Author Topic: Speaker Modification / Upgrade (Read 78416 times)

Adam Warlock · « **Reply #120 on:** Sep 07, 2007 at 06:04 PM »

In general all speakers will improve when you change the internal wires and caps.

FOr the best price to value equation, i would suggest you upgrade F5000 to Mcap only then internal wires you can change to mundorf silver-gold wires since its just a small bookshelf.

We have done this on several units and the details and clarity improved by a lot

Aurum ribbon speakers models come with mundorf supreme caps already so no need to upgrade that part - although changing the wires is recommended on these models.

vwbeetle · « **Reply #121 on:** Sep 08, 2007 at 10:14 AM »

thanks for the reply!

gearhead · « **Reply #122 on:** Sep 08, 2007 at 11:31 AM »

any suggestions po what else can i change/tweak or modify sa diamonds ko?

http://pinoydvd.com/board/index.php?topic=42614.msg726233#msg726233

oweidah · « **Reply #123 on:** Sep 08, 2007 at 12:27 PM »

Quote from: gearhead on Sep 08, 2007 at 11:31 AM

any suggestions po what else can i change/tweak or modify sa diamonds ko?

http://pinoydvd.com/board/index.php?topic=42614.msg726233#msg726233

start by replacing the electrolytic caps. for cheap polypropylene cap replacements - use red caps labelled audiophiler kondensator available @ eleshop, ronquillo, quiapo manila (parallel to raon). around 200pesos each

then re-wire. used your preferred wires. kung gusto mo magtipid, use best quality wire internally and decent wires from amp-to-speaker. this way, the last leg of the connection are the best wires.

gearhead · « **Reply #124 on:** Sep 08, 2007 at 02:06 PM »

Quote from: oweidah on Sep 08, 2007 at 12:27 PM

start by replacing the electrolytic caps. for cheap polypropylene cap replacements - use red caps labelled audiophiler kondensator available @ eleshop, ronquillo, quiapo manila (parallel to raon). around 200pesos each

buti pala i posted here. otherwise, i have no other choice kundi yung mga hi-end super expensive caps. thanks for the info, sir.

oweidah · « **Reply #125 on:** Sep 08, 2007 at 06:32 PM »

Quote from: gearhead on Sep 08, 2007 at 02:06 PM

buti pala i posted here. otherwise, i have no other choice kundi yung mga hi-end super expensive caps. thanks for the info, sir.

tel# 7332925 / 7332931
caps are polypropylene mkp...1uf : 2.2 3.3 4.7 6.8 10uf / mostly 400volts (dont worry about this figure)

edwin · « **Reply #126 on:** Sep 29, 2007 at 10:05 AM »

Quote from: Audio_Jolog1 on Sep 28, 2007 at 10:26 PM

oweidah, thanks for this info. do they have electrolytic caps there also? kasi non polar electrolytic yata nasa speakers ko na balak ko i-recap. would it better to use polypropylene? thanks.

Yes, polypropylene caps are better than electrolytic. The upgrade will depend on how much you are willing to spend. Best is to start with Solen or Mundorf Mcaps.

jpeg · « **Reply #127 on:** Sep 29, 2007 at 10:45 AM »

Quote from: edwin on Aug 29, 2007 at 10:01 PM

Could you provide pics of the crossover? For internal cabling for the tweeters, you could use those high purity copper or silver hook-up wires. For my speaeker internal cable upgrade, i use the Neotech PCOCC for the woofer and Mundorf Silver wire for the tweeter.

The cheapest caps to use will be the Solen or at almost the same price, the Mundorf M-Cap. If you have a deeper pocket, you could use Auricap, Mundorf Supreme or Mundorf Silver in Oil.

Sir,

If I replaced the internal wires of my B&W 601 S3, would it get a lot better? If I used the Mundorf Silver Gold wires for the HF, what kindof changes could I expect?

Jason

audiojunkie · « **Reply #128 on:** Sep 29, 2007 at 03:08 PM »

Replacing the caps of my paradigm studio 60 v2 will bring me improvement? I have'nt open yet the box to know the exact values. Is it worth the risk and effort?

edwin · « **Reply #129 on:** Sep 30, 2007 at 11:00 AM »

For me, one of the most cost effective upgrade is the changing of the tweeter capacitor to a better type and had done this a lot of times and had always got the same good result. On my experience, it is well worth the risk, effort, time, money, etc spent.

