upgrading caps -- easy to do?

Aerius i uses Solens caps... you guys still think this might be worth upgrading?

I upgraded the caps in my areius a couple of years ago. I talked to a tech at martin logan and he gave me the values of the inductors and said replacing the caps would be a great idea because they could not use premium componets at that price point. All the caps were non-polar electolytics except for a 10mfd bypass on the electrostatic element. I would start by upgrading this cap. The total capac. is in the 30-35 mfd range so it isn't cheap to replace with a premium cap but the electrostatic is where you will get the most benefit. The ones on the woofer section are very large so I used solens there for cost effectiveness. If you have any questions, e-mail me

I just upgraded the crossover in my Kappa 9's. I replaced the caps and resistors with better quality ones. I left the inductors alone. The result is they sound a whole lot better than they use to. Well worth the effort. My advice to you is get yourself a soldering iron, solder, flux, de-soldering wick and some old junk circuit boards and learn how to solder and de-solder first before you mess with the crossovers. If you are going to do this, you might as well know what you're doing.
Soldering Tutorial http://www.audiodiycentral.com/nt_soldering.shtml

After you are confident in your soldering skills, then try your hand on upgrading your crossovers. A schematic would be helpful. If you need ideas as to what caps and resistors to use, talk to Jeff at www.sonicraft.com He is a cap expert and knows what he is talking about. The results in upgrading a speaker crossover can be very positive if you do it right.

sounds like i should start with rewiring...

Do yourself a big favor and call Jeff at www.soniccraft.com. This man knows his caps. He will walk you through the upgrade process and save you some $$$ in the end.

Dennis: I am not convinced that this will be such an easy project. Recently, I recapped an old integrated amplifier. I only replaced the power supply caps. The old caps will be very difficult to remove from the circuit boards, and will be slightly less difficult to replace. Also, the capacitors will be difficult to find. I spent HOURS looking for capacitors. I found a company called Mouser Electronics. Obviously there are companies that sell Black Gate caps as well. Personally, I would not undertake this project, being a fellow novice. If you do, I would strongly suggest buying a desoldering tool and a good soldering tool.

Thanks to all. What should I look for when purchasing the caps?

Do I need any schematics from Martin Logan? What is a good source to buy the soldering iron, solder, caps, etc?

Dear Dennis,

***I love my pair of ML Aerius i, and would like to get the most out of them. I have never done any DIY project, but believe that upgrading the caps in the crossover would yield significant improvements.***

You are correct, upgrading the caps will provide positive effects.

***Is this something I could do, with no experience? Could I also do the same with the internal wire?***

You bet, take your time with your cap selections and rewire piece by piece and you are going to be fine.

***What would I need to complete the project?***

Soldering iron, don't skimp on the solder quality (we favor Cardas as it is fantastic and very easy to work with), time and most important... funds. It will be a very rewarding experience. Dan

Rewiring is less complicated,I did rewire mine with
a little help from a friend.But use good wire.I used
siltech with my ML Quest.The result will satisfy you.
I have not try cap upgrade.

The main thing you need to do this project is some money. Oh, and a soldering iron and solder.

Audiophile grade capacitors and inductors for the typical two-way speaker will set you back about $200 per speaker. The most difficult part of the job is figuring out a good place to locate the new components, which will be a lot bigger than the originals.