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Wilson Audio Duette / Custom Crossover Upgrade

 

Stereophile review from 2012:
https://www.stereophile.com/content/wilson-audio-specialties-duette-loudspeaker

Specifications: Two-way, reflex-loaded bookshelf loudspeaker with separate crossover enclosure. 
Drive-units: 8" cone woofer, 1" silk-dome tweeter. 
Sensitivity: 90dB/W/m/kHz. (Note: Look at this spec compared to the measurements below from Danny at GR-Research)
Nominal impedance: 4 ohms. Minimum impedance: 3.96 ohms at 3.1kHz. 
Recommended amplifier power: >20W.
Dimensions: 18.4" H by 9.4" W by 13.75" D. Weight: 39 lbs.
Finish: Automotive paints in non-metallic black, Diamond Black, Dark Titanium, Desert Silver, and Argento Silver Twelve.
Price: $13,900/pair plus $1795/pair for matching stands. Approximate number of dealers: 50.
Manufacturer: Wilson Audio Specialties, 2233 Mountain Vista Lane, Provo, UT 84606. Tel: (801) 377-2233. Fax: (801) 377-2282. 
Web: www.wilsonaudio.com. 

"Overall, however, the Wilson Audio Duettes produced a sound that allowed all the music I listened to during my visit to communicate very effectively.—John Atkinson"

===================


I own a pair of Wilson Audio Duette speakers. I found a pair after hearing them at a buddy’s home, who also owns a pair of Wilson Audio Alexia. I thought they were different, cool... sounded BIG. I like 2-way speakers... why not?

Living with them... the Duette are extremely "resolving"... so much "resolution" that I found I needed to listen to them way off axis... speakers spread far apart / pointed straight ahead. With it being a 2-way with 8" woofer, it’s unique. It plays BIG, and is well made... except for the crossover, and the fact that it wants to melt my face.

So, what to do? Well, I sent one of them to Danny Richie at GR-Research. I’ve dealt with Danny before and it’s been a pleasure. One thing Danny will do is measure the speaker you send him, tell you what’s wrong with it, and design a new crossover for it - for Free. There’s no fee for that... you just buy the parts from him and you get a schematic. Fair deal, no doubt.

What Danny found with the Duette is eye opening. The reason the speaker sounds so forward is because the crossover was designed with no baffle step compensation. See the measurements below and the big variance between the low end up thru the midrange volume / highs and explains why they sound so FORWARD and IN YOUR FACE.

So, a new crossover was designed... here is how that has turned out, so far. One issue with the front baffle of the speaker is actually the foam on the front, that is meant to "help". The circular cutout for the foam (not the felt around the tweeter) is contributing to some diffraction / unevenness. I’m going to play with building up the area around the tweeter to smooth that "step" on the front baffle. I’ll measure the difference and see if it helps.

New Measurements for the crossover designed by Danny Richie:

Old Vs New Crossover Measurement

 

New Crossover Driver Response

Spectral Decay

 

Issue with the foam around the tweeter...

Another "Interesting" thing... there are 2 different umbilical cords for attaching the external Novel crossover to the Duette. The manual states the following about their use, and threatens warranty coverage if not used properly:

 

Umbilicals in Question... one for use with "Free Space" resistors and the other for use with "Near Wall" resistors. Different resistors are provided to adjust tweeter output.

So, Danny measured the 2 different umbilicals, to see whether there was a difference. Well, at least in terms of sound... there was ZERO difference.

The language in the manual and this measurement was disappointing, to be kind.

So, on to new crossovers. They are currently being built. I am going to make a custom enclosure for them as they will remain external from the Duette enclosure, like the original design. There will be significant differences in how they connect to the Duette, their orientation, etc. Here is the progress:

 

jim2
jim2 OP
165 posts
 

@grannyring

 

Thanks for the great reply. I watch all of his videos and have done so for years. I respect him and he knows his stuff. I also mod gear for myself and others for many years now. I get the fact that costs can get very high with parts.

I have worked on many speakers over the years, but not Wilson. I am sure your newly upgraded speakers will please you for many more years. Enjoy.

Thank you. This has been a fun process so far. In a sea of 5.25" to 7" woofer 2-way speakers, the likes of which I still own, I think they are a special speaker. They are different. I’m looking forward to hearing how they turn out. 👍

jim2 OP
165 posts
 

The crossovers have arrived and I just roughed them in... wires crimped together, bare 16ga solid copper wire direct to Ayre VX-5 Twenty... I am THRILLED with how they sound!!! I set them to 10 degrees off axis with my Merlin VSM tool I’ve had for 25 years and my laser light pen, as that actually showed a little smoother response in Danny’s measurements. That’s before I even start to play with the foam issue around the tweeter noted above.

The dual subs are turned off. Because of the better balance, they sound fuller, the midrange now doesn’t try to bite my head off... so lush... enough to make you wonder if it means softer detail then BAM!... still detail / magic in the treble.

I have a set of Dueland bypass caps on the way and these are just getting started!

So far, this speaker has been absolutely transformed, and it’s absolutely for the better. If you want a pair of 8" woofer laser beams that fatigue you - keep the stock crossover hooked up. If you want a fuller, balanced, lush midrange presentation that still has air, detail, and sparkle that you don’t expect to hear when combined with such midrange... DO THIS.

I am so grateful Danny worked on this for me. My buddy also ordered a pair of crossovers for his Duette and I can’t wait to get his crossovers to him in Sarasota so he can experience them "the way they oughta be"...

It’s so satisfying when something comes together like this, and they aren’t even "done". 🏁🏁🏁

james633
1,036 posts
 

Jim2,

 

very nice, 

 

it does make me wonder how these got produced with this sound profile. Seems like it was an easy enough fix from a technical standpoint. 

jim2 OP
165 posts
 

@james633

 

Jim2,

very nice,

it does make me wonder how these got produced with this sound profile. Seems like it was an easy enough fix from a technical standpoint.

This process has been a revelation, and the back and forth with Danny on it has been an absolute pleasure. It’s been a very interesting thing to share with others, even personal friends. It’s curious how people form an opinion about someone they’ve never interacted with. I suspect sometimes when Danny "gets very direct" about a speaker in one of his videos, it rubs some people the wrong way. I’ve also observed that people can be a little... "funny"... about anything critical of their own brand, speaker... whatever. I suspect Danny actually gets annoyed with some stuff that he encounters because he’s seen it time and again, and there is a lot of junk out there. Others may disagree with his approach / opinion, but I’ll tell you this... I’m listening to a pair of speakers that were very expensive, even used.

They have been transformed.

Folks can put stock in brand, marketing, reputation, what others say on the interwebs - whatever. As for me, my eyes and ears are wide open now. I’ve been looking very closely at this and I think I have a handle on what to look out for... baffle step, "ringing drivers", etc. I know enough to be dangerous, and it’s a lot more than I used to know and I think I can put a finger on what I will / won’t like. As for any Duette owner reading this... you haven’t heard your speakers, yet.

I’m going to send Danny another, very well known 2-way that I have owned a very long time. It also has issues, that I never realized. I’m looking forward to it being fixed and hearing it for the first time. That will be another story in the not too distant future.

james633
1,036 posts
 

Yeah good to hear. I have no skin in the game either way but I am a believer in measurements and I am sure the results show that with these speakers. The details can be subtle but it is important to understand those subtleties if you want to apply measurements. 
 

I do wonder if the same thing could be achieved using software like REW to adjust the frequency. I don’t know if changing parts or adding software would result is more signal transparency. 

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