For your guide: http://www.humblehomemadehifi.com/Cap.html

Changing the internal speaker cable has different improvement results from me, from marginal to good to wow

. Some speakers already have good cables inside like the Totem Model 1. Some are really crappy cables like the ones used inside the Chario Hiper 2 and the Epos ES11 that i replaced with Neotech PCOCC cables.

edwin · « **Reply #130 on:** Oct 04, 2007 at 12:45 PM »

Quote from: Audio_Jolog1 on Oct 04, 2007 at 11:43 AM

I'd just want to ask about the following regarding capacitors:

I want to replace a 1uf/63V cap. I found a 1uf cap, but the voltage is 400v. Can I use this? Does the voltage reading matter?

I want to replace a 3.5uf/ 100V cap. Only 3.3uf and 4.7uf are available (400V also). Which one will approximate the original value?

Thanks for the advice, sirs.

You should always use the same or higher voltage rating, but need to watch out for the size as it might not be able to fit. A higher voltage will give you a lower ESR, lower the better.

1uf/400v can be used. 3.3uf can be used to replace a 3.5uf. To get the same value, connect two 0.1uf to the 3.3uf.

vvt-i · « **Reply #131 on:** Oct 04, 2007 at 07:25 PM »

stock caps of sonus faber amati.....mundorf mcap

vvt-i · « **Reply #132 on:** Oct 04, 2007 at 07:28 PM »

stock crossover of b&w 800 series.....mundorf silver gold.

gearhead · « **Reply #133 on:** Feb 20, 2008 at 10:53 PM »

it would be better to use a single 2uf, but if you wouldn't want to spend anymore... two 1uf in parallel will do. if you connect it in series, the value would be halved.

diy_master · « **Reply #134 on:** Feb 23, 2008 at 10:57 PM »

try nyo mga sir silver wire for internal speaker size 5/7/8

boomjam · « **Reply #135 on:** Feb 23, 2008 at 11:45 PM »

This wire is superb. I had mine upgraded to this and it just opens up the speakers. Very detailed and lively mid to highs.

audiojunkie · « **Reply #136 on:** Feb 24, 2008 at 04:11 AM »

Quote from: boomjam on Feb 23, 2008 at 11:45 PM

This wire is superb. I had mine upgraded to this and it just opens up the speakers. Very detailed and lively mid to highs.

what happened to bass?

boomjam · « **Reply #137 on:** Feb 24, 2008 at 09:40 AM »

The bass was deep and tight but somehow lack the room-filling effect. I deferred commenting on it yet since I need to break-in the dual 8-inch woofers (rubber yung surrounds so it may take at least a month).

av_phile1 · « **Reply #138 on:** Feb 24, 2008 at 12:10 PM »

If you have to use Silver for wires, make sure it's of the same gauge as the copper wire you are replacing it with, so you can benefit from the 6% improvement in electrical conductivity. Bear in mind that going one gauge lower, say from 14ga to 16ga, has a 30% decrease in conductivity in terms of electrical resistance per 1000ft. So that a 16ga silver will not be better than a 14ga copper of the same purity.

ATJr. · « **Reply #139 on:** Feb 24, 2008 at 01:14 PM »

Quote from: Aga Muhlaq on Feb 19, 2008 at 10:20 PM

Hi, Edwin. Can I replace a 2uf cap with a 1 uf cap? Will it alter the sound? Nagkamali kasi ako nang nabili. Anyway, can I also solder two 1uf caps to approximate a 2uf cap?

Thanks for the advise.

of course you can.....

Ctlim · « **Reply #140 on:** Feb 25, 2008 at 09:10 PM »

i was told that upgrading the caps (ie: mundorf) also requires a number of hours of break in? ( that i found to be too long )

do they really need to be broken in? kahit broken in na naman ang drivers???

