Crossover components rolling ?

[VantheMan]

Please send me his details Stuart. Do you think he will have higher voltages for coupling caps od 1.0uF and 2.2uF ?

[Black Stuart]

I didn't think it was worth starting a new thread for this question:

The Heybrook Sextets Mk 1V uses 124.7uF - 2 x 60uF Alcaps and a 4.7uF cap for the mid. I thought I had at least 2 x 4.7uF caps but i don't.

By reducing the values to 120 uF how will this affect the mid o/put. I've always felt that the mids were a bit recessed with the Heybrooks, in fact I could reduce this further if needed.
The Tonigen tweeters have always sounded 'right' as does the bass, I would like to bring the mids more to the front - so, reduce or add capacitance?

[Phil Y]

Hello Stuart,

Guessing a bit here without the schematic. I assume that this cap is in series with the mid driver?
If so, it governs the roll off of the low end of the mid, where it meets the bass unit. If you reduce this value, you will reduce the amount of low frequency to the mid driver and so tend to make a dip in output where the mid and bass units meet.
With the stated caps you would be reducing the value by less than 5% (typical tolerance of a film cap). I doubt you would hear much difference. Assuming the 4.7uF is a film cap, my guess would be that it is there to improve sound by "bypassing" the Alcaps as much as anything.

It is difficult to know what someone else means remotely, but if you want more detail/clarity it is the top end of the mid crossover you need to look at, not the bottom.

Phil.

[Black Stuart]

Thanks Phil for the input.

The Alcaps will all be gone replaced by Audyn rough foils and K73-16s which means loads more clarity and detail, without brightness. I found the 4.7uF K73-16s so, in the light of your post I will fit these so keeping the same values for the mids.

It could be that these caps will bring about the change I seek in the mids. I've always been amazed at how much bass these speakers deliver from such small woofers.

Did you pop for the 1uF/400V K73-16 caps?

[Richard]

The (now) Vishay 1813 range of axial polyesters is good for many speakers. They have other ranges of higher voltages but the 63V is pretty much enough for many speakers. Polyester and polypropylene both sound more detailed than paper/electrolytic types but as with all things you can have too much of a good thing. If the speakers were originally voiced with less detailed caps you may find polyester give a little added detail without sounding harsh

[Black Stuart]

Richard,
The K73-16s are never harsh, just transparent. My biggest beef with the Heybrook Sextets was the slightly muffled or vague character of the mids. I'm using a combo of Audyn rough foil ( an unknown for me) and K73-16.

I've decided to keep the externalised x/over on the original board and cut out a new one for the cabinets. It's probably better that I havn't yet seen if Adtech will sell me a relatively small amount of the appropriate FEP tubing to replace the original wiring inside the speaker, as Dr John said make one change at a time, this way I'll know what the cap change has done for the sound and later how effective the wire change is.

I now use thin wall tubing for i/connects but I'm leaning toward thick wall tubing for the speakers and speaker cables.

[Black Stuart]

There is a forum member that took my advice and bought some K73-16 caps for his x/overs. After just 6 hours of listening he described in some detail what he had found and summed up that these caps made his speakers sound 'just right' an excellent description.

Just reading the overwhelming positive comments on the long thread on diyaudio should encourage others to try but that is just too hard for some - so it goes.

[bob orbell]

I did try these in my Phono III some time ago Stuart, but found no difference to the orange drops, so I refitted the orange drops and they are still there. Bob

[Black Stuart]

Incredible but then don't you have severe hearing loss?

[bob orbell]

Stuart, this was about 15 or more years ago and I think my hearing was good then, I think others have tried them and found no difference too, may be your hearing is very good . Bob