Adjusting Pots on the 3 way TL

[AlexQS]

I realized I was probably doing something wrong. I would adjust the pots so that the mid and tweeter seemed to play the loudest. No adjustments of the two pots seemed to affect the 8" woofer.

After reading some here, I realized that the woofer is probably the least efficient of the 3 speakers present.

I don't have any equipment to measure with.

I turned down the pots so that each speaker played as quietly as possible. I adjusted the midrange up untill it seemed to nicely compliment the woofer, without drowning out the woofers sound.

I played Crosby, Stills, and Nash singing Find the Cost of Freedom. Within that song there is an acapella vocal harmony. This small choir each sing at a different note to produce a chord. While playing this segment, I began to turn up the tweeter. Some voices seemed happier in the midrange, some in the tweeter. I found a nice balance where the voices in the mid, and the voices in the tweeter worked together "the two speakers as one" to make balanced chord of all the voices in the choir.

I think it sounds better. Am I on the right path?

What do the pots do exactly? Am I changing the frequency at which each roll off at? Or am I attenuating the spl level that each speaker plays at?

[tvrgeek]

Exactly the correct path.

The pots control how much the tweeter and midrange are reduced in level ( spl) so you can use them to balance in your room. Not frequency. All rooms are so different, there is no absolute correct design.

Those guys are quite talented.

[phivates]

You have an old school diy classic there, with the Peerless tweet and Philips mid and bass. Hopefully the L pads are clean, no dead spots or scratchyness. I have a pair of the rubber surround woofers that were doped along with the cone I guess, and they've cracked. Great starting point for crossover tweaks, since the drivers were all good to start with.

[AlexQS]

tvrgeek. Thanks, I am glad to know I'm on the right path.

phivates. You know your stuff. I talked with Dad this weekend. He said that the woofers were Philips. Did you ID them from the photos?

Dad's memory isn't as good on many details anymore. Do you know if the Peerless tweeter you mention is the same as something I saw in a catalog called a Phenolic Ring Tweeter? "Restore your classic system from the 70's, -Modern reproduction of the famous CTS design"

[planet10]

Originally Posted by AlexQS

Did you ID them from the photos?

photos?

dave

[AlexQS]

Sorry,... I am linking a couple different posts.

Photo's are here Dave: Reverse Engineer

Thankfully a member showed me (myself a new member) how to post photo's,.. so photo's appear on page two.

Dad upgraded, and moved away to retire, so I have the DIY speakers he built 32 years ago when I was 4 years old. They still sound pretty darn good to me!!

[planet10]

Peerless cone tweeter, very good and scarce largely because people are looking for them to refurb their Sonabs. There are some reasonable Japanese tweeters that can be used as subs. The 5ish inch Philips used as the mid is also very good. Is it in its own enclosure. I started my serious building career with those 8" Pilips woofs.

dave

[AlexQS]

Dave,

I have to yet remove the tweets and inspect the inside dimentions. It has been over 20 years since I have seen the inside of the cabinet. I beleive that the mid and tweet are in the same enclosure, and they sit on top of the tall transmission line enclosure which has the woofer at the top. These two inner cabinets combined by a larger outer cabinet surrounding them.

I found the local Portland Oregon shop where the drivers were origionally purchased. Dad says they are very friendly to DIY folks, and will be able to help me find origional drivers if needed. They are JAMAC SPEAKERS // Raw drivers information page

I will post a new thread when I have an objective and goal to plan a center channel to match them.

[phivates]

Definitely not the phenolic CTS. The Peerless is special. I have two of each size in my Rectilinear III's.

Jamac will help you out. Most of what happened in Portland speaker-wise had a connection to Jim and his nephew Ron has kept it going though things have changed radically in the audio world.

I still have a McGee Radio catalog.