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In Reply to: RE: the thread below brought up a question in my mind again? posted by cloudwalker on November 19, 2014 at 11:27:28
I have no idea, but your speakers are likely 30 or so years old. Electrolytic capacitors dry out over time. I suspect your speakers would sound much better if you replaced the old caps. Since you are still happy with them I'd try to either use the same brand of capacitors, or some very much like them. One thing I do understand about the LS3 type speakers are that they are near field. So if you listen up close you might like them, if not you may not. Others I am sure can speak to that with much greater authority than I. I just thought the old capacitor issue should be raised.
Best Regards,
Lou
Follow Ups:
It's unlikely you will find electrolytic capacitors in speaker crossovers. I've never seen them, anyway.
Well,I have worked as a technician in TV and radio stations, in industry, etc. I can assure you caps of large values of capacitances in most speakers are electrolytic due to the cost, and weight, not to mention that really big foil caps, like large coils, are difficult to secure.
Best Regards,
Lou
I had just never seen any electrolytic capacitors in speaker crossovers. I built several Dynaudio kit speakers and they did not have electrolytic capacitors. Of course, all the speakers I'm familiar with used 6-dB per octave crossovers. I have a feeling there are no electrolytic capacitors in my Thiel CS3.7 speakers, but I don't know for sure.
Sorry,
John Elison
Hi John!
Here is a picture of the Thiel 3.7 crossover!
Thanks!
Unfortunately, that's not really a picture of the actual components. It's a drawing so it's not possible to tell whether any of the capacitors are electrolytic. My guess is that they are not, but you never know.
Best regards,
John Elison
It matters not, those are too new to need new ones anyway! If you had a dull sounding speaker, which you don't, you might want to look, and bypass any electrolytic caps at least in the signal path, but I like to bypass them all once I tear into them. I'll use less expensive caps if it's not passing signal to the speaker though. BTW, no cause to be sorry though, no one knows it all.
Best Regards,
Lou
Edits: 11/20/14
Back in the golden oldies time electrolytics were not uncommon. It seems in about the late to mid '60s npo caps began to dominate as the cost and construction as well as speaker crossover technology and understanding of its importance started to be better understood.
Don Brian Levy, J.D.
Toronto ON Canada
Just off the top of my head, I've seen them in original Advents, NHT, Infinity, Boston Acoustic, and Dahlquist DQ-10s.
I'm sure there's many more, but I'm just listing some of the speakers I've owned.
For example, here's the crossover to an Infinity 7 Kappa I own. C4, C6, C7 and C8 are all non-polarized electrolytics. Something like C6, a 125 µF cap would be pretty large, not to mention expensive, for a manufacturer to use a film cap. Once you get up into the very expensive speakers, film caps may be used more frequently.
But the point is, electrolytics are more common than you'd think.
Oh yeah, a friend has Altec 604s, with electrolytic caps too.
nt
.
Freak out...Far out...In out....
The LS3/5A can also sound gorgeous in the middle of a large room with cathedral ceilings. I sold my stepbrother on this speaker in his converted old New England barn family room. He couldn't believe it....nor could I.
Observe, before you think. Think before you open your yap. Act on the basis of experience.
Thanks, good to know!
Best Regards,
Lou
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