ATJr. · « **Reply #141 on:** Feb 25, 2008 at 09:16 PM »

Quote from: ctlim on Feb 25, 2008 at 09:10 PM

i was told that upgrading the caps (ie: mundorf) also requires a number of hours of break in? ( that i found to be too long )

do they really need to be broken in? kahit broken in na naman ang drivers???

don't believe everything you are told, experience it yourself.....there is nothing inside nor outside of the cap that needs breaking in.it is your ears that need to make adjustments......yung speaker drivers pa, pwede....

Ctlim · « **Reply #142 on:** Feb 25, 2008 at 09:23 PM »

actually hindi nga ako makapaniwala. just looking for reassurance.... hassle kasi to leave my amp and cdp on for XXX hours just to break it in again.

gearhead · « **Reply #143 on:** Mar 09, 2008 at 12:00 AM »

sayang. i was at ronquillo na kanina and was about to buy the audiophiler brand of polypropylene capacitors. problem is parang na-mental block ako and i can't remember if my capacitors are 3.3uf/4.7uf combi or 4.7uf/6.3uf. so i had to ask pa my brother to look for my pics here to confirm which values i need. while waiting, i went to hidalgo muna to buy some batteries and look at some lenses.

after a while my brother advised me it was 4.7uf and the 6.8uf pala for the highs/mids. so i hurried off again to eleshop but alas, closed na pala sila. it's just 5:15pm and closed na sila kaagad while almost all the other shops eh open pa. i plan to break it in sana using the 110v output of a transformer i have lying around since 400V naman ang working voltage nung capacitor. i plan to leave it there for about a week. that will make it past the recommended break-in period of 100 hours or so.

av_phile1 · « **Reply #144 on:** Mar 09, 2008 at 11:30 AM »

Yup, finish the 100 hours of "break-in" and your capacitor will feel so old already.

Capacitors do not require break-in. They can only degrade in performance over time and use.

I can understand valve amps require a period to stabilize for the tubes to function right, but you're talking of just minutes here, and you do that everytime you turn them on. Same with the bias current in transistors, you will need them to reach a certain temperature to get the right bias, but we're talking just seconds here and you get that everytime you turn on the amp especially in cold climes. But breaking-in electronics certainly flies in the face of established facts.

Except for speakers, anyone who tells you you need to break-in a component, you better find another store. Because the product must be so lousy as to require that you get accustomed to the sound. Because 100 hours of break-in is about the right time for your ears to get used to the sound.

nerveblocker · « **Reply #145 on:** Mar 09, 2008 at 04:37 PM »

Quote from: juric on Mar 09, 2008 at 11:39 AM

just got my speakers today! tweaked and customized by a-adio

Wow! Limited edition wharfes! Congrats! Til the next project....

jpeg · « **Reply #146 on:** Mar 12, 2008 at 08:33 PM »

Anybody with experience in changing the xover resistors? Would just like to ask if there would be improvements in changing the resistors in the xover. If there would be, could you give me an idea on what I could expect? What resistor brand would you suggest? Where could I get it?

Am using a B&W 601s3. Changed the caps to mundorf supreme with great results. Going to change the internal wires soon. Thought of changing the resistors as well when I open it up.

Hope someone could help.

Jason

blackd70s · « **Reply #147 on:** Mar 12, 2008 at 08:35 PM »

Quote from: jpeg on Mar 12, 2008 at 08:33 PM

Anybody with experience in changing the xover resistors? Would just like to ask if there would be improvements in changing the resistors in the xover. If there would be, could you give me an idea on what I could expect? What resistor brand would you suggest? Where could I get it?

Am using a B&W 601s3. Changed the caps to mundorf supreme with great results. Going to change the internal wires soon. Thought of changing the resistors as well when I open it up.

Hope someone could help.

Jason

how did you change the caps bro? how much did it cost?

thanks!

jpeg · « **Reply #148 on:** Mar 12, 2008 at 08:56 PM »

Had it done at Audio Amplified. Price list for caps is at their website. Plus service fee if you ask them to do it for you.

Jason

blackd70s · « **Reply #149 on:** Mar 12, 2008 at 09:37 PM »

Thanks Jason! Will contact Audio Amp!