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Greetings,
I response to an earlier thread, I have questions on my B&W Matrix 801 Series II speakers. I would like to hear from anyone who has had the crossovers on these (currently set up for bi-wire, which I'd like to keep) upgraded.
What did it cost and was it worth it?
What specific differences did you notice in their sonic performance?
Many thanks,
George
Follow Ups:
I ran across this old thread of mine and thought to follow it up for anyone who might run across it in the future.
I ended up purchasing Sound Anchor stands specifically made for these speakers. I also purchased, from George Short, a pair of his top-of-the-line external crossovers specifically made for these speakers. These crossovers are in shoe box sized cabinets and are strictly bi-wire in configuration. Very heavy and solidly done.
These two additions greatly improved the clarity and detail of the speakers. Mr. Short explained what I could expect during burn-in of the crossovers, which took ca. 300 hours, and he was accurate in all cases. Deeper, tighter bass, smooth mids and great clarity throughout the audio spectrum.
Very pleased with the results!
I would suggest that this is the best option.
Not cheap but they will sound good .....
Warmest
Tim Bailey
Skeptical Measurer & Audio Scrounger
The B&W Matrix 801 S-II crossover used fourth-order networks. In addition, there's a protection circuit for the mid and tweeter drivers. That's a large number of parts. To fit it all on the circuit board that lies underneath the cabinet, B&W used electrolytic capacitors, small iron-core coils, and had to mount coils such that mutual inductance effects were inevitable. All these compromises are audible, and around 1990 several modifications were proposed by various people.
I first relocated one of the coils off the board, and made a few other minor mods. This opened up the midrange considerably. Later on, I went whole hog and bought the outboard crossovers then offered by George Short of North Creek Music Systems. Massive improvement all around! Yes, the voicing did change somewhat, primarily due to lower series resistance in the air-core coils. But the improvement in clarity was amazing.
It's interesting to note that later editions of the 801 used simpler crossover topologies, allowing better quality (but physically larger) parts to be used.
R's have some C and L. Ls have some R and C, C's have some esR and L. Most passive crossovers do Eq, and voicing and slopes all at the same time
So the final result achieved by B&W by measuring and voicing. And possibly trimmed for the actual drivers in each speaker of your pair, may thus be difficult to certainly improve upon, without equivalent measuring equipment, auditory experience, skill and judgement.
B&W may have used electrolytic Cs, or bypassed them with film caps, and so on.
If it were me, I would be asking B&W first at least. Did they use film caps exclusively, plus air-core coils (Ls), and low-L Rs?
There could be one or more B&W fora around on the web. One such may be a good place to find a capable person who can rebuild (but also likely re-voice) your pair, but you may not like the sound.
To sum up, if you are happy with the current voicing I would leave it alone.
Warmest
Tim Bailey
Skeptical Measurer & Audio Scrounger
If the original components are within spec, changing them will have tremendous psychological impact.
Do not throw your cigarette butts on the floor. The cockroaches are getting cancer.
Edits: 05/25/15
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