Caps and resistors.

heiney9

Thanks to Las I have an extra pair of Monitor 5B x-overs on the way. I figured it would be easier to swap out another set of caps and resistors in 2nd x-over than to tear into the current set with Solens.

This time I'm looking at Madisound as they are just across the border and perhaps shipping will be less, plus I want to use them as I already know PE is excellent.

I see Madisound now carries Mundorf wire wound non-inductive resistors and I just can't resist trying them out. Anybody used them? Have any details?

Not sure what caps I'm going to use. I don't mind spending a little bit more than the what I paid for the Solens, but I don't want to go crazy here. I see they have the Jantzen caps and Bennic caps. I'm just wanting to experiment with a different cap and see for myself if the Solens are as harsh as people say.

I may go with another higher end cap for the tweeter and keep the Solens in the low pass. That might be the most cost effective.

I also just won a pair of LSi 7's on ebay and I may mess around with the x-overs in those. Didn't Doro or someone say there is almost no room on the PC board in the LSi's for mods or was that just the LSi 15 with it's side firing woofer?

Anyways discuss please.

H9

heiney9

No bite, eh!

I'm thinking Clarity Caps SA line along with Mundorf wire wound non-inductive resistors for the tweeter circuit.

Probably will either go with the Solens for the bass circuit or perhaps the Clarity Cap PX line.

Or I may go with Clarity Caps PX line for the high end and Solens for the low end.

Finding the exact or close specification is tough.

P.s. The above is for my Monitor 5b's.

For the LSi &'s I was thinking Clarity Cap SA line for the tweets as well as Mundorf resistors. For the bass (which uses electrolytic) I was thinking Clarity PX line.

In the Lsi's they already use poly/film caps in the tweeter circuit. Will metal/film really improve them that much?

Jake, Ben, Jesse, GV27 help me out here.

H9

Ricardo

Why not try Sonicaps? I am ready to do the Xovers of my CRS+ and that's what I think I'll use....though I'am open to suggestions if someone has a better (proven) option.

Systems

I can't help much as I have only used Solens in my projects except for the odd electrolyic which I used in non critical places.( like impedance equalization on woofers etc). I have been completely satisfied with the results therefore havent felt the urge to try some of the more "exotic''types, not to say they wouldn't be an improvement.I use active crossovers now so I only have one cap(47uf Solen) in series with the tweeter to block DC.

jon s

The humble homemade cap comparison reported that the Clarity Caps SA performed better than the Sonicaps at a cheaper price... would be nice to see how that turns out...

It did note that the Clarity capos rolled off the high end a bit but imaged well...

Face

heiney9 wrote: »

In the Lsi's they already use poly/film caps in the tweeter circuit. Will metal/film really improve them that much?

The LSi's tweeter caps look exactly like the caps I pulled out of one of my newer pairs of Tannoy's. If my suspicions are correct, you will see a improvement going with Dayton(Bennic) or better. I noticed more detail and crisper highs with Dayton 1%'s of the same value. In another pair with the same tweeter, I upgraded the caps to Sonic Cap Gen I's. Again, there was a improvement in detail, but they were warmer than the stock caps and much warmer than the Daytons.

As for your 5B's, what tweeters will you be using? You know you can use the RD0-198's? Since the M5 and M7 crossovers are mostly identical, I plan on discarding of my SL1000's and installing 198's in my Monitor 7C's. Here's the schematic. http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=18767&d=1155784608

heiney9

Ricardo wrote: »

Why not try Sonicaps? I am ready to do the Xovers of my CRS+ and that's what I think I'll use....though I'am open to suggestions if someone has a better (proven) option.

Part of the reason for not using Sonicaps in the Monitor 5b's is simply cost. I have about $175 in them already with the Solens and RD0's plus the cost to purchase them. I'm partly looking for an inexpensive alt to Solens and wanting to hear if there is a difference for myself. Everyone seems to be agreeing that Solens are a tad stirdent, and forward.

As far as the LSi 7's go, Sonicaps are certainly doable but I already have them in my 1C's and I may try something different. One thing for sure; Sonicaps have a proven track record.

On the Humble Homeade Hi Fi site F1 pointed to awhile back showed the Clarity caps very highly rated. Of course it's someones subjective opinion, but I may just try them to be different.

