Tweeters or Capacitors First?

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  • TennMan
    TennMan Posts: 1,266
    edited February 2011
    Anyone who has followed this threads knows that my plan was to upgrade the crossovers first to bring the electronics up to specs (or maybe better) before upgrading to the RDO-194 tweeters. Yesterday morning those plans changed.

    You may also know from reading this thread that when I got my monitor 10s one of the speakers had a bad tweeter. The seller agreed to send me another sl2000 replacement. Ample time for shipping had passed and I still had not received the tweeter as of yesterday morning so I contacted the seller to see why I had not received the package. After a while I received a reply saying the tweeter had apparently been lost in shipping. The eBay seller did not have another tweeter to send me so she agreed to give me a partial refund on the purchase price to help cover the cost of a new one.

    After I received the refund I contacted Polk and ordered two RDO-194 tweeters. They were promptly shipped out yesterday and I should receive them by the end of the week (Saturday according to FedEx).

    Upgrading the tweeters was not the first step I wanted to take along the path to upgrading my monitor 10s but at least I will be starting with the easiest upgrade first and I will be able to answer the burning question in my mind of whether of not the 194s will make an improvement in the sound that I will be able to hear. Frequencies plotted on a graph say no. A lot of people who have upgraded to the 194s say yes. I look forward to hearing for myself.
    • SDA 2BTL · Sonicaps · Mills resistors · RDO-198s · New gaskets · H-nuts · Erse inductors · BH5 · Dynamat
    • Crossover upgrades by westmassguy
    • Marantz 1504 AVR (front speaker pre-outs to Adcom 555)
    • Adcom GFA-555 amp · Upgrades & speaker protection added by OldmanSRS
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  • ben62670
    ben62670 Posts: 15,969
    edited February 2011
    One upgrade fallows another. Most like the Silk dome anyways. You will not be disappointed.
    Enjoy.
    Ben
    Please. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
    Thanks
    Ben
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  • Jack A
    Jack A Posts: 77
    edited February 2011
    Saw your comments about XO upgrades for Monitoe10's.I have Monitor 10B's with sl1000
    Peerless tweeters. What would be a good XO up grade and binding post up grade.
    Thanks Jack A
    Clarajack
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  • PolkMaster1
    PolkMaster1 Posts: 847
    edited February 2011
    I have recommended Sonic Caps and Mills Resistors for a XO upgrade - best bang for the buck. I admit though that I have the SDA-SRS 1.2TLs, not anything in the Monitor series. And yes, go for the Mortite sealant and Dynamat to dampen the rings inside. These items are cheap but works well. Do NOT use any damper on the tweeters - magnets of the tweeters will not act kind to it.

    I also recommend using Blackhole 5 on the back wall of the inside of the speakers. Works well on my speakers.

    If you want binding post upgrades - I recommend Vampire BPHEX/CB. Most here like Cardas. I tried it but did not like the results.

    Good luck with your project.
    Statistics show that 98% of us will die at some point in our lifetime.

    The other 2% will work for WalMart.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,567
    edited February 2011
    And yes, go for the Mortite sealant and Dynamat to dampen the rings inside. These items are cheap but works well. Do NOT use any damper on the tweeters - magnets of the tweeters will not act kind to it.

    What rings inside? You apply Dynamat to the stamped steel baskets to stop them from ringing. As for Mortite, I see no need as long as the original gaskets are in good condition.

    There is no need to dampen the tweeters, but why do you think that adding Dynamat to them would cause the magnets to not act kindly to it?
    If you want binding post upgrades - I recommend Vampire BPHEX/CB. Most here like Cardas. I tried it but did not like the results.

    What didn't you like about the Cardas posts and which ones did you use. My experience has shown no audible difference when upgrading the posts, it's more for peace of mind.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • PolkMaster1
    PolkMaster1 Posts: 847
    edited February 2011
    F1nut wrote: »
    What rings inside? You apply Dynamat to the stamped steel baskets to stop them from ringing. As for Mortite, I see no need as long as the original gaskets are in good condition.

    Yes, gaskets is what I meant. I had done this to my gaskets.
    F1nut wrote: »
    There is no need to dampen the tweeters, but why do you think that adding Dynamat to them would cause the magnets to not act kindly to it?
    My understanding is that the magnets will heat up - the magnets play an important part to the sound of the tweeter. There is no ringing compared to the gaskets, so no need to dampen the tweeters.

    F1nut wrote: »
    What didn't you like about the Cardas posts and which ones did you use. My experience has shown no audible difference when upgrading the posts, it's more for peace of mind.

    I notice an audible difference when moving from binding post to binding post - including when I moved from the stock to Cardas to Vampire. I used the Cardas CCGR - I noticed more warmth, but highs were diminished when compared to the stock binding posts I was using. When I moved to the Vampires, everything opened up and sounded silky smooth. It is the perfect binding post on my equipment. I think of it as the red ruby of binding posts.
    Statistics show that 98% of us will die at some point in our lifetime.

    The other 2% will work for WalMart.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,567
    edited February 2011
    Yes, gaskets is what I meant. I had done this to my gaskets.

    We seem to be having a communication issue on this one.
    My understanding is that the magnets will heat up - the magnets play an important part to the sound of the tweeter. There is no ringing compared to the gaskets, so no need to dampen the tweeters.

