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"Parts upgrade" on crossovers -Any experiences?

I remeber upgrading the crossovers of a pair of B&W DM12's with esoteric resistors, caps and wiring (about 10 years ago). In the end I got a different speaker. The bottom end seemed improved and the highs were more delicate and smoother, but the midrange had lost some of the magic. I could not deal with the decreased midrange quality so I re-soldered most of the parts back to the crossovers but left the upgraded wire (the wire in there looked like tined copper and was tied with a Molex connector to the board!). I changed the parts since I felt that early 80's speakers could only benefit from higher quality parts and was worried that the cap values might be out of spec. I am currently using a pair of KEF 101 and I've been thinking about upgrading crossovers with Solen Caps, maybe some Caddok Resistors and Cardas or Kimber wire. The KEFs sound great but if I can get more out of them, I might give it a try. Anyone do similar upgrades with an increase in ALL aspects of your speakers performance...or have BAD results...or find the end result a mixed bag of better here, but worse there (like me)? Also, any input on what parts / brands to use and which not to use? Are Solen caps good choices (or are there others that work much better for this application)? Resisters Brands?
I am purposely leavig out the issue of active crossovers (don't want to find 4 identical monoblocks to run my speakers).
one_audiophile
sean
6,231 posts
 
Pelv: Is this Elvis P in disguise ??? : )

Long fiber wool is the best for internal damping followed by fiberglass with everything else a distant third. Altering the quantity and density of damping material will alter tonal balance and attack characteristics. Increased quantity / density will enhance low frequency extension with a decrease in mid-bass output while a reduction will increase mid-bass output at the expense of low frequency extension. One can fine-tune the quantity to adjust for room acoustics and / or personal tastes.

As far as using modeling clay, i would be afraid of vibrating it off of the baskets over time. Sounds like a "quick & dirty" approach that may be worth checking out though. After all, if you've gotten ten years out of the clay with nary a problem, it sounds like it could offer the best of both worlds i.e. extreme mass with complete reversibility with minimal mess during application.

Capaudio: Reliable sources tell me that Audience Auricaps have been bettered by Moncrieff's latest caps, the "TRT Dynamicap's". The Audience caps are supposedly VERY good though.

For those interested in such things, a phenomenally well put together source for finding specific types / brands of caps was put together and can be found here on the Faradnet website that is free of charge. One can look up caps by dielectric material, manufacturer, etc... Very handy website if looking for "tweaky" caps, etc... Sean
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shasta
155 posts
 
For stamped woofer baskets, I'm using Ace Hardware p/n 1000355, "Paper Tak". Great adhesion and density.
bigtee
803 posts
 
The TRT Dynamicaps are very, very sensitive to heat. Too much and you change the sound(actually not all that much heat) Also, it is very easy to break the soldered leads of the caps. I have resorted to heat sinking the caps leads so as not to damage them.
As for which is better, the Dynamicap or the Auricap, I find I personally like the sound of the Auricap. In filter use, it seems to impart nothing to the sound as the Dynamicap seems to add a minute touch of grain IMO. I also feel the Auricap is a little better built in absolute terms.
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