H9

heiney9

Face wrote: »

The LSi's tweeter caps look exactly like the caps I pulled out of one of my newer pairs of Tannoy's. If my suspicions are correct, you will see a improvement going with Dayton(Bennic) or better. I noticed more detail and crisper highs with Dayton 1%'s of the same value. In another pair with the same tweeter, I upgraded the caps to Sonic Cap Gen I's. Again, there was a improvement in detail, but they were warmer than the stock caps and much warmer than the Daytons.

As for your 5B's, what tweeters will you be using? You know you can use the RD0-198's? Since the M5 and M7 crossovers are mostly identical, I plan on discarding of my SL1000's and installing 198's in my Monitor 7C's. Here's the schematic. http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=18767&d=1155784608

I already have the RD0194-1 installed for about the last year or so. I also redid the stock x-over with Solens and Mills at the same time. Some people feel the Solens in the high freq circuit are a bit forward and a tad grainy. I thought I'd do some experimenting myself with another reasonably priced cap. So far the Clarity Cap seems to be the best bang for the buck. The Bennic that Madisound sells are the cheaper variety.

I can practically drive to Madisound form where I live. I've ordered from Parts Express several times and they are top notch so I thouhgt I'd try someone a little closer to home (Madisound). Plus they now carry the Mundorf wire wound non-inductive resistors I've been wanting to try.

The LSi's I'll have to do a little more research. I got them cheap because the cabinets have some scuffs and scratches. I have a feeling they might not work as well as they should, even though the seller assured me there were no issues. So I may have to rebuild/repair the x-over anyways.

H9

Face

I found Solens much more forward than Sonic Caps. In my 7C's, they're deafening with the SL1000's. I wouldn't use them in a high pass circuit again.

heiney9

Face wrote: »

I found Solens much more forward than Sonic Caps. In my 7C's, they're deafening with the SL1000's. I wouldn't use them in a high pass circuit again.

A good portion of that is because of the sl1000. When I first put the Solens in my 5b's and let them break in with the sl2000, they were downright unlistenable. After installing the RD0194-1 they are so much better, but I think they can be better yet. They aren't grainy or strident, but quite a bit more forward than I like or than the LSi's or my 1C's with Sonicaps. The tweeter is very smooth as is the RD0's nature, I just think there is a tad too much upper midrange (a slight) peak if you will because of the Solen's coming from the tweeter.

I used a 2 ohm Mills resistor when it really calls for a 2.7 in the schematic, but I was going with what was already in the board. I will atleast bump it up to 2.7 or I may even go to 3.3 ohm and see how that works. I just want to dial down the prominent upper midrange a tad.

H9

Face

I agree, the Sl1000's are bright on their own.

I did also install Solens in a another pair of Tannoys(I have quite a few ). At first, it was a nice change since the original caps were 25+ years old and did drift north. But after a while it bugged me how the tone seemed off. I've since replaced them with Sonic Caps and am content(till I can afford Mundorf S/O).

F1nut

Brock, you'd do well to get rid of the Solen's. I was debating on trying the Clarity caps recently, but decided to go with Obbligato's instead. I must say they are very nice and I agree with Tony Gee's description, "detailed warmth." I'd be curious about your impressions of the Clarity caps, if you go with them.

Link to the Obbligato's, http://www.diyhifisupply.com/diyhs_ob_caps.htm

heiney9

F1nut wrote: »

Brock, you'd do well to get rid of the Solen's. I was debating on trying the Clarity caps recently, but decided to go with Obbligato's instead. I must say they are very nice and I agree with Tony Gee's description, "detailed warmth." I'd be curious about your impressions of the Clarity caps, if you go with them.

Link to the Obbligato's, http://www.diyhifisupply.com/diyhs_ob_caps.htm

Well, as stated for the 5b's it needs to be economical, plus it's a computer rig so it's not ultra important to eek out the last ounce of detail or resolution. I'm just not completely satisfied with the tone right now. It's not really that bad, but it's been buggin me lately so I thought it's time to experiment.

But with the LSi's I'll be looking a little bit more up market for caps.

Jesse, have you used or heard anything (good or bad) about the Mundorf resistors compared to the Mills?

