In building my 1st pair of speaker (Dillon Metaphors) I kind of overdid the soldering on the crossovers. I mean I made major twisted mechanical contacts then was quite liberal with the solder under the assumption of creating the best, longlasting joints possible. I used 4% silver solder. So the solder joints are overkill. Any sonic issues in this? I'm considering rewiring with better (Kimber) wire, and I'm dreading my own overzealousness ... but, it's the sound that really matters.
Hi Greg,
I don’t see where this will be a problem either mechanically or sonically. That is unless you decide to change one of the components at some point in the future. Then it could be a bit of a hassle. Although, it has been my understanding that it’s hard to beat a good crimp connection (conductor-to-conductor) for connection integrity, but it may not always be practical.
Rodd Yamashita
I don’t see where this will be a problem either mechanically or sonically. That is unless you decide to change one of the components at some point in the future. Then it could be a bit of a hassle. Although, it has been my understanding that it’s hard to beat a good crimp connection (conductor-to-conductor) for connection integrity, but it may not always be practical.
Rodd Yamashita
Not that I think you would hear the difference, but I do remember reading an article long ago where Randall (guitar amps) was responding to a negative review about their skimpy solder joints by saying that a thin layer of solder is less likely to stress crack over time & heat cycling.
I really have to say that I also feel that a smaller, more simple solder joint seems to hold better. I don't know why. I also prefer to use a crimp method. If I am connecting two wires together I twist them and then bend the twist against one of the wires and heat shrink or even tightly tape it with electrical tape (in a pinch). I have found that to be more reliable than any crimp.
One more thing to consider: it may be worthwhile to recheck the electrical and mechanical characteristics of the crossover. Components can drift and change when subjected to excess heat. Capacitors especially can become unreliable if the end-attach is abused. Shake the crossover around while you're checking it. Use a bit of percussion (bang on it) to see if anything internal has cracked or come loose. Thermally shock it with freeze spray.
If I may speak frankly, to achieve a somewhat questionable sonic goal, you may have produced a real, quantifiable problem. Normal soldering practice and materials work fine without compromising reliability and accuracy. There is no reliable evidence, just bald assertion, that high temperature solders make any audible difference compared to old-fashined 60/40 or eutectic Sn-Pb.
If I may speak frankly, to achieve a somewhat questionable sonic goal, you may have produced a real, quantifiable problem. Normal soldering practice and materials work fine without compromising reliability and accuracy. There is no reliable evidence, just bald assertion, that high temperature solders make any audible difference compared to old-fashined 60/40 or eutectic Sn-Pb.
It may be what they said, but it is also true. It is not a bad thing to have a bit of flexibility in the solder joint. Having a thin (but not so thin to be mechanically weak), allows for some movement. If the joint is too stiff, then you essentially have a stress point at the point where the wire enters the solder joint. Of course, the easiest way to deal with this is to make sure that the wires are strapped down to keep movement at the solder joint to a minimum. Some hot melt glue properly applied can go a long way as well.
As per crimps, they can actually be more reliable than a solder joint in high vibration environments. Heck, wirewrap was the most reliable things of all.... 🙂 For high reliability applications, press-fit backplane connectors are often used because they withstand more vibration at the connection point than a solder joint where vibration of the board would cause stress on the solder joints.
Alvaius
As per crimps, they can actually be more reliable than a solder joint in high vibration environments. Heck, wirewrap was the most reliable things of all.... 🙂 For high reliability applications, press-fit backplane connectors are often used because they withstand more vibration at the connection point than a solder joint where vibration of the board would cause stress on the solder joints.
Alvaius
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