Klipschguy Posted March 8, 2006 Share Posted March 8, 2006 For the past years my Cornwalls have getting mellower and mellower in the highs. I like mellow speakers but this was too much. So... Out with the old. In with the new. As soon as I fired up a Cornwall with the new caps, the sparkle and dynamics were back and the overall tonal balance: excellent. I did one speaker at a time and did the A/B mono listening test. No comparison - the tweeters have much more output. They are not overly bright, just nice. Thank you Bob Crites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschguy Posted March 8, 2006 Author Share Posted March 8, 2006 Here's the new caps in place. BTW, I grooved the breadboards with a dremel tool so the caps sit flush instead of riding on the rim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschguy Posted March 9, 2006 Author Share Posted March 9, 2006 Hmmm...not much enthusiasm for my new oil cans. I knew I should have used Jensen PIO's! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meagain Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 LOL - Congratulations! [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Hmmm...not much enthusiasm for my new oil cans. I knew I should used Jensen PIO's! I'm sure your sound is much improved. Since you are skilled and can make simple mods to that network, You ought to try a 2uF theta cap in exchange for the can for the tweeter. I have some cans for my squawker but found I like the theta with the K77. I'm only suggesting that if you are wanting to mess around some more. What you have done already make the biggest improvement. Don't feel left out with the lack of attention right now. The forum is currently sucked up into a tweeter frenzy. jc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschguy Posted March 9, 2006 Author Share Posted March 9, 2006 Meagain, Like my Danish oil veneer? The CW in the "updated network" has since received a little more work and looks even better. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meagain Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Wow - I was going to ask if that was a speaker under there but figured it was a table. I want to see more. Is that color accurate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djk Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 "You ought to try a 2uF theta cap in exchange for the can for the tweeter. I have some cans for my squawker but found I like the theta with the K77." On a type B the tweeter signal goes through the 4uF mid cap before it goes through the 2uF cap to get to the tweeter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschguy Posted March 9, 2006 Author Share Posted March 9, 2006 JC, Is a Theta the cat's meow when it comes to caps? I am so amazed as a nonaudiophile-but-knows-what-sounds-good-kind-of-guy by those new caps that I might be game for a little experimentation in the future. Its funny, I measured the old caps with my meter and they tested basically infinte resistance for all, 2.05uF/2.06uF for the 2uF caps, and 3.99uF/4.00uF for the 4uF caps. The new caps were not as well matched or as close to their ideal value as the old ones, but were certainly within their +-6% specs. Obviously, my cheap meter was not telling the whole story. I'm sure if I had an ESR meter or some way to measure the dissapation factor with rising frequency, the numbers would be drastically different - as in bad. Those caps were worn out. The tweeters had really faded. I just about flipped (in a good way) when I fired up the updated networks. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Yes..I agree. Just pull out the 2uF can and put in the 2uF theta. Again, this is what my ears thought was a little better for the tweeter. jc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEC Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Andy, ESR tells the story on the old caps and is the only thing that does tell the story. The old caps can rise to several ohms in ESR and still read close to perfect on capacitance. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschguy Posted March 9, 2006 Author Share Posted March 9, 2006 Meagain, Those are both of my Cornwall tops. The color and finish depicted is quite accurate. They used to look pretty tired. But you already know what I did to them. I'll try to post some more pictures tommorow. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschguy Posted March 9, 2006 Author Share Posted March 9, 2006 Bob, Thank you. I haven't been this excited about my Cornwalls in a while. They sound excellent. Crisp, clean, punchy, dynamic and balanced. I have nothing to complain about. What does the ESR run on those old Cornwall caps in your experience?? Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Andy. I wouldn't say the thetas are the "cats meow" necessarilly. They are expensive. However, I think they do well for the K77 on a first order network. Granted, I'm sure your cap change is the biggest difference. The cans are good too. jc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEC Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Usually they run at somewhere around 1 ohm. That is like having a 1 ohm resistor in series with the cap. The new ones you have will measure about 0.02 ohms ESR. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meagain Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Meagain, Those are both of my Cornwall tops. The color and finish depicted is quite accurate. They used to look pretty tired. But you already know what I did to them. I'll try to post some more pictures tommorow. Andy Andy - from what little I can see, that's exactly what I want to achieve. Looking forward to seeing more pics tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmsummer Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Andy, Thanks for the pics. I got my oil-cans from Bob last Monday and will be changing out the caps on my Cornwalls this weekend. Looking forward to sharing your experience! PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschguy Posted March 10, 2006 Author Share Posted March 10, 2006 PM, Installation tip: shim the brackets with a couple of small washers - you'll see what I mean. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschguy Posted March 10, 2006 Author Share Posted March 10, 2006 Here's one of the recipients of a couple of oil cans: 1977 Cornwall. (The veneer is not quite this red. My Nikon Coolpix has trouble with reds.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschguy Posted March 10, 2006 Author Share Posted March 10, 2006 Here's another with a sepia effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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