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Speakers with external parts, gimmicks or serious?

So I’ve seen, very rarely, speakers that allowed users to change the crossovers by swapping parts. Some by having external hookups to a resistor or capacitor. This isn't just having an external crossover, but having the crossover specifically designed to swap parts in and out. Kind of like some of the high end phono preamps that require jumpers or parts to be swapped.

In theory this would give a lot of flexibility in treble balance but also sound quality. What do you think, would this be a real game changer, or is it better to have this control elsewhere.

Best,


Erik
erik_squires
sebrof's avatar
sebrof
834 posts
 
My old Magnepan MG1.6s came with an external resistor that you could insert or not as you wished.
timlub
2,039 posts
 
It could certainly be done....A manufacture could say.... switch the 3mfd capacitor with a 4mfd to lower the contour between the mid and tweeter or 4 mic to 3 mic to raise.  or have a simple Lpad with plug in resistors...with instructions... current tweeter has a 3db pad,  change R1 to this and R2 to this to increase to a 4db pad.... etc.... some changes can be done for taste.  Or plug in these 3 parts to add a notch filter to take the peak out.
Overall,  most manufactures try to obtain a flat response....
czarivey
5,772 posts
 
Well, there are speakers with adjustable crossovers and pots in rear pannel such as Vandersteen, Sansui. 
erik_squires OP
15,980 posts
 
@timlub

Overall, most manufactures try to obtain a flat response....

I think that's a little generous from what I've seen. Many "high end" speakers are juiced one way or another. From rough treble to dips around 2.4kHz to enhance an artificial sense of imaging to boosts in the bass, or low impedance mid-bass to make speakers seem more "discerning." Product differentiation is very important to many manufacturers and that's hard to do when they all share the same frequency response.

There are of course exceptional products that try for exceptional neutrality, but I think saying "most" try for flat is a little generous. Over time speaker "voicing" of a particular manufacturer also may change as do the fads and what a magazine may promote as "best."

There's also the matter of listening habit and style. Flat in a test room isn't flat in your room, and you may not like it. If you listen at low volumes, boosts at the ends may be ideal.

Best,


Erik

timlub
2,039 posts
 
@erik_squires 
I'm a generous kinda guy
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