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Speaker crossover mod. Your advice?

I'm considering modding the crossovers of my Focal 1027s. Specifically, I am thinking about replacing the capacitor associated with the tweeter. I have received some helpful advice from another A'gon member who has done a similar mod to his crossovers (on a different model speaker from the same manufacturer).

I would greatly appreciate any suggestions from folks who have experience with this sort of thing. In particular, what sort of improvements can be achieved with this kind of mod? Any thoughts on which caps to use? Any common mistakes I should avoid? Is the whole thing a bad idea?

Thanks for your input.

Bryon
bryoncunningham

Showing 3 responses by almarg

almarg's avatar
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
Hi Bryon,

Yes, those are undoubtedly 3.6uF and 6.8uF. FWIW, though, I would not feel comfortable introducing an 8.3% error into the nominal value of the 3.6uF cap, especially in a crossover network that is designed, as this one appears to be, to have sharp slopes.

It might prove helpful to keep in mind that using two caps in parallel, where their individual capacitances sum to 3.6, would be a way of achieving the correct value. I believe 1.8uF is a standard value.

Best regards,
-- Al
almarg's avatar
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
Do I simply place the leads from the two new caps into the same holes, so that each hole has two leads?
I would guess, especially after looking at the pictures you provided, that two leads won't fit into one hole. But if you end up having to use two caps, I think it would be reasonable to first solder their leads together such that there is a short protrusion of one of the leads beyond the point where they join, and that protrusion could then be inserted into the hole.

Best regards,
-- Al
almarg's avatar
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
Bryon, judging by the photos you linked to in your first post dated 2-12-11, it appears that the circuit connections are on a layer or layers internal to the board. Unless you can see exactly where they are by shining a light through the board, drilling holes would therefore be a no-no.

Best regards,
-- Al
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