Crossover DIY

[Sceptic21]

I have just bought a pair of Tannoy Mercury V1. I want to try to modify the filter by replacing the components with better ones. The crossover is a 4th order Linkwitz Riley and the crossover frequency is 3,2Khz. I have bought all my parts for reconstructing the filter. What I need help for is to draw up a "wiring diagram" so that I can sold the filter together. When I look at the actual filter, it is nothing there I understand or can reconstruct. Can somebody help me? I can specify the values that I have gathered so that someone maybe can draw the diagram? Or I maybe can take pictures of the filter?

 

[sdifox]

What are you trying to do? Replace old parts of an existing crossover or build a new one? If the former, just replace one part at the time. The latter is much trickier.

What makes you think you can improve the sound when you don't even know what you are doing?

 

[NutBucket]

Tuning a crossover is one part engineering and one part art. Based on your post I agree with sdifox, you're way out of your league.

 

[ArJuN]

If you're going forth with it, I'd check out the parts express forums. They are better suited to answer your questions and already have a wealth of information.

 

[ericlp]

best to upgrade the caps... clean up the soldering connections and replace the wires/binding posts if needed ... Probably sound a lot better. If you don't know how to solder there are places that can do the upgrade for you. I'd go to AVS or Audio circles and see if they have a speaker forum. If those speakers were in high demand chances are a group of people already figured out the best way to "Upgrade" the speakers to perform better. One thing also you can try is adding foam or stuffing to the boxes and braces if they are poorly made.

Personally I run speaker wire directly to the crossover or driver (full range). I find it improves the sound. I just run a few extra feet of speaker cable and should the cable get damaged on the amp side or copper start getting green in a year or so, I just cut off the end and strip for a shiny new ends.

 

[NutBucket]

Uh-oh. Here we go again with audio-grade caps.

 

[Fallen Kell]

Uh-oh. Here we go again with audio-grade caps.

As much as I agree with you on that statement, there is a lot to disagree with as well. The electronics are something that a lot of places will cut corners on to save a couple bucks and better compete in/on the market. Getting caps that have much higher tolerances on their performance can many times be a true upgrade when the crossover circuit was designed to use one specific capacitor/resistor/inductor and one of a lesser quality was substituted to save a couple bucks.

It all depends on the crossover circuit as to what was originally designed for, i.e. wire-wound resistors will also have levels of capacitance and inductance in them as well, and again, if the crossover was designed with that in mind, you need to replace with parts which will have the same properties. However, sometimes the crossover has a bad design to begin with or parts were substituted at the manufacturer, etc., due to supply channel issues or cost issues, but the crossover design was not updated to reflect the change in some parts, which in turn alters the frequency ranges that the different drivers receive.

I think I have to agree with many of the other posters here and say you are in over your head if you are asking the question you are asking and will wind up with something probably worse off than what you currently have.

 

[NutBucket]

Perhaps, but I still challenge you to objectively tell me one type of cap sounds differently that another. All else equal, you might be able to measure some difference with test equipment but I doubt it. Generally, caps are caps unless they malfunctioning.