RTiA9 Mod thread

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Comments

  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,754
    edited October 2011
    Well that depends - if you are able to use a larger cap, no I do not. However if you are trying to keep things internal and watch space PX bypassed by a nicer cap to me is a good choice

    I feel for the little bit of extra money the SA line is far superior, IMO.

    And for a little more than the SA the 250v ESA is a freakin steal.
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • Esreuter
    Esreuter Posts: 176
    edited October 2011
    Wait a tick,

    I was under the impression that bypass caps add artifacts to the sound and that is why we remove them when modding XO.

    interesting, i would like to learn about this.

    And hoo yes, I stumbled upon the 250v ESA caps the other day and man they are a freaking steal.

    esr:loneranger:
    AVR: Sony 5600ES
    Center: CS2II (Clarity Caps PX, Perfect Lay coil, Mundorf resistors)
    Front: Monitor 70 II (Clarity Caps PX, Perfect Lay coils, Mundorf resistors)
    Surrounds: Monitor 40 II (Clarity Caps PX, Perfect Lay coil, Mundorf resistors)
    Rear Surrounds: Monitor 40 II (Clarity Caps PX, Perfect Lay coil, Mundorf resistors)
    More to come :biggrin:
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,754
    edited October 2011
    I think if you are using the SA, ESA, MR you will not use a bypass - but I personally believe (and everyone who has gotten their mods back from me loves them) bypassing the PX with a ESA is awesome.

    Danny Ritchie for example bypasses EVERY capacitor in his crossover... Skiing Ninja also bypasses alot of his caps.
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • Esreuter
    Esreuter Posts: 176
    edited October 2011
    i am happy you said that,

    i was studying the ninja master xos and i noticed that there where bypass caps all over the place.

    yet when i saw lsi schematics, and read some photo posts about lsi xo mods there was straight cap values and no bypass.

    is there a formula to decide on the proper cap for bypass?

    esr:loneranger:
    AVR: Sony 5600ES
    Center: CS2II (Clarity Caps PX, Perfect Lay coil, Mundorf resistors)
    Front: Monitor 70 II (Clarity Caps PX, Perfect Lay coils, Mundorf resistors)
    Surrounds: Monitor 40 II (Clarity Caps PX, Perfect Lay coil, Mundorf resistors)
    Rear Surrounds: Monitor 40 II (Clarity Caps PX, Perfect Lay coil, Mundorf resistors)
    More to come :biggrin:
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  • Outfitter03
    Outfitter03 Posts: 563
    edited October 2011
    There is no firm calculation that I am aware of for the application of using a higher quality capacitor to bypass a lower quality film or electrolytic capacitor in a crossover circuit that I know of. What I have seen the most is a value that is somewhere between 1/100 and 1/10 for the bypass capacitor with the 1/100th being most common. For example a 100uf electrolytic bypassed with a 1uf film SA.
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  • Drenis
    Drenis Posts: 2,871
    edited October 2011
    JimAckley wrote: »
    It just depends on your listening height. I swapped the drivers in my LSi25s because my ears were a great deal closer to the height of the lower woofers than the upper woofers, and I felt it brought things to a better level. Give it a shot and let us know what you come up with.

    Well I finally got around to swap the drivers last night. I have to agree with you Jim, at least in the RTI-A series. I found the sound stage wasn't so high anymore. It was more focused and "in-front" of you. I only had time for a couple songs to critically listen. I'll do a more refined listening session tonight. I also moved my towers a bit to try and find its proper triangle for listening. I think I finally have them right where they should be. Center of tweets are slightly out from ear line with their toe in. 7 1/4" off back wall and 4" off side wall. Amazing I could make that work with that space but so far it sounds great. I'll follow up after tonight's long listening session. :)
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,754
    edited October 2011
    When I swapped the LSi9 driver it was a night and day difference.

    I hated the LSi9 in the stock driver arrangement, it just sounded off in my room...
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • Drenis
    Drenis Posts: 2,871
    edited October 2011
    So after another extensive listening session last night, It's a keeper. Absolutely love how the sound is now. If anything, i found some of that brightness roll off the high end. The stage is more on par now.

    Can't wait to mod xovers.
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  • gdehlers
    gdehlers Posts: 6
    edited October 2011
    well i wanted to finely give everybody my impressions on the having my rti a9 and csi a6 moddified. i have had them running for about four days now and there is no downside to moddified crossovers. they are not extremely different at moderate volumes, but i watched a movie and the best thing is the three speakers make a more seamless front stage. i watched star trek which has lot of pans from all three speakers and it was so natural going from left to center to right i was not distracted like i usually was. the center is for now the one i recommed having done. before it was so heavy sounding in the midrange that caused mens voices to be darker than a midranging female voice has and the bright "s" sound is almost not there that extra brightness caused to sound distracting on shows with lots of female leads. i listen to some two channel music what strikes me is how a9's can get more dynamic at higher volume range and i was able to not get so fatigued after an hour at high volumes. vr3mxstyler2k3 only changed the middrange and tweeter sections and left the base section alone due to what i was willing to spend and for what i see as no added benefit anyway. the middbase was to me more important than the really lows anyway
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,754
    edited October 2011
    Awesome!

