I've just been given a pair of Wharfedale Dovedale IIIs and both drivers and one tweeter are shot. The woofers seem OK.
Are these speakers worth repairing or should I just scrap them off and find a home for the woofers? If they are worth repairing, what drivers and tweeters would you recommend?
Thanks.
Are these speakers worth repairing or should I just scrap them off and find a home for the woofers? If they are worth repairing, what drivers and tweeters would you recommend?
Thanks.
Hi John,
Recently won a pair of Dovedale IIIs from a local auction, got them for 5 euro because no one else was bidding...
From the 70s I had excellent memories of this speaker, couldn't afford them as a student. But now in 2006, this pair appeared to have harsh tweeters and one mid-range driver was silent. Sound quality was not really impressive apart from the bass: deep yet not boomy.
This midrange driver was open-circuit. I replaced it with a Celestion Ditton 44 mid-range (6 Ohms, as the Wharfedale one), adapting the hole in the cabinet front. The speaker now sounded much better than the other. So, I replaced the mid-range driver in the other speaker as well. Finally replaced the cross-over filter capacitors for the tweeter (one seemed to have leaked) and that made quite a difference as well. The speakers have a three-position switch for attenuating or emphasising mid-range and tweeter, I attenuate the tweeter and set the mid-range to neutral to have the best result (in my room and with my ears).
The other speakers I have from the 70s, Bowers and Wilkins DM6, still sound a lot more neutral and less tiring. In 1977, hesitated between the DM6 and the Quad ESL, for about the same price. Wish I had bought the Quads.
So, yes, repairing these Dovedales can be fun, but I wouldn't spend too much on it. Have a look at the cross-over filters as well, but replacing the capacitors can be tricky. Modern polyester Cs have a lower ESR than old bipolar ones, which could influence the loudness level of one or another driver. But yes, repairing can be fun.
Cheers,
Jacques
Recently won a pair of Dovedale IIIs from a local auction, got them for 5 euro because no one else was bidding...
From the 70s I had excellent memories of this speaker, couldn't afford them as a student. But now in 2006, this pair appeared to have harsh tweeters and one mid-range driver was silent. Sound quality was not really impressive apart from the bass: deep yet not boomy.
This midrange driver was open-circuit. I replaced it with a Celestion Ditton 44 mid-range (6 Ohms, as the Wharfedale one), adapting the hole in the cabinet front. The speaker now sounded much better than the other. So, I replaced the mid-range driver in the other speaker as well. Finally replaced the cross-over filter capacitors for the tweeter (one seemed to have leaked) and that made quite a difference as well. The speakers have a three-position switch for attenuating or emphasising mid-range and tweeter, I attenuate the tweeter and set the mid-range to neutral to have the best result (in my room and with my ears).
The other speakers I have from the 70s, Bowers and Wilkins DM6, still sound a lot more neutral and less tiring. In 1977, hesitated between the DM6 and the Quad ESL, for about the same price. Wish I had bought the Quads.
So, yes, repairing these Dovedales can be fun, but I wouldn't spend too much on it. Have a look at the cross-over filters as well, but replacing the capacitors can be tricky. Modern polyester Cs have a lower ESR than old bipolar ones, which could influence the loudness level of one or another driver. But yes, repairing can be fun.
Cheers,
Jacques
Hi Jaques54,
one of my tweeters in my Dovedales is shot. Can you recommend a tweeter which would fit in there? I don't want to throw the speakers away.
Thanks and Greetings
Christian
one of my tweeters in my Dovedales is shot. Can you recommend a tweeter which would fit in there? I don't want to throw the speakers away.
Thanks and Greetings
Christian
johnthedoctor said:
NO! Keep them (or donate them to me )
You may be able to get replacements from EBAY (none there at the moment - I just looked) I have seen several over the last few months.
I gave away a pair some years ago and have regretted it since.
Andy
alonzohawk said:
Hi,
Probably easier to replace both tweeters, try here :
http://www.lautsprechershop.de/
🙂/sreten.
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