2wq filters: what do you recommend?

Harry,

Get your hands on the best sounding .04uf caps(The caps need to be matched and as close to that exact value as they can for a 79.5Hz filter. You might want to measure the value of the X-2's you have and try to duplicate that value, it should be .04uf but all of the X-2's I have measured were way out of spec. This way is won't change the bass balance.) Get some M&F RCA's. Solder the caps on the hot side and a wire for ground. Sit back and prepare to enjoy a pair of filters that will put a grin on your face.

After word your X-2's will be for sale.

In my post above I said 50khz....I meant 50kohm which is the input impedence of my Innersound monoblocks. My current filters are 50k.

I'm not too fine with electronics...although I can solder ok. How do I test the value of my current X-2s. Also, what are the "best sounding" 0.4uf caps. any suggestions would be gratefully appreciated!!!

Harry

Harry,

If you have a multi meter, many of them have a setting for measuring capacitance.

You will have to add values to get as close to the "ideal" value of .03975uf, which @50K=80Hz. .039uf is 81.54Hz @ 50K.

I like the DynamiCap best of what I have tried so far, which has been the AuriCap(which everyone loves but I find somewhat dry and subtractive sounding but KILL the crap in the X-2! AuriCaps do come in some odd small values from Pearcy but not from Parts Connexion) and also the InfiniCap which has been replaced by the DynamiCap.

Teflon caps like the RelCap TFT Exotica or Chris VenHaus's V Cap

http://www.v-cap.com/

are said to be wonderful but the cost is way out there! You would need a total of eight .01uf caps for a total of $223.92 even at the 5-24 peice discount rate! I would love to try them, but. I would also like to try the Cardas caps.

DynamiCaps are very fragile! Do not get them too hot when soldering. You can take advantage of the fact that the .01uf is really more like a .013uf(I have confirmed this and Michael Percy lists them on his site as .013's)and add three together for each side to get as close to a .04uf value as you can with the likelyhood of them being fractions over .039 when three are added up(get them matched and tell them that they are for a filter when you buy them so they understand that the value is critical, you don't want to be 20% off like the X-2 can be, that's why I suggest you find out what they really measure at.) They don't have to look pretty if you can't do that they just have to sound good and not short out. You need to reinforce them if you have real heavy IC's that will pull on them.

harry,

in case you're wondering where maxgain is is getting the capacitance values from, the formula is 1/(6.26 x crossover frequency x input impedence) in your case 1/(6.26x80x50,000).

maxgain,

thanks for the input. what have you heard about the model 5 filters. i see a pair listed here now. do you know how they're hooked up. i have no idea what they look like. if they have to be hardwired, i don't think i want to mess up my ic's.

aloha keith

aloha keith

Keith,

I have listened to the 5 filters with a pair of 5a's and some other very nice stuff. The system was amazing. I can't say much else about it without hearing it in my system. The filter is said to be the most transparent high pass for the Vandersteens. The nice thing about them is that they are switchable for impedence. Unless your system is pretty stable as far as keeping the same components for a long while like I do the versatility of being able to change the cap value with a switch is handy.

I have a photo of them. I can e-mail it to you if you like. They have rca or bal inputs on them just like pluggin into your amp and a fixed pigtail of some sort of top of the line AudioQuset IC that goes into the amp.