ishwash Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 Replace capacitors in your crossovers, amps, etc...you always hear that... What's the physics with that? Do these little backward batteries gizmos get consumed over time or what? When I was a kid, I used to tear them up and get the foil out of them to make a silver ball, much like I did with the lining in old cigarette packages, just making bigger and bigger balls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 I think it is corrosion that changes the internal resistance. Motor run capacitors used in lots of old Klipsch crossovers weren't that great to begin with, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebes Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 Its my understanding they dry out over time. They can also leak and cause chemical damage. The greatest impact, however, is as they wear out the sound from your speakers or components can grow dull sounding. For many years the heritage speakers used PIO (paper-in-oil) caps, then motor run caps and now they use film and foil or polypropylene, can't remember which. For my Cornwalls, Heresys and Khorns, I've used Russian PIO's, although I did try poly's in my Khorns but liked the PIO sound better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubo Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 Electrolytic caps do have a life, around 20 years, after that they can break down. They also degrade over time which effects some frequencies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edmjm Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 you don’t have to change caps just because they’re old or leaking. changing the caps can make huge differences to your soundstage & presentation. possibly the single biggest mod you can do to your components. I changed the caps in my dac to jupiter foil & beeswax & it was the best thing I’ve evr done to my system I highly recommend reading capacitor shoot out at humble home made hi-fi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 16 minutes ago, edmjm said: you don’t have to change caps just because they’re old or leaking. ??? Please explain. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuzzzer Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 8 minutes ago, jimjimbo said: ??? Please explain. Thanks. I think he's saying don't wait until they're old or leaking. You can upgrade even new crossovers with better components. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted January 16, 2018 Moderators Share Posted January 16, 2018 I would think if they are in spec age makes no difference, it's just age is what causes them to drift out of spec. If 20 years old and still in spec I would guess it's just a matter of time ? Question, does a crossover used everyday have a better chance of having a problem at a younger age, or is it just deterioration over time ? I know it can be different from crossover to crossover but I had some AA's that were really old and one even started leaking. The still sounded fine, I thought, until the caps were changed big difference overall. This is part of the problem, until you hear better you don't know what your missing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 2 minutes ago, wuzzzer said: I think he's saying don't wait until they're old or leaking. You can upgrade even new crossovers with better components. Gotcha! Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted January 16, 2018 Moderators Share Posted January 16, 2018 3 minutes ago, wuzzzer said: I think he's saying don't wait until they're old or leaking. You can upgrade even new crossovers with better components. I think your right, change them, even if it's not high priced or anything special get them back to the value they should be at the very least, this is cheap to do. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edmjm Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 that’s right. you don’t have to wait until there’s a problem to replace your caps. I don’t know why but it seems people detect something is “off” with their sound & the caps are usually the whipping boy that gets blamed. why is that? my belief is that we all know that’s where most companies will cheap out to keep the cost down. caps, like tubes have a signature sound & therfore opinions will vary from person to person as which cap sounds best. I do seem to see many more people saying they had to replace their xover caps. not sure why, but why not. if you’re not happy with how they sound, tweaking the xover is alot cheaper than buying new speakers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ishwash Posted February 9, 2018 Author Share Posted February 9, 2018 Thanks to you folks for responding. Guess I'll go ahead and replace the caps in my old Speakerlab 7's. The speakers still sound wonderful, and they are my lifelong friends, but I don't want to abuse them. Hate having to break them open...all that silicone...you know, they have the same tweeter and midrange horns that came in a lot of the old Klipsch speakers. I want to go with a Crite's upgrade for the tweeter and try to get capacitors from him. He must stay very busy, no response from him thus far. He is only about 3 hours away. Any suggestions for other sources for the tweeter upgrade and the caps? The tweeter I want to upgrade from is the EVT35. If I take him my crossover diagram or even an opened-up speaker up there to Russellville, AR, do you think I would get his attention? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ishwash Posted February 9, 2018 Author Share Posted February 9, 2018 Talked to Bob Crites this morning, so I'll get the stuff coming to renew these buggers soon. Good Guy, Mr. Bob Crites! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebes Posted February 10, 2018 Share Posted February 10, 2018 Make sure your revive this thread and give us a report once they are installed. Bob is good people for sure. