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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?
 


 

 

 

 

nyev
bossybilbo
2 posts
 

Absolutely @erik_squires. I love these speakers and in a way they have become a part of our home decor as well as the hifi system. As such if there's a way to improve the sound by say "50%" but at a reasonable cost (meaning less than 25% of a new speaker) then it seems worth trying!

I'm a computer engineer by trade - after some careful consideration I've decided that I am going to attempt a DIY active crossover 2/8 setup with some reasonably priced class D amps. This will be closer to my background and allow for quick prototyping iterations. I plan to keep the drivers as is and remove all wiring harnesses and crossovers outright and fabricating my own - this will allow for easy restoration to OEM condition if/when I choose. I don't mean to derail the discussion but I came across that writeup along the way and thought cross posting here would be useful!

erik_squires
16,293 posts
 

@bossybilbo

 

I love these speakers and in a way they have become a part of our home decor as well as the hifi system.

Welp, it sounds like you love the look but not the sound.  That's fine!! But it won't sound at all the same. It will sound much more neutral and laid back. 

I want to suggest you take future discussions over to DIYaudio where you'll get a lot of input from builders. 

I think you are taking a better approach than a cap replacement.  I'm going to write this up in detail in my blog, but looking at the original driver measurements I immediately thought of a DSP solution as being much easier than a passive crossover.  The mid and tweeter need a lot of EQ and that's why the author has to add so many more parts.

Tips:

  • Consider a Hypex 3 channel DSP powered plate amp, perhaps in a custom box.  They have more than enough power. 
  • It may be best to measure the speaker on mid-range axis.
  • Always fix driver issues before setting high/low pass filters
  • If you really want to stick to a 2-way amp per speaker, a hybrid approach using a passive woofer to midrange crossover. The woofer is probably the best behaved of all the drivers so needs least amount of parts.
erik_squires
16,293 posts
 

@bossybilbo 

I found the Stereophile review, which thankfully was not written by JA.  The last page has a great description of the sound the B&W has stock, vs. the Revel Ultimas, which are in fact quite neutral.

It's worth reading as a guide to understand how the sound could change for you.

erik_squires
16,293 posts
 

@bossybilbo I wrote a blog post which was inspired by this discussion I think you'd find interesting.

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