New to this forum.....hi to you all.
Never really dabbled with hi-fi fault-finding/fixing, just wanted to get that out there 🙂
Recently collected a free set of Gale Gold monitor mk1 bookshelf speakers which came along with an amp I was after. Having read the reviews for these speakers the suggestion is that they are decent budget speakers, let down by wayward treble. Connected them up (bi-wired) to a Cambridge audio a300 amp today and they definitely lack sparkle. At low volume I put an ear to each of the tweeters in turn and swear I could detect very little coming from the left, and nothing from the right. LF drivers seem fine. Disconnected tweeters and both had a resistance of approx 6ohms. Then went to look at resistor and capacitor for each tweeter. I don't have a dedicated meter to measure capacitors, however on the ohm scale the left speaker cap started at approx 10megaohms, then climbed steadily. On the right speaker the cap started at 30megaohms then climbed steadily, although did go open circuit on one measurement attempt.
Duff cap/s perhaps?
Has anyone upgraded the tweeters/resistors/capacitors on Gale Gold Monitors to a successful outcome? If so, which components did you use?
The reviews would appear to bear some truth about HF being wayward but I'm unsure if that's what I'm experiencing, or if I have other issues with the capacitors.
Should I replace the caps, and if so which would you recommend? If you have upgraded to better the treble and bring it better into sonic control, I would be grateful if you could share the detail please.
I'm handy enough with a soldering iron and multi-meter, so, happy to have a go at fixing/upgrading as necessary.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.
Never really dabbled with hi-fi fault-finding/fixing, just wanted to get that out there 🙂
Recently collected a free set of Gale Gold monitor mk1 bookshelf speakers which came along with an amp I was after. Having read the reviews for these speakers the suggestion is that they are decent budget speakers, let down by wayward treble. Connected them up (bi-wired) to a Cambridge audio a300 amp today and they definitely lack sparkle. At low volume I put an ear to each of the tweeters in turn and swear I could detect very little coming from the left, and nothing from the right. LF drivers seem fine. Disconnected tweeters and both had a resistance of approx 6ohms. Then went to look at resistor and capacitor for each tweeter. I don't have a dedicated meter to measure capacitors, however on the ohm scale the left speaker cap started at approx 10megaohms, then climbed steadily. On the right speaker the cap started at 30megaohms then climbed steadily, although did go open circuit on one measurement attempt.
Duff cap/s perhaps?
Has anyone upgraded the tweeters/resistors/capacitors on Gale Gold Monitors to a successful outcome? If so, which components did you use?
The reviews would appear to bear some truth about HF being wayward but I'm unsure if that's what I'm experiencing, or if I have other issues with the capacitors.
Should I replace the caps, and if so which would you recommend? If you have upgraded to better the treble and bring it better into sonic control, I would be grateful if you could share the detail please.
I'm handy enough with a soldering iron and multi-meter, so, happy to have a go at fixing/upgrading as necessary.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.
Welcome to the forum.
I see you have biwired the speakers. At first I thought you may have omitted the wire links!
Dried out ferrofluid can prevent a tweeter from tweeting so you may have to look for suitable replacements.
Changing the capacitors, which are probably electrolytics, to non-polar film types would also be on the cards.
I see you have biwired the speakers. At first I thought you may have omitted the wire links!
Dried out ferrofluid can prevent a tweeter from tweeting so you may have to look for suitable replacements.
Changing the capacitors, which are probably electrolytics, to non-polar film types would also be on the cards.
If you have a small transistor radio with a headphone output, you can test a tweeter by connecting it directly to the radio.
Keep the volume low and you won't damage the tweeter, but you will hear if it is working.
Keep the volume low and you won't damage the tweeter, but you will hear if it is working.
I've got a pair of Gale Silver Monitors in the loft (charity shop find for a fiver!).
The mid/bass driver on those is wired direct to one pair of the biwire terminals while the tweeter is wired to the other pair via a 2.2 uF electrolytic capacitor (I don't recall, but no doubt there's an attenuating resistor in series with that capacitor).
I changed the electrolytic for a 2.2 uF film type capacitor, but can't say it made any audible difference!
Your Gold version seems to have a similar arrangement, at least for the tweeter.
