2. speakers
  3. 186524-6896

Tweeter protection

Hello, I have a few sets of B&W 800 series speakers and I'd like to install an inline fuse to protect my tweeters. My question is; should I go with 125v or 250v 1 amp fuse? Open to suggestions.Thanks

128x128danmar123
10 responses Add your response
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 

@danmar123 

Why do you want to do this? How did you come up with the 1 amp rating? As for the voltage it makes no difference in a loudspeaker, but you might as well use the 250 volt fuse. The main issue is the amp rating. I would check with B+W and find out how many watts the tweeter is rated for then you can do the math and come up with a figure. 

mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 

I should also mention that depending on the frequency of the overload the tweeter can wind up protecting the fuse.

danmar123's avatar
danmar123 OP
450 posts
 

Thanks. Will do.

erik_squires
16,113 posts
 

1 A seems a little low. https://www.rapidtables.com/calc/electric/power-calculator.html

Though honestly not sure that anyone would use a tweeter protection circuit anymore. Depends on the rest of the crossover. If the HP filter is low order (i.e. slow rolloff) then it’s more critical, assuming you aren’t trying to overpower the speakers or overdrive the amplifier to begin with.

AFAIK, a lot of the cylindrical fuses do both 120 and 250V, the important part is the current in this case, as the voltage from one side of the fuse to the other is nearly identical. That is, you wont’ have 120V across it, and frankly 120V is already overkill, so make yourself happy.

120V across an 8 Ohm tweet is about 1800 Watts. :D 

erik_squires
16,113 posts
 

Also, depending on the exact model, you may find yourself better off with a complete crossover replacement.  Troels Gravesen among others does a great job of re-thinking the originals from a blank sheet of paper and it's a much better idea than part swapping.

knotscott
929 posts
 

Unless you’ve had issue with burning up tweeters in the past, I’d recommend against adding a fuse to speakers in a nice sound system...it’s possible to hear the fuse or circuit protection in a very clear setup. Never in my 10 years of having a speaker business did anyone take out a tweeter, so if you have had issues, IMO it’d be better to figure out why, because something’s amiss....playing too loud, tweeters crossed over too low, old crossover parts that have drifted from the original values, etc.

Another option is to purchase a replacement diaphragm and keep it on hand in the event a tweeter gets taken out.

carlsbad2's avatar
carlsbad2
1,623 posts
 

Don't do it.  Fuses are never good for sound, especially in the signal path.

danmar123's avatar
danmar123 OP
450 posts
 

Thank you Gents. I just went for $500.00 plus for 4 new diaphragms. It must be that when I recalibrate my AVR, it's set to high.  

boomerbillone
356 posts
 

Hello Danmart!  Use a 20 mfd capacitor; nothing less than a Mundorf KRP. You will be protected from DC and low frequency damage (like when a cable breaks or is detached or plugged in while the power amp is runnng) and it will not degrade sound as much as a fuse would. Enjoy the music!

imhififan's avatar
imhififan
2,199 posts
 

The amplifier provides clean power to the tweeter which is the best protection!

Tweeters usually get fried from excess energy due to amplifier clipping.

It must be that when I recalibrate my AVR, it's set to high.  

If you're using an AV receiver to power power-hungry B&W 800 Series speakers, set the crossover to "small speaker" and use the subwoofer for LFE to prevent amplifier clipping.

Log in to respond
More to discover
80x80
ATC SCM40A
80x80
Gryphon Pantheon
80x80
PSB Synchrony T-600