for those of you who may have a pair of these gathering dust in a closet (as i did), and don't mind getting your hands dirty (as i love to do), i have discovered some worth-while upgrades and tweaks that really make a difference for the little presidian.
as some of you have discovered, the cheap "one cap" crossover yields a crossover frequency of about 9 kHz, making the little midwoofer work way too hard. i'm not sure if this has anything to do with wth the lively sound that has resulted in positive first impressions, but for me they got tiring real fast.
anyway, introducing new low and high frequency crossovers (mounted hard-wired on separate boards), along with a new (larger) tweeter make for a much more realistic design with a more detailed and even sound.
the kit i received consisted of the crossovers (four boards with hard-wired components and wiring), two tweeters, two faceplates for the tweeters (although i modified the faceplates from the stock tweeters to receive the new ones), and some unique adjustable internal braces (front to back) to be used between the drivers.
additional tweaks i added myself: i changed the wiring from the crossovers to some kimber tcss that i had lying around. i added dynamat to the inside of the cabinet and also to the stamped woofer basket. lastly i stuffed the cabinets with some lambswool that i also had in surplus. i suppose "acousta-stuf" would be the most logical choice here. i have a few other ideas for "finishing touches" that i haven't employed yet.
now granted, these are cheap speakers to begin with and the mods/tweaks don't make them into totem model one signatures, but they do improve upon them in a most obvious way (to my tin ears that is), and makes them even more of a value IMHO.
DISCLOSURE: i have NO vested interest in this product beyond my own use and enjoyment. i know my post reads like a shill but i suppose my only reply is "there's no greater zealot than a convert" :-) the origin of this kit is my soliciting the developer, who goes by the user id "litekeys" on ebay, after performing his mods on a pair of minimus 7s from the local habitat thrift store. this fellow has sold upgraded crossovers for the old radio shack minimus 7 and 77 for some time now (among other things), and was receptive to the idea of refining yet another budget speaker from the shack. he is a dedicated enthusiast and gentleman. his communications are prompt, polite and detailed.
the final price for the kit will be determined by him, but all of his offerings appear to be high-value. i suggest you contact him directly if interested. i'll likely be modding a second pair over the winter.
be well.