H9

heiney9

For the LSi's (they're not even here yet) I'm thinking

Sonicap- tried and true performer

Clarity Cap SA line

Jantzen Silver Z line

Now also the Obbligato's

Maybe Kimber caps

Face

Just a heads up, if the 9's crossover is anything like the 15's, you're not going to have much room to play.

heiney9

Face wrote: »

Just a heads up, if the 9's crossover is anything like the 15's, you're not going to have much room to play.

That's what I'm afraid of. These are 7's but still I read a post by Doro there is almost no room in the LSi 15 where they have the terminal cup and x-over board located. It's right up against the side firing woofer. I'm hoping there is some room to play with in the 7's otherwise I'm going to have to get creative

I need to replace 3 caps and 2 resistors.

H9

heiney9

Another concern is right out of the box I like the presentation of the whole LSi line "top" end. The 15's have a few issues with bass clarity; the 9's simply have a warm mid-bass hump as part of their design and the 7's are very open an uncluttered. The top end with the Vifa tweeter is "to die for", IMO.

I don't want to upset the balance but I guess if I don't experiment then I'll never know.

H9

jon s

Face wrote: »

Just a heads up, if the 9's crossover is anything like the 15's, you're not going to have much room to play.

face,
do you know where the HF crossover is located on the LSi15??? I am not having much luck finding it... the internal wiring is very short and i cannot even pull the LF corossover board out of the bottom of the speaker.

Face

Not yet, hopefully in one of the next coming weeks(are you reading this m00npie?!).

fbm211

I am going to use the jantzen silver series Z-cap on the high pass.I will probaly use sonicaps on the low but I am not sure because the humble review states sonicaps dont mix well with other caps.....Hey ben what caps should I get to mod the adcoms main caps??And do you have any pics of that mod?

Systems

Face wrote: »

I found Solens much more forward than Sonic Caps. In my 7C's, they're deafening with the SL1000's. I wouldn't use them in a high pass circuit again.

Interesting,because you and others are reporting some issues with them , maybe someday I ll remove the big Solens that are in series with my tweeters and bypass them with a piece of wire.This way I can determine if they are adding anything nasty to the hi end.Their only purpose is to protect the tweeter from any DC offset from the amplifier, it does not contribute to the function of the crossover so removing them will not change the frequency balance due too changes in the crossover point.The metal dome tweets I'm using tend to be very revealing of faults in the electronics upstream but Im not hearing anything that I can atribute to the cheap caps but the bypass test should be interesting.Maybe Ill have to pony up and buy some real caps after all.

Face

It may not have the same effect in a active crossover, but it can't hurt to find out for sure.

F1nut

I am not sure because the humble review states sonicaps dont mix well with other caps.....

He means in the same circuit as in mixing a Sonicap and a Mundorf in the HF circuit. Personally, I haven't found that to be true.

Systems

Face wrote: »

It may not have the same effect in a active crossover, but it can't hurt to find out for sure.

Well I guess any component in series with the tweeter has the potential to affect its SQ.

m00npie

Face wrote: »

Not yet, hopefully in one of the next coming weeks(are you reading this m00npie?!).

Hey, keep your soldering gun to yourself…

First we try the db series sub, then we’ll talk crossover

Ricardo

Ok. I am ready to mod my CRS+. Sonicaps all over and Mills is $209. I was thinking maybe using something different for the highs.....Audiocaps would bring the bill to approx. $260. Any thoughts out there on Audiocap Thetas???



Edit: Never mind; placed the order for Sonicaps. Maybe the next one.

fbm211

Im going to use the audiocap thetas since jantzen silver doesnt have a 12uF.I shot a email to jeff to get his thoughts on the audiocaps.It usually takes a week or two to get a reply.

Face

He's been getting busier and busier.

heiney9

I'm going with Clarity Caps for the 2nd go around with my 5B's. The high circuit only. We'll see if they sound better than Solens in my computer rig system. Need to stay economical on the secondary system.

Ricardo, the Sonicaps are wonderful in SDA's. My 1C's are simply amazing with the Sonicaps. They have no business sounding as good as they do. Now with your MIT's hooked up they are even a smidge better.

H9

zingo

I was considering using Dayton Audio caps and resistors for a Mon 5Jr+ redo. Anyone have experience with these?

Face

They aren't bad. They have some high end tilt without being harsh like Solen.