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ishwash Posted February 28, 2018 Author Share Posted February 28, 2018 Went to see Bob Crites last week, got my new A-55G midrange drivers (to go with my new Crites CT120 tweeters and the new capacitors that I had gotten earlier this month). Also picked up a couple of his gaskets to place between the new midrange drivers and the old horns to seal and to tighten the driver to the horn. My old drivers needed this rubber gasket as well...no gaskets were present and the drivers were loose and not sealed to the horn. The old tweeters are EV 350's and the midrange drivers were Atlas, unknown model number...in profile they look like a flying saucer and there is a steel u-shaped strap going up and over the rear of the driver. The old ones were apparently just fine and producing sound when I tested them. My woofers were just fine too. New tweeters and mid-range drivers are more efficient than the old ones. Am hoping they won't sound too loud or harsh and that my crossover l-pads will have enough turn down to be able to quieten them some if they are too loud. Not sure I would have bought these if these original crossovers didn't have l-pads. Am redoing the old cabinets with black satin lacquer, so need some warm weather to be able to coat them. When I get the speakers coated and reassembled using the prerequisite 2 tubes of clear silicone...smile..., I will post my critique of my work, calls for an open mind...sigh...not sure I am capable of that... Wonder if the moderator thinks this thread should be changed to "Speakerlab 7's getting a Klipsch-Like Rebuild"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max2 Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 On 1/16/2018 at 12:15 PM, dtel said: I would think if they are in spec age makes no difference, it's just age is what causes them to drift out of spec. If 20 years old and still in spec I would guess it's just a matter of time ? Question, does a crossover used everyday have a better chance of having a problem at a younger age, or is it just deterioration over time ? I know it can be different from crossover to crossover but I had some AA's that were really old and one even started leaking. The still sounded fine, I thought, until the caps were changed big difference overall. This is part of the problem, until you hear better you don't know what your missing. Now that may be the statement of the year right there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ishwash Posted March 3, 2018 Author Share Posted March 3, 2018 Changed topic from do caps really need to be replaced to a more appropriate one. Finished replacing caps, and changing out tweeters and midrange drivers to Crites stuff (very much akin to Crite's Klipsch speaker upgrades). They do sound awesome and like a different set of speakers. Also filled void space with fiberglass insulation, wonder if that helped reduce distortion...who the heck knows...I probably made too many changes at once to ever really know what did what. To change one thing at a time though, I would have had to break into the silicone-sealed speakers each time and reseal them each time that I made a change, and then make sonic judgements of each step-change with these old ears....uh... I like what the work did though. Old tweeters and mids were pretty quiet, new ones definitely bring upper range frequencies to life, and there is little if any harshness or scratchiness in the upper frequencies. Needless to say I will have to get used to new sound. I think with a lot of old speaker designs, the manufacturer relied heavily on the bass sound to sell their speakers. Also, having L-pads for the tweeters and mids I feel has the result that, over time, the uppers get turned down finally to the point that the uppers are very quiet, especially if there was harshness or scratchiness in the high frequencies. To me the mark of a good speaker is to not have much distortion in the upper frequencies WITH great bass. Lots and lots of speaker designs were simply to have great bass. Haven't started the black lacquer coating, still waiting for all this rain to clear out of Arkansas. Need about a three day blow of SW wind to heat and dry things out and then stable warm temps for a couple of days. When I complete them, I'll post a pic or two...but only if the coating is successful...naturally!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ishwash Posted March 29, 2018 Author Share Posted March 29, 2018 Not proud enough of the black lacquer to post the pictures. In fact the more I listen to the speakers the more I realize that for me the new tweeters and mid drivers are just too loud over the bass. I need to install Crites's autoformers to quieten the uppers some...if I had me some autoformers, and if I knew just where in the crossover circuits those things should be installed...reminds me of an old Curly joke...he was hungry and said he would make himself a sandwich if he had some bologna, if he had some bread. Also dreading breaking back into these dang silicone-sealed-up Speakerlabs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 Don't really understand what the sealant is being used for -- what is being sealed? Isn't the back of the top hat open, like a Klipschorn. To balance the other drivers with the bass, you need to know the sensitivity of the bass horn - is it the same as a Klipschorn? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 25 minutes ago, Deang said: Don't really understand what the sealant is being used for -- what is being sealed? Isn't the back of the top hat open, like a Klipschorn. To balance the other drivers with the bass, you need to know the sensitivity of the bass horn - is it the same as a Klipschorn? Dean- You’re thinking of Speakerlab Ks, which had open top hats. Speakerlab 7s were sealed enclosures, 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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