+1 @erik_squires great summation on preserving high quality speakers!
B&W 802 D2 Capacitors Worth Upgrading?
After just getting a pair of 802D2’s in mint condition, after having to replace a blown tweeter, and succeeding (I know not a big deal), I started wondering about replacing the crossovers. The speakers could be up to 12 years old so the capacitors in the crossovers should have another 12 years of life before they go out of spec. I thought of just replacing the crossovers with new ones available on B&W’s site, now, just to reset the ~25y clock on the capacitor’s lifespan. But then I watched a few YouTube’s of guys upgrading to crazy high-end caps. Supposedly doing this can improve the speed or reduce the latency of the crossover.
I’ve not dug into this yet, but just wondering if anyone has any experience with this? Questions:
-Is this worth doing?
-Why type of capacitors do I need? And which brand/models are “the best”.
-Where do I get them?
-Any special tips when soldering for HiFi? I know how to solder but have zero experience soldering for HiFi and wondering if I should be using a certain type of solder for Audiophile applications. What am I thinking, of course there is such a thing as Audiophile solder, and it forms micro ultra low capacitance conductors, applies power correction and noise cancelation, improves the dialectics and it costs $5,000 a spool…. Ok got carried away there.
Also thinking about upgrading the internal crap wiring to something high end.
Thoughts, from anyone with experience doing these things?
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Here are a couple of novice tips from another novice. Capacitors have a direction, in/out. They have a label on them to tell you what end. goes where. If you install them in the wrong direction they may blow up. I had a friend had one go off in his face. That’s when he quit electronics. Do not use flux!!!! Buy a quality iron that gets hot enough. It needs to be hot so that it will melt the solder on the board without getting the capacitor and surrounding components overheated. Bent
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Speaker capacitors are non-polarized, and using a polarized cap in a crossover is a Very Bad Thing. The best speaker caps are Metallized Polypropylene (MPP) because of their lower losses and self-healing capabilities. All Polypropylene (APP) caps have longer life but higher losses and are typically found in power supply use. Non-polarized Electrolytic capacitors are less expensive, but dry out and drift off value with age. Those are found in less expensive speakers. Newer NPE designs have improved a lot over what you'd find in a 40 year-old Advent. Back in the day, upgrading the high pass or piggybacking the low-pass caps in Advents was a common tweak with noticeable refinements in the midrange and high-end. |
Yes, thanks @erik_squires and all for all the purely informative feedback. Despite the inevitable few who sour the tone, I’ve always found Audiogon to be a place to exchange information and experiences. While I have great relationships with sales staff at my local dealers, I find I rarely get good good info from them. And sometimes their advice is downright terrible! I always find that once I sense there is a consensus on these boards, it’s usually worth paying attention. I never would have thought to audition the Diablo 300 amp, if not for these boards, and I absolutely love my amp! I try to do my best to share my experiences as well.
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I have a pair of 30 year old Klipsch Forte speakers. I put all new caps in the crossovers and it woke them up. Nothing fancy just new manufacture name brand caps. So I think there is benefit in replacing caps that old but to the OP I don't think your speakers are old enough to warrant replacing the caps. |
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