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I would appreciate it if someone could check my proposed changes to bypass the fuse and attenuator on my Magnepan 1.7's. As in the image above, I intend to disconnect the red-circled items, and move the yellow wire to the top center terminal. Is this correct?
Cheers
Steve
Follow Ups:
Thanks Dave - you don't think it's worth taking the attenuator out of the circuit?
Dump the attenuator while you're cleaning up down there, the cleaner the signal path the better. Granty's way is the way to go sonically, he's removed as much transition resistance as possible, it just isn't the "prettiest" option.
If you just do the bypass you're selling yourself short, loose the crappy stock connectors, bolts, nuts, ring connectors and big blobs of solder. If you don't go "straight wire" like Granty then at least upgrade to high quality terminals, do a cold crimp with Mapleshade silver paste to prevent corrosion.
Granty? :)
I think this is nice enough. Wires are passed thru from inside and outside to meet one another using the crimping terminals as that only; crimping.
Outside, which from a glance looks like nothing changed... maybe not as pretty as aftermarket connectors, but looks OK to me.
Oops, my bad, GRANTV, somehow, I always figured I saw granty!......... whatever.
All good, you are not the first. I was called that when I was 8, good flashback memories. :)
OK thanks for your advice! I have bypassed the fuse and attenuator, and the resulting sound is definitely more revealing in the highs, but some mids and vocals have taken on a little stridency/harshness - whether the source is vinyl (LP12-Ittok-Troika/iFi iPhono 3/ Hegel H190) or digital (HD tracks from PC via Denafrips Ares II DAC and Hegel H190). Cables and interconnects are 'mid-level' quality. I could try resistors in the attenuator, but my understanding is that this influences the highs more than the mids? Are there crossover component upgrades you can recommend to sweeten the mids?
Cheers
Steve
Edits: 02/10/21 02/10/21
That is surprising - bypassing (most of) the execrable Magnepan spkr wire connectors will make your Maggies more revealing ... but it shouldn't produce any stridency or harshness! :-((
If it were happening just on vinyl, I would suggest that maybe you hadn't selected the correct loading for your Troika, on the iPhono 3. (Loading should be 560 ohms, right - so did you select 330 ohms ... or 1K?)
But the fact it's happening on digital as well suggests that your 1.7s are now revealing that your Hegel H190 is a little harsh in the mids & highs?
Can you try out a different amp?
Your Qu about resistors in the attenuator influencing the highs more than the mids is correct ... but does this mean you are still using the steel 'U-connectors' in the attenuation connectors? (I thought you must've bypassed these also.)
If you do still have those (terrible!) steel jumpers in circuit then, before, auditioning other amplifiers, I would suggest you bin them and either use some lengths of the same wire you are using for spkr cables in their place ... or (better) buy some Cardas jumpers.
Andy
No need to buy cables to bypass the steel jumpers, it can be bypassed on the back of the connector plate. It is also possible to crimp or solder all wiring to the cables coming from the crossover, bypassing the connecting plate all together. Not that it would make a dramatic difference but I think the fuse holder is the weakest point.
Yes I bypassed the whole connecting plate. I don't have an alternative amp to try unfortunately. Impedance for the Troika is set at 100 ohms.. I'll try higher. I'll experiment with resistor values if I decide to reinstate the attenuator. And I'll do some more reading about crossover upgrades - I'm sure I read about a component upgrade that resulted in 'the sweetest mids imaginable' ;-)
Which is too low, according to Linn. They deem 680 ohms as appropriate - which I have no idea about, as they don't publish the Troika coil impedance value. (IME, the best sound lies between 10x and 100x the coil impedance - but you need to experiment, to decide which value you prefer.)
However, as you are able to change the loading setting - I would suggest you do. As your only options (with the iPhono) are 330 ohms or 1K ... you need to try each and decide which one you prefer.
But as you said the harshness happens with digital too ... you might have 2 problems to solve. :-((
Andy
Thanks Andy - I'm in 'upgrade mode'at present...I'm going to make some rigid, spiked stands, and I'm going to full-Razor my Maggies. To throw another variable into the mix, I had hearing aids fitted for the first time last week ;-) So I'm working in a soup of changing variables - probably not a very logical methodology, but each modification has had almost universal support...and it's fun!
Cheers
Steve
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I would suggest you move the yellow wire to the lower center terminal. That way you bypass the fuse but maintain the tweeter attenuator option.
Dave.
Without seeing the front, looks right. I did one further, and passed the (freshly stripped) wires through for a wire to wire connection.
Thanks Grant - here's the front - good suggestion to do without the binding posts
I use Anticables, thin... so I actually use the pass thru from in and out meeting together, crimping the wires.
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