1, 2 , 3 , 4, etc of speaker mod / upgrade


I have a great pair of speakers - 20 years old - top of the line, I want to upgrade. Someone told me to upgrade them in steps rather than an all out upgrade and assess after each step the improvement. I guess, sometimes it does not work out and you have to go back. Which are the steps in order. These are my thoughts
1. Binding posts - Brand recommendation?
2. Internal wiring - Brand recommendation?
3. Speaker cloth over drivers - Brand recommendation?
4. Crossover capacitors - Brand recommendation?
5. Crossover coils - Brand recommendation?
Thanks in advance for responding
dcaudio
1 Cardas copper-non plated
2 22ga on tweeter (silver)
20-22ga mids copper or silver
18ga copper/woofer or the Omega Mikro ribbon-raw w/sleeve.Use all solid core.
3 Parts-express.com
4 V-caps or MIT RTX w/bypass
5 silver ribbon air-core (Michael percy)
Not everybody is as in love with silver as you may be. It has its strengths and weaknesses, as does copper. I would guess it all depends on what aspects of the speaker you are trying to improve.

I would also think you should change out, upgrade or bypass the caps first, as that will make the biggest difference overall. Then you can adjust the other things if you still feel you need to. My first recommendation is to just bypass the existing tweeter caps with .1uF teflons of your choice, give them 200 hours of break in and then see if you need to do anything else. Then look to upgrade the other basic caps in the rest of the crossover if you feel inclined.

Yes, they make that much of a difference.

Enjoy,
Bob
Good info above. Keep in mind that some of these changes will produce strange effects at first(especially the caps). Many people will dispute the truth of "burn-in" for components and wire. To those that can hear it: No explanation is necessary. For those that can't: No explanation is possible. If you bypass: Don't exceed 1% of the value of the cap you're bypassing.
if your speakers are classics and it great condition keep them stock...tweek elsewhere.
#4 and #5 make the biggest difference.

For my speakers it used Hovland, (but If I do it again nowadays it could be a different brand)

For coil I used alpha core copper foil.

these things get very $$$ these days.
1) Have the drivers rebuilt. After 20 years, the suspension of the drivers can often have stiffened considerably and the copper or aluminum of the voice coil may have corroded and lost a significant amount of conductivity it once had.

Find a reputable shop like Bill Legall at Millersound who can do the work, at a surprisingly low cost. Drivers are where the rubber meets the road, like the tires on an automobile. Though most overlook them, the results can often be quite surprising

2) Crossover resistors. Even the best resistors sound pretty bad, so spend a few (literally, only a few) dollars here buying the best.

There are a lot of opinions here, including those held by supposed speaker gurus. In my experience, silicone coated wirewound resistors are the least bad sounding of the lot.

Even better for those who can get away with it, consider removing the resistors altogether. This impacts the crossover parameters, however

3) Crossover capacitors. More detail, clarity, and air, though many "better" capacitors sometimes leach musicality and can impart a bright or even bleached out sounding presentation

4) Crossover inductors. Better copper smooths out the presentation, while larger AWG yields lower DCR (DC resistance) can substantially improve dynamics

However, one should be VERY careful in making sure you don't stray much from the DC resistance of the inductors you are currently using, as simply switching from copper to silver or going to a larger AWG will. Throwing off these values shifts the parameters of the crossover, and unless one is OK with reengineering the crossover values, I'd advise staying away from this type of change

5) Binding posts. Edison-Price and Cardas unplated copper are the best
Thanks everyone. The speakers are in excellent condition. I would not consider this project if they were not. It is a large European speaker 4ft tall by 1 ft by 2 ft.
Uses KEF B139 in bass; KEF B100 for low mid; Isophone dome for mid upper and Audax for tweeter.
Speakers have been owned by me for 24 years. Max 2,000 hours. Sound amazing still.
There is no reconing, rot, etc as I can see - spell or hear.
Does this change the priorities?
Take a look at humblehomemadehifi dot com. Tony Gee is the site owner and speaker design. He has a lengthy review on various capacitors. You may find this useful.
I built a pair of LS3/5A's back in 1980, using the KEF drivers(I'm guessing you meant B110), Marshall's orginal crossover design and then a pair of actively bi-amped subs(loaded with the B139's). The reason I mention this: The drivers are excellent, but can use Mortite or Plumber's Putty(sticky and pliable) on the stamped steel frames to tame their resonances. Michael Percy Audio also sells materials to damp the inside of the cabinet's walls(without changing the volume).