Mitchb send me an addrees so I can ship you a pillow.That way you won't hurt your jaw after it drops to the floor!
Let us know how it turns out.
Happy Listening!
Let us know how it turns out.
Happy Listening!
Will I notice improvement with crossover mods?
I've finally discovered that the difference in sound between my two Hales Transcendence 5"s is due to a difference in crossover values between the two speakers. Aparently one of the speakers was at the correct values but the other speaker's crossover was off by over 10%. I've decided to repair the speakers by having both the crossovers completely redone with new caps, coils and resisters. The crossovers of both speakers will be upgraded to better parts and they will be the same correct values(evenly matched).
My question is that will I notice a big improvement with this upgrade/mod? I am having Solen foil caps replacing the old caps, Hepta- Litz coils replacing the old coils and improved resistors although I do not know exactly which ones. Opinion would be appreciated.
My question is that will I notice a big improvement with this upgrade/mod? I am having Solen foil caps replacing the old caps, Hepta- Litz coils replacing the old coils and improved resistors although I do not know exactly which ones. Opinion would be appreciated.
Showing 13 responses by gmood1
Hello Mitchb..I am no expert but you should hear a difference. I strongly suggest using better caps than Solens on the tweeter/midrange section of the crossover.IMHO the Solens are fine on the bass section.If your going to do it right... put the best caps you can afford in the midrange/tweeter area. Maybe if you can swing it try some Mundorf Supremes.These caps are used in Audiodata, Audio Physiks, Avangarde Acoustic, Burmester, German Physiks, Hedler & Hoffmann, Magnat, Outsider, PHL, Sehring,Verity Audio, Symphonic Line, Trenner & Friedel. Also a lower grade version of the Supreme is used in the Sonus Fabers! So these caps are the real deal! Also if you can swing the Mundorf Silver PIOs,these are are the top of the line Mundorf caps..the Supremes are no slouches thou.Just to give you an idea the Sonus Fabers Cremonas floorstanders($8000.00) a pair use the Mundorfs 4 th best capacitor..the Supremes and Silvers are number 1 and 2 on the list! Make sure your resistors are non inductive and spec within 1 % of each other. Here's a review of a few caps. The Crescendo and Sonic Caps are also very good! At the moment I am using a mixture of all these caps except the Mundorf Silvers. http://home.hetnet.nl/~geenius/CAP.html |
The Solens are going to sound a tad bit harsh on the tweeters.If it were me that speaker company would have to get me the Mundorfs! If your paying to have this done at least see if you can order those parts and let them install them for you. I sure hate to see you waste your money.But if that's the best you can do I understand. In the back of your mind ..you will be haunted and wondering how much better those speakers can sound! Are your upgrades being done locally? |
Here's the site Mitchb http://www.e-speakers.com/products/mundorf.html You can order them yourself. As I said before to save money use the Solens on the Bass section of the crossover if needed.If the Mundorfs get too pricey my next choice would be Sonic Caps http://www.soniccraft.com/parts/capacitors.htm These caps are large so there maybe be a problem fitting them on the original crossover board..not sure of this though. The Sonics are no slouches either! These caps are used in the famous Green Mountain Audio speakers and they have a very natural and open sound. There are plenty of others out there as well some more expensive and some cheaper. Good Luck! |
Eldartford ..it looks like they use a different type of measuremnt for the zero ohm coils. I know you use 8 or 10 awg wire wound coils which are expensive. Not sure of the awg with the zero ohm coils... since they don't give any on the site..at least not in english .I am going by the values I used 12 awg copper foil inductors at 3.30 mh on the bass panels. The Denmark made Jantzen cross coils cost roughly $31.00 a piece. The zero ohm coil of the same value is $127.00 a piece. As far as caps go I think Audio Note is probably the most expensive. But this doesn't mean much since the less expensive Mundorf Supremes actually sounded better than the Northcreek Crescendos they replaced in my speakers. The Crescendos are reversable and the sound changes depending on which lead is used as the input.I still found this cap to have a loudness control built in as the reviewer did Capacitor review.When reversed the sound became a little dull and the air diminished to a degree. The inductive high pass filter sounds interesting.Where did you find the information on this configuration? Trelja ..roughly how many hours in your experience is the burn in on new coils and capacitors? I know some don't believe in this..just like they think all capacitors sound the same.Hearing is believing though. I think only a deaf person could argue they sound the same! Bill with a schematic of the crossovers you can get your values. Not sure of the parts quality in your speakers. The easiest way to find out is to open them up. I am sure you can upgrade the parts quality and hear a noticeable improvement without changing the original crossover specs. You have plenty of places to order parts from thats for sure. I couldn't find what I wanted at one site so I ordered from 4 different websites. |
I hear ya Eldartford..that's one reason I went with the Jantzen copper foil inductors. They are reasonably priced and claim to have almost zero FM distortion. They really opened up the Magnepans. It's tough to compare the stock Magnepan inductors which weigh maybe 14 ounces together..two for each speaker.To the Jantzens copper foils of the same value that weigh over 6 lbs ! Huge difference in weight and sound! |
I am also very glad to see you move into the next stage of this hobby my friend. It is fun to hear the difference in the crossover components themselves.As the months pass you will scratch your head and wonder what took you so long to take that step.You have also opened up a can of worms. Now every time you listen to a pair of speakers.You will ask yourself ... what can I change in this speaker to fit my needs? LOL All the Best!! |