High Efficiency Speaker Asylum

Need speakers that can rock with just one watt? You found da place.

Use this form to submit comments directly to the Asylum moderators for this forum. We're particularly interested in truly outstanding posts that might be added to our FAQs.
You may also use this form to provide feedback or to call attention to messages that may be in violation of our content rules.

You must login to use this feature.

Inmate Login

By default, logging in will set a session cookie that disappears when you close your browser. Clicking on the 'Remember my Moniker & Password' below will cause a permanent 'Login Cookie' to be set.

Moniker/Username: The Name that you picked or by default, your email. Forgot Moniker?	Examples "Rapper", "Bob W", "joe@aol.com".
Password:	Forgot Password?
	Remember my Moniker & Password ( What's this?)

If you don't have an Asylum Account, you can create one by clicking Here.

Our privacy policy can be reviewed by clicking Here.

Inmate Comments

From:
Your Email:
Subject:

Message Comments

Original Message

RE: Electro-Voice Regal lll

Posted by DaveV on January 10, 2017 at 20:22:11:
Craig,
My "opinions" regarding anything audio are based on working for three audio equipment companies and one speaker manufacturer. All well known, plus having the field as a hobby for over 50 years and having had and worked on more equipment and speakers than I care to list.
You bring up some valid issues but IMHO it's not worth the money or effort to do all those things with those speakers unless you just want to see for yourself what each "improvement" may or may not do. If you want to spring for those caps for peace of mind then go ahead. I'm just saying that I don't think you should go nuts with those speakers with a mind set that all those things will make them something are aren't.
When I saw the name Crites, the first thing that came to my mind was that he has a business selling parts and mods to people that aren't happy with their Klispch Speakers as they came from the factory. But being bigger more expensive speakers with some good bones to work with, it probably makes more sense to swap out parts to your liking than to buy new ones.
Many times people like something about a speaker but learn to hate something else about it and there you have it.
But to address your list:
1.Anything electrical should require a mechanically strong, clean and well soldered or well fitting connection.

2.Cabinet leaks alter the low frequency response and overall function of the woofer to some degree depending on the woofer design. My Esquires don't have a gasket on the lip where the back panel rests but the backs fit snug and tight so I never went any further.
However, if your upgrades prove to be successful in bringing about a sound your more pleased with but the bass seems a bit flabby or off,that's the time to try better sealing. But the woofer, xover and cabinet size are what they are and they have limits.
3. Damping on a horn may or may not be needed and you may or may not hear a difference. Depends more on the material the horn is made of and how it's mounted.
4.Stuffing changes how the woofer responds in the cabinet and at the very least there should be some sound absorbent material covering the back speaker panel to help cancel standing waves from the back of the woofer. Adding stuffing where there was none can change the sound depending on how much you add and it may sound better or worse to you.
5.Bracing will change the inherent resonace of the cabinet and that may or may not sound better even if in theory it's correct. When your marketing a $10,000 speaker you better mention bracing because it's expected but with a bookshelf speaker that's not an acoustic suspension design that's driven at high levels I don't put much importance into it as long as your working with a cabinet that isn't coming unglued at the seams and the back panel is tight.
6.Cap brands and types to me are like what flavor ice cream you like or how much you think you have to spend for a tire for your car. Crites deals with horns so maybe he found that the Sonicap flavor works well with horns. Others may tell you that horns need paper in oil caps.
As above, new expensive speakers sold to a niche market are expected to have caps that are perceived to be better or "auiophile" grade caps. That holds true with the electronics too.
7. Not knowing what diaphrams are in the mid horns I can't say if they go slowly or all at once. If they are phenolic like the T35B I'd say that they either work or they don't. But the voice coil is attached to it so if the coil has some shorted windings it can change the impedance of the driver and can change the performance.
8. Your not working with a "Classic" that has a big resale value in original condition or with one of those outstanding Japanese reworks so making a new breaboard xover or "Bob Crites style" is fine. Just make darn sure you take pics of the connections or don't take the other xover a part and use that for your pattern of connections or you can blow the mid or tweeter with wrong connections.
Five other people can do what I just did and disagree with me on some or all of my opinions but that reflects how diverse opinions are on what you believe to be true and/or your own experience.