re capping

doe's re-capping depend on how many hours you use your equipment. if you bought a new unit and only use it 8 hours a week. when would you know if you need re-capping?

It depends on time and temperature. If they are at low ambient temp. then most likely they will last for 50 years. If playback increases temperature they will dry out sooner, but 8 hours a week is like no use at all. I would not worry. Will you last 50 years? :)

When capacitors dry out ESR increases usually reducing bass control (wooly bass) and/or increasing audible 100/120Hz ripple. Capacitor might also get hotter because of high RMS value of charging current and increased ESR.

I realize most of the discussion here has been regarding amplifier caps. Has anyone recapped or otherwise modded the crossover in the older Wilson Audio speakers?  I'm having the woofers refoamed in a pair of 5.1s, and wondered since the drivers would be out of the puppy cabinets, whether it made any sense to consider any other 'maintenance.' TIA

Depends on what the crossover looks like. If it is all film caps, then no need to do anything at all. If there are electrolytics, well, the brand and type may be critical to the sound of the unit. Same for the film caps. The brand type (model and type) may be critical to the sound of the end product.

any changes will always make a difference. The question is if it is an improvement or merely a difference.

The understanding is that Wilson tends to pot their crossovers, and this is partially to alleviate issues of tampering and copying, to keep that from the casual eye. "Casual" being the key word, as this would not stop the determined mind. Ye old saw about locks existing to keep honest people out.

As well as.... if the speaker is sold later on, that if it was sold with a modified crossover, that would amount to sonic tampering, and misrepresentation of the Wilson brand.