Internal Speaker Rewiring

Some manufacturers actually "voice" the product with the characteristics of the wiring taken into account. Others simply use what will get the job done. Either way, changing the wiring inside the speaker WILL alter what you hear.

If you are going to attempt to do something like this, you should always document which wire went where, what direction it was facing, etc... This will allow you to take the speaker back to stock should you ever want to reverse the procedure. DO NOT TRUST ANYTHING TO MEMORY as there is a LOT more going on inside the speaker and your head than you think.

Keep in mind that if you modified the wiring and then took it back to stock, the sound would still be different. You can attribute this to fresh solder connections, the wiring having to "settle back in", etc... I don't know why this occurs, but it does. Sean
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One of the biggest differences might be your choice of capacitors to replace the old in the high pass filter for the tweeter. I would do a search over at the Audio Asylum tweak forum or the Madisound Speaker Building forum as there has been a lot of discussion and it is a personal taste issue. Lots of opinions on this.

I remain,

Yes, this is a huge sonic upgrade. What I would suggest is that you find a speaker wire that you feel gives you the performance you enjoy on the MAIN type of music you listen to. Then purchase an additional 8 feet (4 ft for each speaker) and re-wire your speakers with it. There are two real choices in Solder available today and sonically they are slightly different. Wonder Solder (my preference) has slightly laid back sonics with good detail and dynamics. The WBT solder seems to add more ZIP and can come accross bright in certain applications but also offers excellent detail and transparency.. You choose..

When you are doing this also eliminate any tin clips and solder the wire directly to the crossover and the drivers. Those clips detract from the sound in most cases. Finally when you are finished, check the screws on all of the drivers and torque them to a similiar torque setting. This makes a big difference and you will be surprised how loose certain screws will be on your drivers.. Hope this helps..

KiD

Sean's advice should be taken. I've had similar experiences and I believe Albert Porter has as well. In fact if I remember correctly, after Albert "upgraded" his wire and his speakers sounded terrible he went back to the amnufacturer (or sent his speakers in). To his suprise, they did not change his upgraded wire, but rather changed the capacitors so that the voicing was back to where it was. The resistance and capacitance of the wire is part of the voicing (whether it was in the design, or just a product of whatever wire was used). You will change the sound, and possibly not for the better (so save the old wire just in case).

All great advice. Clueless' suggestion about caps with Rives' supporting comments are right on the money, especially if the speakers have a few years on them. You might not believe how much sonic influence crossover parts ( primarily caps ) make on a speaker. The Kid's comments about "unnecessary" parts / connections and the quality of such connections in the circuit path are also true. It all adds up. Like i said though, keep a very serious "log book" if you're going to attempt such work. It might seem like it slows you down and is a waste of time, but believe me, should you ever have to fall back upon your notes ONE time, it will be well worth the time spent. Sean
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