Martinh
09-07-2012, 12:55
As DSJR said in a recent post about my Neat Motive 2s:
" MODERN Naim amps lack the harshness of the old CB models and the bass on most is very good - powerful, punchy and "tuneful," whatever you take that to mean. The mid at lower levels is very good too, but the treble, in comparison with the brand's peers, can sound rather flat, "grey" and grainy, for want of a better word. This I reckon, is one reason why the recommended Neats and Kudos speakers have a toppy balance in an attempt to match..."
Of course he was right and the Exposure/Neat combo in my room could sound a bit toppy indeed with certain material ;)
Rather than spend £££s on cables/new amp/speakers iI thought I'd do some research into tweaking the crossovers to give me a subtle adjustment to the tonal balance.
I found this excellent article here on DIY audio and this gave me all the info i needed to make my frst tweak, which was to reduce the tweeter output a bit.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi-way/189847-introduction-designing-crossovers-without-measurement.html
Opening up the speaker cabinet revealed that the crossover wiring is slightly different to the text book. Its minimalist indeed with a 1st order filter on the bass driver and 2nd order on the tweeter. The tweeter is inversely connected too.
The series resistor that I needed to adjust was in fact in the 0V leg, not the +ve.
Adding a 3.9 ohm 7W resistor has made a very useful reduction in the tweeter output, without changing the overall dynamic and fast sound. It just sounds a little bit more balanced in my room.
Below is the before and after traces, measured on my iPad at my lug hole position in the sofa. The red is before the tweak and the yellow is the after:
http://www.chelsea-bathrooms.co.uk/trace.jpg
The mic used is not calibrated, so the trace may not be 100% accurate, but its good enough to make a before and after comparison.
And the cost? £1.40 for 2 resistors from Maplin.
Any comments chaps?
Cheers,
" MODERN Naim amps lack the harshness of the old CB models and the bass on most is very good - powerful, punchy and "tuneful," whatever you take that to mean. The mid at lower levels is very good too, but the treble, in comparison with the brand's peers, can sound rather flat, "grey" and grainy, for want of a better word. This I reckon, is one reason why the recommended Neats and Kudos speakers have a toppy balance in an attempt to match..."
Of course he was right and the Exposure/Neat combo in my room could sound a bit toppy indeed with certain material ;)
Rather than spend £££s on cables/new amp/speakers iI thought I'd do some research into tweaking the crossovers to give me a subtle adjustment to the tonal balance.
I found this excellent article here on DIY audio and this gave me all the info i needed to make my frst tweak, which was to reduce the tweeter output a bit.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi-way/189847-introduction-designing-crossovers-without-measurement.html
Opening up the speaker cabinet revealed that the crossover wiring is slightly different to the text book. Its minimalist indeed with a 1st order filter on the bass driver and 2nd order on the tweeter. The tweeter is inversely connected too.
The series resistor that I needed to adjust was in fact in the 0V leg, not the +ve.
Adding a 3.9 ohm 7W resistor has made a very useful reduction in the tweeter output, without changing the overall dynamic and fast sound. It just sounds a little bit more balanced in my room.
Below is the before and after traces, measured on my iPad at my lug hole position in the sofa. The red is before the tweak and the yellow is the after:
http://www.chelsea-bathrooms.co.uk/trace.jpg
The mic used is not calibrated, so the trace may not be 100% accurate, but its good enough to make a before and after comparison.
And the cost? £1.40 for 2 resistors from Maplin.
Any comments chaps?
Cheers,