    This really is a non-issue.
    I notice an audible difference when moving from binding post to binding post - including when I moved from the stock to Cardas to Vampire. I used the Cardas CCGR - I noticed more warmth, but highs were diminished when compared to the stock binding posts I was using. When I moved to the Vampires, everything opened up and sounded silky smooth. It is the perfect binding post on my equipment. I think of it as the red ruby of binding posts.

    I'm certainly not going to discount your experiences, but you are the first person that I'm aware of that has reported those results.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • PolkMaster1
    PolkMaster1 Posts: 847
    edited February 2011
    F1nut wrote: »
    We seem to be having a communication issue on this one.

    Grrr.. brain is not functioning. This is what happens when I am on hold on the phone while talking or posting on the forum.

    Here is what I did - I removed the flattened rubber gaskets from all the drivers and tweeters and replaced them with mortite. I placed the mortite on the innermost outside rim going into the bevel. This was done to all the drivers, tweeter and passive radiator. This has made a significant impact by adding more depth to the sound.

    The dynamat was placed on the baskets of the drivers and passive radiator to prevent basket ringing.

    Hope that clarified things.

    As for noticing differences in binding posts, I can only tell you that I heard audible differences between binding posts.

    And to think I once thought that I could not hear differences in equipment or wiring....
    Statistics show that 98% of us will die at some point in our lifetime.

    The other 2% will work for WalMart.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,567
    edited February 2011
    Ok, thanks for clarifying things.
    And to think I once thought that I could not hear differences in equipment or wiring....

    According to some twits here, that stuff is all in your head. That's why they are twits.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • Jack A
    Jack A Posts: 77
    edited February 2011
    H9, What crossover upgrade should I get for my Monitor 10b with sl 1000 tweeters?
    Also what binding post do you recommend?

    Jack A
    Clarajack
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited February 2011
    Jack A wrote: »
    H9, What crossover upgrade should I get for my Monitor 10b with sl 1000 tweeters?
    Also what binding post do you recommend?

    Jack A

    I would recommend Clarity Caps or Sonicaps. Mills wire wound non-inductive resistors and get rid of the sl1000 tweeters (sl1000 is not the same as peerless as you mentioned in another thread). IMO, it's worse than the sl2000. RD0194-1 is the new silk dome replacement.

    Binding posts.........whatever floats your boat and fits your budget. This would be the last thing I'd upgrade and then it's for peace of mind.

    I've used Vampire and Cardas and they both work equally well. I have Vampires on my SDA's and Cardas on my Pass Labs amp.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • TennMan
    TennMan Posts: 1,266
    edited February 2011
    Is the ClarityCap 12 mfd a better choice over the Daytons? They are both about the same price. The ClarityCap 12s seem to be larger. I'm thinking that would make them a little harder to mount.
    • SDA 2BTL · Sonicaps · Mills resistors · RDO-198s · New gaskets · H-nuts · Erse inductors · BH5 · Dynamat
    • Crossover upgrades by westmassguy
    • Marantz 1504 AVR (front speaker pre-outs to Adcom 555)
    • Adcom GFA-555 amp · Upgrades & speaker protection added by OldmanSRS
    • Pioneer DV-610AV DVD/CD player
    • SDA CRS+ · Hidden away in the closet
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  • Jack A
    Jack A Posts: 77
    edited February 2011
    I need help. What do I need for a crossover up grade and binding post long or short upgrade?
    Thanks,
    JackA
    Clarajack
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited February 2011
    TennMan wrote: »
    Is the ClarityCap 12 mfd a better choice over the Daytons? They are both about the same price. The ClarityCap 12s seem to be larger. I'm thinking that would make them a little harder to mount.

    I would go with the Clarity. It should fit on the x-over board, but I'd need a photo of your x-over to be sure. Some of the x-over boards are slightly different. There is always a way if you do a few mock up's first.
    Jack A wrote: »
    I need help. What do I need for a crossover up grade and binding post long or short upgrade?
    Thanks,
    JackA

    Did you read my entire 5B upgrade thread. The process is very similar with a few extra parts since you have 10B's and not 5B's. You can find the schematic here on the board.

    This is not an insult, but if you can't follow a simple schematic or follow my 5B thread, this type of DIY might not be for you. It is simple to do but care must be taken. It's alright, if you've never done any soldering, etc. it may not be your cup of tea.

    The most difficult part of changing the binding posts is getting rid of the ungodly amount of hot glue they poured in the terminal cup w/out damaging anything.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • Jack A
    Jack A Posts: 77
    edited February 2011
    Hi, Do you know what I would need to up grade my crossovers in Monitor 10b speakers with SL1000 tweeters plus new binding posts?
    Thanks,Jack A
    Clarajack
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  • TennMan
    TennMan Posts: 1,266
    edited February 2011
    Thanks H9
    • SDA 2BTL · Sonicaps · Mills resistors · RDO-198s · New gaskets · H-nuts · Erse inductors · BH5 · Dynamat
    • Crossover upgrades by westmassguy
    • Marantz 1504 AVR (front speaker pre-outs to Adcom 555)
    • Adcom GFA-555 amp · Upgrades & speaker protection added by OldmanSRS
    • Pioneer DV-610AV DVD/CD player
    • SDA CRS+ · Hidden away in the closet
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter