RTi8 XO Mod (Complete)

curved

Finished the XO mod:

Each RTi8
C1-10uF - Dayton Prec.
C2- .22uF - Sonic Cap
C3- .22uF - Sonic Cap
C4- 12uF - Dayton Prec.
C5- 25uF - Dayton Prec.
R1- 1ohm - Mills
R2- 6ohm - Mills

thsmith

How does it sound ?

Is this the first Rti8 mod out there ?

curved

Started off with the resistors. Mounted them underneath - finished it off with a dab of super glue to keep it tight to the board.

curved

Then I went to and did both .22uF Sonic Caps. I will say that the Sonic Caps are a little easier to work with than the Daytons.

curved

Then worked into the Daytons. I chose to do them on the sides because the 25uF Dayton was too big in diameter to fit on the board. I would have never been able to get it back in the cabinet.

Not the cleanest but definetly solid. I'm not worried about it rattling around loose;)

curved

thsmith wrote: »

How does it sound ?

Is this the first Rti8 mod out there ?

It's a no-brainer difference right off the bat. The biggest difference that I notice is sound stage and instrument separation. My wife even noticed it (which is quite amazing to me:eek:). Things don't blend together as much. If you are able to do this mod, I would highly suggest it. Although I think I would have done the inductors next time.

leroyjr1

I'm sending mine over:)

curved

leroyjr1 wrote: »

I'm sending mine over:)

Which ones?;) Let me know if you want to do yours. I'm more the willing to give you a hand. I am getting low on flux though.:p

thsmith

Nice job, I went from RTi8s to SDA-1Cs.

Did the mod make the highs warmer ? As I remember they seemed to be on the bright side.

curved

thsmith wrote: »

Nice job, I went from RTi8s to SDA-1Cs.

Did the mod make the highs warmer ? As I remember they seemed to be on the bright side.

They are still a bit bright but VERY detailed. I'm pretty sure they will warm up after they burn in a bit. I'll keep you all updated once everything is fully burned in.

ben62670

I am guessing that you are a pioneer in the RTi line up XO upgrades.
Congrats, and thanks:)
Ben

Face

If you do decide to swap inductors, I would leave the one in the HF circuit alone, it's already an air core. I would replace LF inductor with an air core unit of similar DCR.

Also, if you're looking for a little more warmth, you could either add a little resistance to the HF circuit or use a LF inductor with a lower DCR. But I would wait till the components start to break in before re-engineering anything.

Nice job!

curved

ben62670 wrote: »

I am guessing that you are a pioneer in the RTi line up XO upgrades.
Congrats, and thanks:)
Ben

Thanks!! I can pretty much do the 8's in my sleep now

Face wrote: »

If you do decide to swap inductors, I would leave the one in the HF circuit alone, it's already an air core. I would replace LF inductor with an air core unit of similar DCR.

Also, if you're looking for a little more warmth, you could either add a little resistance to the HF circuit or use a LF inductor with a lower DCR. But I would wait till the components start to break in before re-engineering anything.

Nice job!

What brands have you worked with?

I'm going to let it burn in and see how I like it. I may be asking a few of you guys some questions then

Appreciate the feedback!!

nikolas812

Congrats.



I heard the exact same things with my M5 upgrade. Soundstage and better separation.




Let them burn in. It will warm up...





Nick

Systems

curved wrote: »

What brands have you worked with?

I will throw my $.02 and say that Solen perfect lays are a good choice for air cores.I have used them in many projects. http://www.solen.ca/pub/cms_nf_catalogue_niveau3.php?q=Jm5pdmVhdTE9MSZuaXZlYXUyPTQmc2VjdGlvbj0yJnNvdXNfc2VjdGlvbj00JmZ0PW5m



Btw it's hard to tell for certain from the pic, but on the big inductor is the center of the plastic bobbin hollow or does it have a piece of metal in it?It appears to be hollow which would make it an air core.

Face

I agree with Fred, Solen are a good value. Madisound's house brand, Jantzen, and Erse are decent values as well. I usually choose the brand based on the DCR needed. Goertz are nice too, but they're bulky and can be pricey.

quadzilla

Asked this in another thread, but I'll ask here as well; is there a specific reason to choose one type of cap over another for the different parts of the xover? And if so, where could I find some more information on that? I'm actually interested in modding a couple of sets of RTis (RTi 12 and 70) as well as rebuilding the xovers in a pair of LS50s if they don't sell soon. And hell, probably do the center and surrounds while I'm at it. I'm less worried about cost than if it'll make a noticeable improvement in fidelity.

curved

quadzilla wrote: »

Asked this in another thread, but I'll ask here as well; is there a specific reason to choose one type of cap over another for the different parts of the xover? And if so, where could I find some more information on that? I'm actually interested in modding a couple of sets of RTis (RTi 12 and 70) as well as rebuilding the xovers in a pair of LS50s if they don't sell soon. And hell, probably do the center and surrounds while I'm at it. I'm less worried about cost than if it'll make a noticeable improvement in fidelity.

IMO, you mod to match your system. So if you have $100 speakers, you shouldn't spend $300 on caps. Keep it all relative to the rest of your system. Good place to look is http://soniccraft.com/

I used Sonic Caps for the highs - I heard a lot of good things about them for the $.

quadzilla

curved wrote: »

IMO, you mod to match your system. So if you have $100 speakers, you shouldn't spend $300 on caps. Keep it all relative to the rest of your system. Good place to look is http://soniccraft.com/

I used Sonic Caps for the highs - I heard a lot of good things about them for the $.

Thanks. But what I'm really looking for is not a place to get caps, but information on choosing the right cap for a given section of the xover, so I'm wanting to know where is it best to use a electrolytic cap vs. a film cap, etc.

NJPOLKER

You will want to use film caps.
Which speakers are you thinking of rebuilding?

ben62670

Well I am not well off by any means so I did a shootout of some cheaper caps.
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61727
Others have added to that thread with some good info. I am not dismissing any opinions, but Face has tried different caps with the same setups to get his hands on listening impressions.

pablo_rodz

I wish I would know more about this... I would mod my RTi 10's in a heart beat!!!
I mod my cars, but I don't have the electronic knowlege to choose whatever I need, and then solder it in the "right" place. I'm afraid I would fry something....

Anyone in the Houston area care to teach me?

Willow

How much would it cost and where do I sign up?

quadzilla

NJPOLKER wrote: »

You will want to use film caps.
Which speakers are you thinking of rebuilding?

For both high and low frequency sides?

Pretty much all of them in my signature, plus some LS50s and LS FX that I have. Maybe also the CSi400 and CSi3 that I picked up recently. Even though I'll probably be selling all the latter, if upgrading makes them sound better, then I'll call it a present for who ever I sell 'em to. I just like stuff to sound as good as it possibly can, and I like to tinker. I think I'm doomed.

danz1906

Nice Mod

curved

quadzilla wrote: »

For both high and low frequency sides?

Pretty much all of them in my signature, plus some LS50s and LS FX that I have. Maybe also the CSi400 and CSi3 that I picked up recently. Even though I'll probably be selling all the latter, if upgrading makes them sound better, then I'll call it a present for who ever I sell 'em to. I just like stuff to sound as good as it possibly can, and I like to tinker. I think I'm doomed.

For the 12's I would use the Sonicaps lows/mids and Mundorf or Dynamicap for the highs. I think you will be very surprised.

danz1906 wrote: »

Nice Mod

Thanks!!

Face

quadzilla wrote: »

For both high and low frequency sides?

Yes, for highs and lows.

quadzilla

curved wrote: »

For the 12's I would use the Sonicaps lows/mids and Mundorf or Dynamicap for the highs. I think you will be very surprised.

Face wrote: »

Yes, for highs and lows.

Thanks, I'll give it a shot.

quadzilla

Of the Mundorfs, between the MCap, MCap ZN and MCap Supreme (I'm the sure the silver and gold will be cost prohibitive), is there a recommendation?

Face

MCaps or dayton would be fine for the woofer/LF. For the tweeter, look into either Sonic Caps, Claritycap SA, Dayton, or Mundorf Supremes, etc... You should start your own thread.

quadzilla

Face wrote: »

You should start your own thread.

Yeah, should've known this wasn't a "do this, be happy" kind of question.