Author Topic: Speaker Modification / Upgrade (Read 77973 times)

Mika · « **on:** Apr 04, 2002 at 02:52 AM »

Have you tried modifying your speakers? Like changing the spikes/feet, for example. What do you recommend for speaker spikes? Can you please share other tweaks that enhanced the sound of your speakers. Thanks

!

manila · « **Reply #1 on:** Apr 04, 2002 at 07:17 PM »

Quote from: Mika on Apr 04, 2002 at 02:52 AM

Have you tried modifying your speakers? Like changing the spikes/feet, for example. What do you recommend for speaker spikes? Can you please share other tweaks that enhanced the sound of your speakers. Thanks !

Hello Mika,
From my personal experience, adding metal spikes raises the soundstage a tad. It makes the image hanging just in front of you. For some weird reason, the detail are also more audible. Without the metal spikes before, it sounded "fatter" but the image is lower and details are more confused.
I recommend metal spikes. As always, it is equipment independent.
One other refinement you can do is to fill up your speaker stands with sand or metal filings! This I heard improves bass. The rule of thumb is the stand must be at least 2x heavier than the speaker's net weight. The heavier you can achieve the stand the better in ratio with the speakers the more defined the bass will be. Just my 2 cents.

ENJOY YOUR AUDIO!

Manila

Mika · « **Reply #2 on:** Apr 05, 2002 at 12:04 AM »

Thanks Manila, for your suggestions. I'll try the metal spikes (saan kaya sa 'Manila' maka-bili nito

?). I'll see if I can have it customed made.

Hey guys, anymore tweaks out there?

rtsy · « **Reply #3 on:** Apr 12, 2002 at 10:11 AM »

Also put tack between your speaker and your speaker stand. It tightens mids and lows a tad. Not night and day.

If you don't hear it, at least your speakers are safer tacked to the stand.

M_Shoe_Maker · « **Reply #4 on:** Apr 12, 2002 at 11:18 AM »

I also placed Blue Tack (not the orig, I got mine at SM for only P20. I think its called Power Tack) between the speakers and the stands. IMHO, it helped improved focus / imaging.

MeowPao · « **Reply #5 on:** Apr 12, 2002 at 11:29 AM »

Quote from: M_Shoe_Maker on Apr 12, 2002 at 11:18 AM

I also placed Blue Tack (not the orig, I got mine at SM for only P20. I think its called Power Tack) between the speakers and the stands. IMHO, it helped improved focus / imaging.

Hi M_Shoe_Maker!

Where inside SM did you get that 'Power Tack'?

Can you remove it easily when you want to? TY!

M_Shoe_Maker · « **Reply #6 on:** Apr 12, 2002 at 03:35 PM »

MeowPao,

I got those years ago. If I'm not mistaken it was SM Southmall's Ace hardware / Workshop.

It looks identical to those expensive Blue Tack. What I noticed though is that after a couple of years, when you want to take it off, it kinda gets "gooey" unlike the real Blue Tack, but it was still manageable. Considering the price, OK lang yung "gooey" problem.

I'm not sure if SM still has it though.

MeowPao · « **Reply #7 on:** Apr 12, 2002 at 04:17 PM »

Thanks M_shoe_maker.

I've been looking all over for that Blue Tack. Sige, I'll go off to Ace to look for Power Tack...

Mika · « **Reply #8 on:** Apr 12, 2002 at 05:05 PM »

Hey guys! How about the center speaker? Normally, they are made without feet. Have you tried out something to enhance its focus? Would the tack work?
Thanks for your help

.

hyperaudio · « **Reply #9 on:** Apr 23, 2002 at 11:09 PM »

as long as your speakers are out of warranty, the best mods i tried w/ speakers are :
1. changing the internal wiring with high grade cables.
2. changing the crossover capacitors.
3. adding damping materials inside the speaker box.
4. adding bi-wire posts (for unbiwirable spkrs)
but these are only done w/ speakers with potential good sound. it's hard to improve the perf of bad sounding spkrs.
also a sound advice on all buyers of brand new spkrs,
be patient, they need breaking-in.

