Capacitor Quality and Placement

Milzie · 2nd January 2003, 05:44 PM

When selecting the quality of capacitors used in a crossover, I would assume that the most critical capacitor would be the capacitor in series for the tweeters highpass. I assume that the capacitors in parallel for the woofers section or any traps, etc are less critical.

I have used Solen capacitors throughout my design and am curious what kind of effect I will see from upgrading to something like Hovland or Infinicap and where in the circuit will I get the most bang for the buck.

Any thought??????

Thanks,
Jeff

Jeff R · 2nd January 2003, 08:50 PM

Even a parallel capacitor impacts the sound, so I would not skimp. When in doubt, experiment.

fdegrove · 2nd January 2003, 11:28 PM

Hi,

While I agree in general, the trick is to keep proper balance between the speaker units.

For example:imagine you had a bi-polar elco in series with the tweeter,changing it to a higher effeciency filmcap may very well upset the tonal balance of the entire speaker system.

So,if you change anything you're actually becoming you're own designer and I would advise to change components (especially caps) for the best possible balance.

Finding the best balance may require some experimenting on your side and will quite likely yield a more revealing speaker.

Inductors can be just as critical,especially on finely tuned x-overs so the same advise of caution applies.
Measure series resistance and inductance before you invest in anything fancier.

Components in an impedance correcting Zobel network are less critical sonically and I usually put those last on my list.

Happy tweaking,

Cheers,

dhaen · 3rd January 2003, 04:02 AM

Maybe this is a statement of the obvious, but:

If you change your "amp", the results may well be different.

Cheers,

fdegrove · 3rd January 2003, 04:07 AM

Hi,

Changing the speakers too.

Cheers,

dhaen · 3rd January 2003, 04:11 AM

You know that's not what I meant

What I meant, was that the ideal X-over component values/makes, with your present amp, might not be ideal with another....OK

fdegrove · 3rd January 2003, 04:14 AM

we know a thing or two...

Sorry John ...open door.

dhaen · 3rd January 2003, 04:16 AM

Dohhhh

FrankDIY · 4th January 2003, 01:27 AM

Using good quality capacitors will give you linear results over the time and then no performance degradation in 1, 5 or 10 years.

2nd January 2003, 05:44 PM	#1
Milzie diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada	Capacitor Quality and Placement When selecting the quality of capacitors used in a crossover, I would assume that the most critical capacitor would be the capacitor in series for the tweeters highpass. I assume that the capacitors in parallel for the woofers section or any traps, etc are less critical. I have used Solen capacitors throughout my design and am curious what kind of effect I will see from upgrading to something like Hovland or Infinicap and where in the circuit will I get the most bang for the buck. Any thought?????? Thanks, Jeff __________________ The *** is a muscle that MUST be rested!

2nd January 2003, 11:28 PM	#3
fdegrove diyAudio Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Belgium	UPGRADES Hi, While I agree in general, the trick is to keep proper balance between the speaker units. For example:imagine you had a bi-polar elco in series with the tweeter,changing it to a higher effeciency filmcap may very well upset the tonal balance of the entire speaker system. So,if you change anything you're actually becoming you're own designer and I would advise to change components (especially caps) for the best possible balance. Finding the best balance may require some experimenting on your side and will quite likely yield a more revealing speaker. Inductors can be just as critical,especially on finely tuned x-overs so the same advise of caution applies. Measure series resistance and inductance before you invest in anything fancier. Components in an impedance correcting Zobel network are less critical sonically and I usually put those last on my list. Happy tweaking, Cheers, __________________ Frank

3rd January 2003, 04:02 AM	#4
dhaen diyAudio Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: U.K.	Caution Maybe this is a statement of the obvious, but: If you change your "amp", the results may well be different. Cheers,

3rd January 2003, 04:07 AM	#5
fdegrove diyAudio Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Belgium	TWEAKING MADLY Hi, Changing the speakers too. Cheers, __________________ Frank

3rd January 2003, 04:14 AM	#7
fdegrove diyAudio Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Belgium	TOGETHER... we know a thing or two... Sorry John ...open door. __________________ Frank


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2nd January 2003, 08:50 PM	#2
Jeff R diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Florida	Even a parallel capacitor impacts the sound, so I would not skimp. When in doubt, experiment.

3rd January 2003, 04:11 AM	#6
dhaen diyAudio Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: U.K.	You know that's not what I meant What I meant, was that the ideal X-over component values/makes, with your present amp, might not be ideal with another....OK

3rd January 2003, 04:16 AM	#8
dhaen diyAudio Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: U.K.	Dohhhh

4th January 2003, 01:27 AM	#9
FrankDIY diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Quebec City	Using good quality capacitors will give you linear results over the time and then no performance degradation in 1, 5 or 10 years. __________________ Imagination is more important than knowledge. knowledge is limited, imagination encircles the world. Albert Einstein FrankDIY's Audio Corner

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