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Wakefield Turntables
29-09-2011, 20:31
i decided i would give these speakers another try as in previous posts I stated that couldn't get on with them. Well today I finished with some tweeks mainly

1. Complete rewire - silver wire + teflon coating
2. Installed new silver plated binding posts
3. Rotated all the drivers in case of any sag
4. Increased dampening with all internal sides of speaker with 3mm sorbothane
5. Mounted cross over on sorbothane bed
6. Replaced all old foam and included more where i could cram it in.

OMG! :eek: I will never slate this speaker again, Marco I owe you an apology. I'm listening to some dream theater at the moment through my valve amp and they sound bloody great. The difference is truly night and day. If the 15's sound this good then the 44's and 66's must sound truly great, especially for a speaker approaching 40 years old!

tommy6206
29-09-2011, 21:26
shhh keep it secret .ive got the 15xr's and 44's = heaven :trust:

Marco
29-09-2011, 21:40
Lol - nice one, Andrew... It's always good when you get a result like that, and on your birthday, too! :)

We'll have to compare our 15XRs sometime, as mine are totally stock, so the differences will be interesting. And yes, the 66s ROCK!! :hairmetal: :hairmetal:

Marco.

SquireC
30-09-2011, 16:00
I have a pair of 15's ( not XR's) if anyone wants a pair to play with.:rolleyes:

Wakefield Turntables
30-09-2011, 17:02
What do you want doing to them? I would advise leaving your cross over alone but all the other mods I listed are worthwhile doing. Incidently I forgot to mention that I soldered the silver wire direct to the PCB and so getting rid of the connector that celestion used. One less component in the path of the signal. :eyebrows:

Rare Bird
30-09-2011, 19:30
What do you want doing to them? I would advise leaving your cross over alone but all the other mods I listed are worthwhile doing.

I disagree. those caps need changing. I recommend Ansars

Wakefield Turntables
30-09-2011, 19:36
Can you expand?? Which ones did you use, and what values did you try?? I have a pair to do for a friend, he loves tweeks but isn't too handy with the old soldering iron. I've done a little delving would a lcr polypropylene 4.7uf capacitor be a suitable replacement??

SquireC
03-10-2011, 17:10
What do you want doing to them? I would advise leaving your cross over alone but all the other mods I listed are worthwhile doing. Incidently I forgot to mention that I soldered the silver wire direct to the PCB and so getting rid of the connector that celestion used. One less component in the path of the signal. :eyebrows:

Me? I don't want anything doing to them - I don't use them anymore. If someone wants them ........ :)

Wakefield Turntables
03-10-2011, 18:40
Are you selling them if so send me a PM.

Reid Malenfant
03-10-2011, 18:53
Can you expand?? Which ones did you use, and what values did you try?? I have a pair to do for a friend, he loves tweeks but isn't too handy with the old soldering iron. I've done a little delving would a lcr polypropylene 4.7uf capacitor be a suitable replacement??
Make sure you change any capacitor that is feeding the tweeter & any that are in parallel to it to. The capacitors in the bass side don't matter as much but again you'll get a slight improvement sound wise, just not as much as on the tweeter side ;)

Polypropylene caps are fine & good VFM unless going for something more exotic like Teflon. Simply make sure you replace the caps in the crossover with ones of the same value! If you can fit higher voltage versions even better as there will be less losses :)

Oh, by the way, i agree with Marco - the 66s are fantastic :eyebrows:

Wakefield Turntables
03-10-2011, 19:21
Make sure you change any capacitor that is feeding the tweeter & any that are in parallel to it to. The capacitors in the bass side don't matter as much but again you'll get a slight improvement sound wise, just not as much as on the tweeter side ;)

Polypropylene caps are fine & good VFM unless going for something more exotic like Teflon. Simply make sure you replace the caps in the crossover with ones of the same value! If you can fit higher voltage versions even better as there will be less losses :)

Oh, by the way, i agree with Marco - the 66s are fantastic :eyebrows:

Thanks, I have some 4.7uf caps being sent to me (thanks Andre :cool:). Replacing the caps wont be difficult on this x-o as there is only one! I have noticed that there is also a bi-amping mod to this crossover, has anyone seen it and would it be easy to do? Finally, would this x-o benefit from the components being seperated hard-wired onto a new bread board???

Guys, many many thanks. :cool:

Reid Malenfant
03-10-2011, 19:24
One good way of getting better sound quality would be to remove the crossover from the enclosure :eyebrows: They get shaken about which considering capacitors are microphonic is not ideal ;)

Rare Bird
03-10-2011, 20:06
Wouldnt worry too much Mark he has the board bedded on sorbothane. Small board consisting of two Inductors (each strapped down with cable ties) & a single Capacitor

Rare Bird
10-10-2011, 19:41
Thanks, I have some 4.7uf caps being sent to me. Replacing the caps wont be difficult on this x-o as there is only one!

Go on then whats the outcome? you can't be that impressed if the XP3 are of more intrest :)

Wakefield Turntables
11-10-2011, 19:13
Go on then whats the outcome? you can't be that impressed if the XP3 are of more intrest :)


Blimey! Well the XP3's were an impulse purchase i was fishing around seventy copies of the sound of music in the scope store and low and behold I see the XP3's. Well they felt heavy, looked old and all the drivers were in one piece, they cost £15 so I thought what the hell. It's a bit difficult to say exactly how the new caps have worked on the 15XR's because I did a whole raft of mods in the same evening! But I shall try and explain. Previously things sounded veiled, base sounded wooly and vocals rather tinny. Now things sound crisp, vocals more intimate, bass has firmed up, i can see into a recording more. i would not believe the difference rebuilding and re-wiring would make. This is not a saying i use often but things are night and day. I'm probably going to cobble together some speaker stands from scraps of wood in the garage. Currently the 15's are sitting on the floor whilst I'm listening to them. This is not the best place for them so I presume once height and positioning has been finalised things should sound even better still.