my own stock Be20. The modded speakers were much smoother and more transparent, less "there." $6k that's a tall price.

Does anyone know if the original 8871's have a chamber for leadshot?

Gpr does a xover and wiring upgrade for a very reasonable $500-650. Depending on options.