Aragon 8008x5 with Vandersteen 2w

What kind of Voltmeter?
  FYI Harbour freight has a decent one for 23 bucks.
 Best JohnnyR

Hello everyone, I was able to borrow a WX2 from gdnrbob and do some more testing. Thanks gdnrbob! I measured the following using a Sears multi-meter. In each case my ears confirmed what the meter was telling me. All readings are using track 31 of the Vandertones after setting track 27 to the appropriate 1 volt AC reading. 


200k settings     .26 volts 
100k settings     .487 volts
50k settings      .755 volts 
33k settings      .849 volts
20k settings      1.050 volts 

Based on those readings I will buy a new or used 50K crossover. I believe the advertised impedance of 44k balanced for the Aragon 8008, is actually 44k single ended for the Aragon 8008x5.

One concern I have is if my crossover was old enough to read incorrectly, it is very possible my sub-woofer is not operating within specifications. If my sub-woofer is out of spec will it throw off the voltage readings? I will cross that bridge later.   

I will post pictures of the old crossover versus the newer one at a later date. Happy Thanksgiving!    

@jwmorris 
The WX2 I lent you was from a Vandy 2w sub from about 20 years ago (serial # 4K). 
So, if you found it stable, then something went wonky with the one you have. Perhaps Johnny or Mr. V. could provide some info?
I was going to call Johnny R and get his feelings on upgrading/checking my subs. I just got a pair of 2WQ's (about 4 yrs old), and can tell that there is a difference between the 2W and 2WQ. Whether it is due to the 'Q' or that the 2W's are so long in the tooth, I don't know, but I think taking them to Johnny for an overhaul couldn't hurt. I'll post what I find out.
I recall Mr. V telling me that if they make a 'thump' when you plug them in, then they are working. 
Bob

Hello everyone,

     I thought it might be useful to others to update this thread. Based on the readings I made earlier I ordered .039 Audionote tin foil capacitors. I soldered one capacitor per leg to the signal carrying wires of an XLR cable. That did not work. The voltage drop was wrong and the sound was too.  

     I then tried wiring the capacitors in parallel to double the capacitance (.078). To do this I used a parallel set for each leg of a balanced cable. Four capacitors made one cable. Since I already had the four capacitors, and suspected the impedance to have doubled, I thought it was a worthwhile experiment. This setup got me much closer to the desired voltage drop.  

     I then ordered Audionote tin foil .082 capacitors. I chose Audionote because they offered the closest to the capacitance I needed for a reasonable price. Success! One Audionote capacitor per signal leg gives me a .27 voltage drop. That is close enough for me. I will allow the caps to break in for a while and then decide if I need to find a higher quality cap. For now I like what I am hearing. Better highs, and more midrange impact. I believe that .080 would give me the preferred drop of .3 volts. I have not found a capacitor of that value searching on line.          

     I believe the Aragon 8008x5 has an input impedance of 50K single ended, and 100K balanced.  I made my cables using Nuetrik connectors and Canare cable.    

Thanks for all the help!

@gdnrbob Thank you again for lending me your crossover and for answering my many questions. It takes a special person to trust someone they never met.