2. tech-talk
  3. 126462-41

Best Capacitors for Crossovers

I am now in the tweaking stage of trying different caps in my crossovers for my DIY homemade 2 way. I presently have and will soon try a 5.6uf 800 vdc +/- 2% Jantzen Audio Silver Z-cap.

I see that Mundorf, V Cap get a lot of accolades, and the Dueland are quite pricey.

Does anyone have a favorite?

I am trying to cross over at about 4500HZ at 6db.

128x128ozzy
ozzy's avatar
ozzy OP
7,502 posts
 

Eric,

I can't open your sample files.

The woofer I'm using is 90db and crossing over at 4500hz seems to be quite fine. Perhaps the tweeter is a little too much but with my "old" ears sounds pretty good to me. Even at this early stage of breakin my DIY 2-way sounds better than many of my other high priced speakers including B&W's.

I tried to limit the amount of components in the crossover networks.

As I stated earlier I made the crossover in a external box. They were made bi-wired, with separate wbt posts . For the woofer, I used military spec cryoed 12 gauge silver/copper wire. The inductor is also 12 gauge. With the tweeters I used 14 gauge pure .9999 silver wire internally and the Jantzan Silver 5.6uf Cap.

I just ordered a DEQX Premate, with my JL Audio F-113 subs this ought to turn into something really special.

erik_squires
16,244 posts
 
Ozzy,

You need XSim which is also free. :)

We have a couple of threads going on in the DIY forums regarding simulation and crossover design. Feel free to join in.

Best,


Erik
barrysandy
192 posts
 
I like the Duelund Cast caps for speaker crossovers and use them on the tweeter / midrange panels of my Magnepan 3.6s. They sound amazingly clear and natural. They're almost as good as a Pass Labs 3 way active crossover used on the bass panels and subs. When you consider the benefits of extra amp power and direct drive of the latter, that's saying something. I'm glad I bought them years ago, as now they require a third mortgage! 

I recently added the Duelund silver foil wax and Oil .01uF bypasses to the tweeters.  I'm not a big fan of silver. Much more subtle changes, but ok, so I'm going to leave them in.
ozzy's avatar
ozzy OP
7,502 posts
 

barrysandy,

Thanks for reviving this thread.

Those Duelund caps are verrrryyy pricey!

I ended up installing Mundorf silver/gold/oil caps. And I switched to the Aurtum Cantus G1 tweeters.

There is about a 14 db.SPL difference between this tweeter and the mid/woofers I am using.

So, now my quest is to install resistors to pad down the tweeter. I will use a 6.2 and a 2 ohm resistors that are rated at 10 watt.

Question:

Most high end resistors are rated between 5-12 watts. This seems rather low to me, is that enough wattage?

erik_squires
16,244 posts
 
Hi Ozzy,

You should take these questions over to the DIYAudio forum where there are lots of speaker builders who would help you, or Parts Express Tech Talk.  Plus you can post pics and schematics and stuff there too so it's easier to share your problems and questions about speaker buiding. :)

As for power required for a resistor, I use XSim’s power charts.

It is also important to know where your resistor is going! :) Since power in music is weighted towards bass, your tweeter will never have the full music power. I assume only about 1/10 of the music power will ever go to the tweeter section. I then set XSim to that level of power, and then examine the resistors.

If in doubt, go bigger! :) Plus, bigger resistors have less thermal noise and are more stable.

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi-way/

Best,

Erik
More to discover