2. speakers
  3. 1322424090

upgrading speaker crossovers

I have a pair of PSB Stratus Gold'is and I am thinking of upgrading the crossovers, I am going to try this before I think about buying new speakers., which are in the area of $10000. The crossover in a speaker consists of 1-2.5mf 440vac film and 1- 6mf 440vac film by RC. then I have 4 100mf 100vac electrolytics. Why are the elecrolytics there, is this because of cost? I would much rather put in polys in their place, which will cost me $30.00 each. So my question is are the elecrolytics there because of cost issues if so can I change them to ploys?

My equipment consists of conrad johnson PV14l tubed preamp and a conrad johnson MF2500 amp. Both are right now at cj to be upgraded, the preamp is also getting teflon caps. I also have a pair of Mirage M1;s that I have upgraded with SI tweeters and Woofers. Must have gotten the last ones from them because now they will not even talk to you about the speaker when you call.

Anyway any advise on upgrading the crossovers would be greatly appreciated.
jchristilles

Showing 2 responses by rfogel8

rfogel8's avatar
rfogel8
192 posts
 
I agree with Timlub when it comes to haphazardly replacing coils. On the other hand, I've had good experiences swapping out cheap 16AWG coils for 12AWG ones, particularly, the foil types.
rfogel8's avatar
rfogel8
192 posts
 
The 100mf caps and most likely a large inductor, are used to cross over the 10" woofer to the midrange driver.

Manufacturers are in business, first and foremost, to make money and that's why they use electrolytics. Specific values are chosen with the intention of blending each driver into the next one, while operating those drivers within their optimal frequency range. Aside from that, to many manufacturers, parts are parts.

Upgrading to better coils, resistors and caps should give you a more refined sound and probably eliminate some grain and glare.

If you're going to keep the PSB's I'd definitely think about replacing the tweeter. That's if you can find one with similar specs and it fits the existing cut-out. Sorry, but I hate metal dome tweeters. I've yet to hear one that didn't have a bit of sizzle and hardness on top.

Also, I'd stay away from tweeters with ferrofluid, which is what you have now. It's only purpose is to provide additional protection from idiots who do dumb things like clip their amp or short their speaker cables. Manufacturers hate warranty expenses and some go overboard to avoid it. There are resistors on the tweeters that provide all the protection you need. Unfortunately, they too reduce dynamics and often impose a fine layer of grain over the music.
More to discover