The mid/bass driver on those is wired direct to one pair of the biwire terminals while the tweeter is wired to the other pair via a 2.2 uF electrolytic capacitor (I don't recall, but no doubt there's an attenuating resistor in series with that capacitor).
I changed the electrolytic for a 2.2 uF film type capacitor, but can't say it made any audible difference!
Your Gold version seems to have a similar arrangement, at least for the tweeter.
Tweeter looks like one of th enice little Audax 50mm domes on a HUGE faceplate/bezel. I know there are some exotic gold ones (i have some) that might fit the bezel.
dave
dave
Thanks for the info. I'll have a look on eBay for those caps. Would you also upgrade the cement resistor, even though it's reading good on the multimeter? Do different resistor designs have much influence?
Yes, those are the same as mine. What are the exotic gold ones you mention? Current tweeters are bonded to that bezel, however I can un-bond using a sharp blade and a bit if care.Tweeter looks like one of th enice little Audax 50mm domes on a HUGE faceplate/bezel. I know there are some exotic gold ones (i have some) that might fit the bezel.
dave
Yes, exactly as you mention. Resistor checks out fine, but do resistors of differing quality make any odds......worth upgrading? Capacitors look to be the originals.
Thanks, I'll see if I have an old transistor radio kicking around. So, I just put the jack into the old radio headphone output, and bare the wires at the other end and hold them direct into the tweeter terminals (having removed the spades from the tweeter terminals to exclude resistor/capacitor)?
There is no need to change the resistor.
Your technique for testing the tweeter is sound.
Like planet10, I suspect the tweeter may be a version of the Audax tweeter which was popular in many budget speakers such as the original Wharfedale Diamond. If so, the tweeter includes ferrofluid, and I can vouch for the fact that this thickens over time and hinders the operation of the tweeter.
Your technique for testing the tweeter is sound.
Like planet10, I suspect the tweeter may be a version of the Audax tweeter which was popular in many budget speakers such as the original Wharfedale Diamond. If so, the tweeter includes ferrofluid, and I can vouch for the fact that this thickens over time and hinders the operation of the tweeter.
Your Gold, at 180 mm deep, has slightly more bass extension than my Silver, at 163 mm deep. Otherwise both appear to contain ithe same components.
And there is an inductor in series with the mid/bass speaker as shown in the attached Silver crossover.
Both have a 10 mm mylar dome tweeter - the bezel on my Silver tweeter is black, not gold.
I have also attached the specs of the Monitor Gold Mk.1
And there is an inductor in series with the mid/bass speaker as shown in the attached Silver crossover.
Both have a 10 mm mylar dome tweeter - the bezel on my Silver tweeter is black, not gold.
I have also attached the specs of the Monitor Gold Mk.1
Attachments
Thanks for the detail.
So much choice for film Capacitors........does the voltage rating matter, if higher? I've had some recommended as per attached pic......would these be good to replace existing electrolyte caps? The 2.2uF are rated 250v... current ones are 100v Are they bi-polar?
So much choice for film Capacitors........does the voltage rating matter, if higher? I've had some recommended as per attached pic......would these be good to replace existing electrolyte caps? The 2.2uF are rated 250v... current ones are 100v Are they bi-polar?
That seems pricey for those, but yes, a step up from the elcos. As long as voltage is >50V you should be fine, higher V usually cost more.
dave
dave
Yes, there are better 2.2 uF capacitors available on ebay, for example:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291550691280?hash=item43e1c67fd0:g:4UQAAOSwd0BV4Gdr
And better and cheaper ones too - a pack of 10! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/132789959722?hash=item1eeae5fc2a:g:wNkAAOSwX8dbpR6y
However, it is unlikely that the original electrolytic capacitors are the culprits.
I would concentrate on testing the tweeters themselves.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291550691280?hash=item43e1c67fd0:g:4UQAAOSwd0BV4Gdr
And better and cheaper ones too - a pack of 10! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/132789959722?hash=item1eeae5fc2a:g:wNkAAOSwX8dbpR6y
However, it is unlikely that the original electrolytic capacitors are the culprits.
I would concentrate on testing the tweeters themselves.
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