    Thanks for the feedback Gary!! Modding crossovers really opens speakers up and makes them sound alot larger! So I am glad you are experiencing this!

    Thanks again for the opportunity to work on your speakers! :)
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • Drenis
    Drenis Posts: 2,871
    edited December 2011
    I was thinking of xover mods and a question arose...

    I know the A9's share the cascade array as does the LSi 15/25's... how is this affected with doing the mods? Is it affected at all or does this stay in place? I sonically don't hear how the cascade array improves the music but when the tunes are pumping and both mids are pumping, it sounds great. What if someone wanted to eliminate this? Possible? Any benefits?

    As I said... just doing some thinking...
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,754
    edited December 2011
    I would not change it - I would leave it alone. The midrange drivers still produce bass - the mids are crossed over differently though
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • BtrSound
    BtrSound Posts: 123
    edited December 2011
    Ok, I am contemplating making my own cabinets for the RTIA9. I love to woodwork, and could make a wonderful looking seaker cabinet out of exotic wood, however, I have never built anything but a car subwoofer box. Is this something as simple as making sure that the cabinet size is the same for each driver? If I am going for it should I swap out the crossover. Can you purcchase a modded crossover, or do you have to send them off to someone like Trey? What about adding an amplifier, crossover, and subwoofer to the RtiA9 (Sidefiring like the Lsi)? Is this far more effort than it is worth?
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,754
    edited December 2011
    Having built enclosures from scratch - I dont recommend it if you are just looking for a different look and they are already built solid...

    I recommend modding - you cant buy modded xovers but you cant indeed send them to me :)

    Amplification is a must
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • Tungx2
    Tungx2 Posts: 58
    edited December 2011
    So would you replace similar spec caps with sonicaps and leave the rest for clarity caps?
    Vr3MxStyler2k3 wrote: »
    "I" prefer?? lol

    Clarity Cap MR lol

    What I recommend to folks looking to get their stuff modded -

    PX, SA, ESA, MR (any of those depending on their budget) if they opt for a PX I recommend bypassing with a ESA or MR...

    For shunt use, depending on what I am using elsewhere - I may just bypass them with a ESA or replace them with a PX series or Solen
    TV.......................Samsung 46" LCD LN46A550
    A/V Receiver.........Yamaha RX-V3900
    Amplifier.............. Emotiva XPA-1 Gen 2 for fronts, XPA-3 Gen 2 for center and Surrounds.
    BluRay Player.........Sony PS3
    Fronts...................RTia9 (modded)
    Center.............. ...CSiA6 (modded)
    Surrounds.............Empty for now. But waiting for a Fxi A6 deal on polk ebay.
    Rear Surrounds.... Deciding if front presence is the way to go instead.
    Sub..................... SVS PB12-plus/2
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,754
    edited December 2011
    I like to stay with one brand for the most part. Sonicap will be on par with the SA series, your choice :)
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • BitenAgain
    BitenAgain Posts: 15
    edited December 2011
    Would I have to send the entire speaker or just the crossovers? What do you typically charge? What can I realistically expect to hear different?
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,754
    edited December 2011
    Just the crossovers

    $ amount is just what your budget is, you set the rules :)

    The gentleman these were for is EXTREMELY happy with the results so yes :)
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • BitenAgain
    BitenAgain Posts: 15
    edited December 2011
    Do you have a range and recommendation for maximum bang for the buck? How long does the process typically take? Does it help with the brightness at all?
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  • jbooker82
    jbooker82 Posts: 1,627
    edited December 2011
    BitenAgain wrote: »
    Do you have a range and recommendation for maximum bang for the buck? How long does the process typically take? Does it help with the brightness at all?

    My RTI A7's were done by Trey (Vr3). They sound great, and I would do it all over again. It does help with brightness, it is a small change and was worth it to me. The other thing you can do is get an amplifier that is known to be warm sounding.
    AVR: Onkyo Tx-NR808
    Amplifier: Carver A-753x 250 watts x 3
    Fronts: Polk RTI A7 (modded by Trey VR3)
    Center: CSI A4 (modded by Trey VR3)
    Rear: FXI A4
    Sub: Polk DSW Pro 660wi
    TV: LG Infinia 50PX950 3D
    Speaker Cable: AudioQuest Type 8
    IC: AudioQuest Black Mamba II
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  • gdehlers
    gdehlers Posts: 6
    edited December 2011
    i had my a9's done by Vr3 and it was a small change as well but the midrange is where they were really better. before they sounded like two different speakers on mono or voice only when playing the tuner commericals now they sound like one speaker when sitting in the middle of the two
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,754
    edited December 2011
    BitenAgain wrote: »
    Do you have a range and recommendation for maximum bang for the buck? How long does the process typically take? Does it help with the brightness at all?

    The folks in this thread are using my ESA, PX combo with mills or mundorf resistors and the prices vary between the speakers - you can email me at Vr3Mods@gmail.com to go further into that!

    Depending on how busy I am I can usually turn the RTiA series around in 2 weeks and I can order the parts in advance since i have lists...

    It should tame the tweeters as mentioned below! :)
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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