Mika · « **Reply #10 on:** May 05, 2002 at 04:14 PM »

I've read that replacing the screw washers (the flat round thing used in combination with the screw) that hold the drivers will improve the sound quality of your speakers. Even adding on more of the washers will improve the sound. The kind (copper, stainless, etc.) and quantity will depend on your sound preference. Ewan ko lang, but I don't see the logic/science behind this tweak

.

Hey Hyperaudio, can you modify / upgrade the DAC of my laserdisc? This is the one I used for audio listening, kasi ok daw transport nito, stable. Thanks!!

rtsy · « **Reply #11 on:** May 07, 2002 at 09:18 AM »

Power Tack can be bought at National Bookstore. That's where I bought mine.

hyperaudio, you are a tube/tweak meister, right? Would you do the tweaks you suggested (wire replacement, capacitor upgrade, cabinet damping) for a fee? If yes, how much?

In your experience, which brands/models deliver the greatest improvements with the tweaks?

Adam Warlock · « **Reply #12 on:** Aug 09, 2002 at 08:56 PM »

Here's a site about speaker tweak:
http://www.tnt-audio.com/casse/speaktweak_e.html
I tried to paste the whole article di pala pwede. Its too long. Hope this help.

john5479 · « **Reply #13 on:** Aug 09, 2002 at 11:02 PM »

Anyone did the spike and sand filling on the diamond 8.3 and had good results? Doing the sand thing on a tannoy Mx3 does wonders for the bass, much tighter now(probably due to less vibration from the cabinet)

silhouette · « **Reply #14 on:** Aug 13, 2002 at 09:57 AM »

I'm also looking for Speaker Spikes! Anybody here knows where to buy?

thanks!
silhouette

levi · « **Reply #15 on:** Aug 18, 2003 at 12:33 AM »

av_phile · « **Reply #16 on:** Aug 18, 2003 at 11:42 AM »

Quote from: john5479 on Aug 09, 2002 at 11:02 PM

Anyone did the spike and sand filling on the diamond 8.3 and had good results? Doing the sand thing on a tannoy Mx3 does wonders for the bass.

I must be tone deaf, I hardly noticed any sonic difference mass loading my floorstanding Mordaunt Short. For sure there was less cabinet vibration - a desirable trait in speaker enclosures.

doughn · « **Reply #17 on:** Aug 18, 2003 at 02:49 PM »

my center channel speaker is a little bit higher so i put 3m rubber bump at the rear end so the speaker will tilt , facing downward. improves imaging.

av_phile · « **Reply #18 on:** Aug 18, 2003 at 04:49 PM »

Don't know if i should ask this here or in the speaker thread, But how do you compensate for a main front speaker system that uses 1st order crossover that is 90 degree phase shifted? If the center speaker uses 2nd order crossover which is 180 degree phase shifted, that means your main speakers are minus 90 degrees out of phase with the center, right?

D75C · « **Reply #19 on:** Aug 25, 2003 at 02:22 PM »

Get a new pair?

The only ones with custom crossovers are pro-audio speakers with an outboard crossover.

av_phile · « **Reply #20 on:** Aug 27, 2003 at 04:01 PM »

I think it's chepaer to get a new center speaker that has 1st order crossover. Actually, I think the ears are less sensitive to phase shifts than to harmonic distortion. Am just mentally bothered by the knowledge that my fronts don't share the same phase alignment.

mr kenkoy · « **Reply #21 on:** Sep 01, 2003 at 04:43 PM »

try this guys!
put a marble slab (same size as your speakers) on top of your speakers this will prevent any movement of speakers even when your playing at very high volume
stero imaging will be stabilized and youll hear the difference immediately. this kinda mass load the speaker/stand

GarLicNutz · « **Reply #22 on:** Jan 09, 2004 at 03:01 PM »

Guyz... may nahanap kasi akong 2 lumang speaker sa bodega, eh pwede kaya itong i-upgrade. mga 80's pa ito binili.

Dai-Ichi ang tatak.. ito ang nakasulat sa likod nya.

