For those who bought the HCT iTube setup..
jcaut
Posts: 1,849
I think most everyone agrees that the little ipod dock and hybrid amp are pretty neat, but the speakers stink for anything other than casual listening. Well... actually I think they sound pretty bad for that too. I thought I might replace the tweeter in mine and do a little crossover work to see if I can make them sound better.
I got around to taking measurements of one today. These graphs represent on-axis measurements at approx 1.5 meters away. You can see why they sound bad stock and what I'm going to try with mine. It looks like simply reversing the polarity of the tweeter would be a big improvement, though the tweeter is still going to sound too hot. Add and L-pad to bring it down a little and I think they might sound decent. I haven't actually tried this yet; Just modeled it.
You have to keep in mind that the woofer breakup isn't being controlled (though it's not terrible) and the cheapo Mylar tweeter is never going to sound particularly refined. I'm going to give it a shot if I get time this evening.
I got around to taking measurements of one today. These graphs represent on-axis measurements at approx 1.5 meters away. You can see why they sound bad stock and what I'm going to try with mine. It looks like simply reversing the polarity of the tweeter would be a big improvement, though the tweeter is still going to sound too hot. Add and L-pad to bring it down a little and I think they might sound decent. I haven't actually tried this yet; Just modeled it.
You have to keep in mind that the woofer breakup isn't being controlled (though it's not terrible) and the cheapo Mylar tweeter is never going to sound particularly refined. I'm going to give it a shot if I get time this evening.
Post edited by jcaut on
Comments
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why not just replace them with some better speakers?
PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin: -
Well, yeah but....
Of course there's the whole silk purse/sow's ear thing. But if you've already got them and want to tinker, I think substantial improvements may only be a couple of resistors and a soldering iron away.
I did post this in the DIY section didn't I? -
Well, yeah but....
Of course there's the whole silk purse/sow's ear thing.
The corollary, of course, is, you can't polish a **** :-)
I totally understand the driver (no pun intended) to do this, though. It's, I think, the same deep-seated human psychological quirk that leads otherwise sane women to marry dirtballs... the former think they can change the latter...
In all seriousness, I'd futz with the speakers, too!
There's also the relevant folktale alternately known as "stone soup" or "nail broth"... -
Exactly.
Just look at that first graph: It's screaming for help.
FWIW, I just tried this mod on one speaker- Haven't compared to the un-modified one yet since it's in pieces on my computer desk- It's not bad and I think it's a definite improvement. The resistor values I had laying around were 3.3 and 7.5 Ohms. The 3.3uF capacitor is the stock one. It's much easier to listen to. It's a little "phasey" off axis, probably where the breakup modes on the woofer combine distructively with the tweeter response, but on axis I could live with it, esp. for a computer speaker.
