Apogee Centaur Woofer upgrade - Page 2

DAMIC · 24th May 2007, 05:03 AM

Davies, the cost of new 40 inch ribbons per pair for Centaur Major are usd 290 (made asper Apogees factory specs) and new ligher version that Gratz made are usd 445. Mail or courier charges are extra. On the my first post on this page there is a link with prices for all ribbons from Gratz product range.

I would like to say that from expirience of the members from Apogee acoustics user forum, new improved version of ribbons that Gratz are making, sound much better than original ones. Thinner aluminium foil is used and all ribbons are made with CNC machine, well not hand cutted as they did in Apogee factory.

DAMIC · 24th May 2007, 10:04 AM

Hi Sreten,

I felt than you will respond and thank's for your replies. New SEAS driver you suggested, seems to be a very good one. I beleive it could be a great match with 26 inch ribbon.

Vifa drivers in Centaurus series maybe looks good on the paper but all owners complained to their dull sound.

Btw, I changed my original 6,5 inch Vifa with Audax HDA (high definition aerogel), driver with much better sonic performance.

Best regards

sreten · 24th May 2007, 10:52 AM

Hi,

some more 8" suspects :

Audax carbon cone :
http://www.cadaudio.dk/hm210c0.pdf

Audax HDA cone :
http://www.cadaudio.dk/hm210z0.pdf

Budget Audax HDA :
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=296-175

/sreten.

Rozz · 27th May 2007, 11:16 PM

OK...scanspeaks are out....maybe Seas driver W22NY001 is in!

Still looking for more replacements..

If anyone has more or any suggestions, i`ll be glad to hear them.

Am also looking into getting my hands on a set of the Sphinx Project 12 monoblocks....are a few here second hand, and sounds to be VERY MUCH better than the velleman...but hey...they cost alot more

Willitwork · 29th May 2007, 01:15 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Rozz
hmm....making it a difficult decision.

Stay with the vifa`s or "upgrade" to the scan speaks.

It wouldn't be an upgrade. The Vifa was chosen by Apogee for a reason: it was the most suitable driver for the design, and still is. Keep in mind that once a driver has been selected the rest of the speaker is built around it, not the other way around. The LF section of the Apogee was designed based on the Vifa's parameters, replacing it with another driver could require mods to the box itself, not something you'd want to launch yourself into without being 100% sure the result will deliver a better sound. Chances are it won't because we can reasonably assume, based on the Centaur's reputation, that Apogee designers knew what they were doing.

sreten · 29th May 2007, 09:16 AM

Hi,

I agree the Scanspeaks would not be an upgrade.

But if the owners all agree they don't like the Vifa, (could be due to
hysteresis effects, Qms at 1.6 is very low), then understanding the
alignment of the Vifa is critical for finding a suitable replacement.

(Hmmm.... W22 Qms is also very low ......)

If it is understood properly, substitution can be made.

My money would be on either of the Audax HM210 drivers.

/sreten.

DAMIC · 29th May 2007, 11:37 AM

Btw, last year, my best man and me made excelent two-way speakers, bass reflex, 35l enclosure with 8 inch Audax HM reference series. The unit is version with two 8 Ohm voice coils as this is more suitable for his tube amp. The sound reproduction of Audax HM bass midrange is simply stunning. So, my best recomendations for Audax HM series

ricoh · 19th June 2007, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by LineSource
The original Vifa is 91db sensitivity, while the two ScanSpeak are about 87db...about 2x less efficient...you will notice this if you do not chance the crossover. The scanspeak 8555-00 has a closer Qts and would be a better match to the Vifa's box design.

You may just want to consider yourself lucky that the original speaker is both a pretty good design and still available, and puchase a direct replacement that will save you work on the crossover and box.

============
High I'm a new member, I'd like to know how to open the front enclosure of a Centaur Minor to access the woofer for replacement; any suggestion.
I read difficult to open; are they glued ?
Your reponse-help will be greatly appreciated

DAMIC · 20th June 2007, 05:02 AM

ricoh,

On the following link you will find a way how to remove the screen on C/M:

http://www.audioworld.com/sw/Forum1/HTML/000207.html

You can also find a lot of other interesting and useful info about Apogees on audioworld forum.

hifive · 2nd March 2008, 02:32 PM

What is the sensitivity of centaur mini?. I'm using Naim 202/200 with 70wpc, is it a good match?

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24th May 2007, 05:03 AM	#11
DAMIC diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Beograd	Davies, the cost of new 40 inch ribbons per pair for Centaur Major are usd 290 (made asper Apogees factory specs) and new ligher version that Gratz made are usd 445. Mail or courier charges are extra. On the my first post on this page there is a link with prices for all ribbons from Gratz product range. I would like to say that from expirience of the members from Apogee acoustics user forum, new improved version of ribbons that Gratz are making, sound much better than original ones. Thinner aluminium foil is used and all ribbons are made with CNC machine, well not hand cutted as they did in Apogee factory.

24th May 2007, 10:04 AM	#12
DAMIC diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Beograd	Hi Sreten, I felt than you will respond and thank's for your replies. New SEAS driver you suggested, seems to be a very good one. I beleive it could be a great match with 26 inch ribbon. Vifa drivers in Centaurus series maybe looks good on the paper but all owners complained to their dull sound. Btw, I changed my original 6,5 inch Vifa with Audax HDA (high definition aerogel), driver with much better sonic performance. Best regards

24th May 2007, 10:52 AM	#13
sreten diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Brighton UK	Hi, some more 8" suspects : Audax carbon cone : http://www.cadaudio.dk/hm210c0.pdf Audax HDA cone : http://www.cadaudio.dk/hm210z0.pdf Budget Audax HDA : http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=296-175 /sreten.

27th May 2007, 11:16 PM	#14
Rozz diyAudio Member Join Date: May 2007	OK...scanspeaks are out....maybe Seas driver W22NY001 is in! Still looking for more replacements.. If anyone has more or any suggestions, i`ll be glad to hear them. Am also looking into getting my hands on a set of the Sphinx Project 12 monoblocks....are a few here second hand, and sounds to be VERY MUCH better than the velleman...but hey...they cost alot more

29th May 2007, 09:16 AM	#16
sreten diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Brighton UK	Hi, I agree the Scanspeaks would not be an upgrade. But if the owners all agree they don't like the Vifa, (could be due to hysteresis effects, Qms at 1.6 is very low), then understanding the alignment of the Vifa is critical for finding a suitable replacement. (Hmmm.... W22 Qms is also very low ......) If it is understood properly, substitution can be made. My money would be on either of the Audax HM210 drivers. /sreten.

29th May 2007, 11:37 AM	#17
DAMIC diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Beograd	Btw, last year, my best man and me made excelent two-way speakers, bass reflex, 35l enclosure with 8 inch Audax HM reference series. The unit is version with two 8 Ohm voice coils as this is more suitable for his tube amp. The sound reproduction of Audax HM bass midrange is simply stunning. So, my best recomendations for Audax HM series

20th June 2007, 05:02 AM	#19
DAMIC diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Beograd	ricoh, On the following link you will find a way how to remove the screen on C/M: http://www.audioworld.com/sw/Forum1/HTML/000207.html You can also find a lot of other interesting and useful info about Apogees on audioworld forum.

2nd March 2008, 02:32 PM	#20
hifive diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: KL	What is the sensitivity of centaur mini?. I'm using Naim 202/200 with 70wpc, is it a good match?