"3-way miniatures speaker system with power level indicator- 6ohms - 60 watts"

tinesting ko nga siya.. medyo may pagka tunog lata.. pero ayos naman.. pero pag tinodo ko na.. para na siyang umiiyak na baby... hehe... may paraan pa ba na pag upgrade nito.. or mas makaka tipid ba ako kung bibili ng bagong speaker.. sayang naman kasi ito eh.. kahoy talaga yung gilid..

kimpOy · « **Reply #23 on:** Jan 09, 2004 at 03:43 PM »

try mo dalhin sa dai-ichi showroom sa megamall 5th level
(bldg b yata)

ang alam ko lifetime warranty ang dai-ichi, ke may resibo o wala.

GarLicNutz · « **Reply #24 on:** Jan 09, 2004 at 11:35 PM »

1980's pa ito.. gusto ko lang sanang ayusin ito ulit.. para gawing kong front.. i dont think tatangapin pa nila ito. mga expert dyan advice naman po..

lance · « **Reply #25 on:** Jan 12, 2004 at 08:34 AM »

Quote from: GarLicNutz on Jan 11, 2004 at 10:35 AM

need ur comment please.. mga bosing. $:-\$

dre kahit luma na yan basta gawa ng dai-ichi sakop yan ng warranty nila. kung hindi nila maayos yana malay mo palitan nila ng bago.

no harm in trying. try mo muna tumawag sa kanila. may showroom sila sa megamall 5th flr bldg B. malay mo palitan nila ng drivers yan. then yung driver lang babayaran mo.

jerix · « **Reply #26 on:** Jan 12, 2004 at 02:03 PM »

i got a pair of old locally made flrstanding speakers bought 7yrs ago at DEECO. i was about to dispose it when i decided to experiment some of the tweaks discussed here. first, i separated the connection of the woofer to the mid driver and tweeter, creating a separate wire for the woofer to the receiver (parang labas,,biwired sha

.)

inside the speaker, very loose ang padding nya... kaya nilagyan ko ng half-inch thick padding materials (yung ginagamit na padding sa carpet--

)in all the internal sides of the box. then, i change the connection of the mid driver and tweeter from parallel to series.

when i turned my receiver on, i was then expecting my receiver to blow

but after several minutes, i began to

then

kasi the bass had become richer and louder. i pumped more power expecting an overload, kasi i was really not sure of the overall impedance of the speaker, but fortunately di pa naman nag-ooverload receiver ko ,, hehe until now, the speaker is still treating me goood! kaya as of now, napamahal na ako sa lumang speakers ko--

GarLicNutz · « **Reply #27 on:** Jan 12, 2004 at 05:35 PM »

wow naks guys.. kanina i thought my post was deleted, yun pala nilagay lang dito.. salamat admin.. and guyz for the help. this site is very cool!

Mika · « **Reply #28 on:** Jan 13, 2004 at 02:03 AM »

Quote from: GarLicNutz on Jan 09, 2004 at 11:35 PM

1980's pa ito.. gusto ko lang sanang ayusin ito ulit.. para gawing kong front.. i dont think tatangapin pa nila ito. mga expert dyan advice naman po..

try nirvblakr (a member here), they make their own speakers, maybe he can help you. send him a pm..

consider the cost of repairing this 80's speaker. imho, you're better off in buying 2nd hand ones.

just my 2 cents

av_phile1 · « **Reply #29 on:** Jan 15, 2004 at 12:26 PM »

Replacing the drivers of a 3-way 60-watt 6-ohm speaker system can be a learning experience if you can get the right drivers. Most likely, you won;t get 6 ohms as most raw drivers and crossovers are either 4 or 8 ohms. I don;t suppose the drivers are any bigger than 8 inches. Based on the retail prices of those raw 40 watt daichi drivers and crossovers i've seen in one local shop, you could spend around 2T. With regards to the sound quality, in the absence of any measuring instrument or compensating circuit for the varying frequency repsonses of the 3 drivers, you can just cross your fingers. One suggestion is to at least make sure that the drivers have the same sensitivity. Just my thoughts.

Author Topic: Speaker Modification / Upgrade (Read 77973 times)

rtsy

rtsy

mr kenkoy