I have a speaker box with a 8'' woofer and a 1" tweeter both of which are in bad condition. I think I can get away with refoaming the woofers because I think that is the only problem with it.
The tweeters however need replacement as they are distorting at certain frequencies.
The crossover for this two way is set at 2.5kHz. What is the best tweeter out there I can replace it with and also the best value? I would like to spend about $200-$250 for the pair at the most.
Your help is appreciated.
thanks.
The tweeters however need replacement as they are distorting at certain frequencies.
The crossover for this two way is set at 2.5kHz. What is the best tweeter out there I can replace it with and also the best value? I would like to spend about $200-$250 for the pair at the most.
Your help is appreciated.
thanks.
Hi,
First, what is the flange size? (Outer dimension of ring plastic or aluminum)?
Second, take a look at: madisound.com, partsexpress.com, speakercity.com, zalytron.com.
$200-250 is a lot for a tweeter pair. The problem is that all drivers have different response curves and match up differently depending on the mid/woofer used and the crossover topology.
There are some good low/medium cost tweeters:
Morel MDT29
Scanspeak 9300
Hiquophon OW1 (3/4") but may work.
Vifa D27 (can sound tinny)
First, what is the flange size? (Outer dimension of ring plastic or aluminum)?
Second, take a look at: madisound.com, partsexpress.com, speakercity.com, zalytron.com.
$200-250 is a lot for a tweeter pair. The problem is that all drivers have different response curves and match up differently depending on the mid/woofer used and the crossover topology.
There are some good low/medium cost tweeters:
Morel MDT29
Scanspeak 9300
Hiquophon OW1 (3/4") but may work.
Vifa D27 (can sound tinny)
prash,
What kind of speakers are they? I ask because $200 is a lot to spend on tweeters, particularily if the rest of the speaker doesn't justify it (i know some pretty good DIY speakers that can be built for this much).
Also worth noting is that after refoaming the 8s probably won't have quite the same characteristics as when they were 1st made so may not work as well in the box with the XO you have. Which brings up the XO -- what is it comprised of?
The more questions you can answer the more we can help you choose the right bits.
dave
What kind of speakers are they? I ask because $200 is a lot to spend on tweeters, particularily if the rest of the speaker doesn't justify it (i know some pretty good DIY speakers that can be built for this much).
Also worth noting is that after refoaming the 8s probably won't have quite the same characteristics as when they were 1st made so may not work as well in the box with the XO you have. Which brings up the XO -- what is it comprised of?
The more questions you can answer the more we can help you choose the right bits.
dave
The speaker is a Boston Acoustics A70. The outer flange size only of the dome tweeter is 1.25".
The aluminum part around the dome is a 3.5"x4" rectangle (not sure if that's want you want). Basically it is a 1" dome tweeter.
The outer diameter of the woofer basket is 9.25". The literature says it is a 8" woofer.
I am not sure of what kind of xover it has. I am really a newbie and not too familiar with this stuff sorry. All I know is that it crosses over at 2.5 kHz (two way speaker).
Thanks for your input. But please clarify further.
prash
The aluminum part around the dome is a 3.5"x4" rectangle (not sure if that's want you want). Basically it is a 1" dome tweeter.
The outer diameter of the woofer basket is 9.25". The literature says it is a 8" woofer.
I am not sure of what kind of xover it has. I am really a newbie and not too familiar with this stuff sorry. All I know is that it crosses over at 2.5 kHz (two way speaker).
Thanks for your input. But please clarify further.
prash
prash said:
OK 1st off it doesn't make sense to put $200 US into a speaker that in working order is probably only worth half that.
Replacement woofers are only available on a very spotty basis, so you might as well get them resurrounded (but only if you want to do it yourself). It is actually amazing that you can even get replacement factory parts for a 15-20 year old speaker.
You should be able to get tweeters of the same quality for $10-15 each. You may be able to get factory replacements or better yet the replacement butterflys (the dome coil, etc to plug into the motor assembly).
When i am at the HiFi store tomorrow i'll ask Aaron & Don about replacements -- factory or otherwise.
If you want to spend $200-$250 you should just start over -- you can build a speaker better than the A70 for that amount and if you exclude cabinets from the budget WAY better. (i sold these things when they were new so i know them well).
dave
Ok, this is what I was originally thinking. If I get better tweeters for the speaker, I will get better sound from the box. The original speaker was very good to begin with until it's demise. So rather than spending $15 for a replacement tweeter, if I spend a little more and refoam the woofs now wont I get much better sound (assuming that the tweeter matches the xover and woofer characterstics etc. )?
But I am pretty open to DIY starting from scratch. If that is a better idea, where do I start? Remember this is my first foray into this kind of thing and knowledge is limited. The room I have my 2-channel stereo in is very small (10'Wx11'Lx7'H) so a small monitor would be the better option. I was planning to spend around $600 for a pair of readymade speakers before I thought of reviving the old set of speakers.
But I am pretty open to DIY starting from scratch. If that is a better idea, where do I start? Remember this is my first foray into this kind of thing and knowledge is limited. The room I have my 2-channel stereo in is very small (10'Wx11'Lx7'H) so a small monitor would be the better option. I was planning to spend around $600 for a pair of readymade speakers before I thought of reviving the old set of speakers.
Hi,
I would look seriously at the GR Research Paradox 1 speaker.
I have heard it and it sounds very good. The bass is very good for its size. The imaging and soundstage are superb.
Also, look at the www.murphyblaster.com MB1. Use the Hiq OW1 and you will have a great speaker.
Rick Craig at home.earthlink.net/~selahaudio/ can set you up with some speakers that use boxes from madisound.com and the seas W22 with seas tweeter. This should sound even better. The seas units have really great mid range accuracy.
Try your luck at the madisound.com diy site.
home.earthlink.net/~selahaudio/
For $600, you can really get phenomenal speakers that will leave the Boston Acoustics in the dust...
Tell them Dale sent ya.
I would look seriously at the GR Research Paradox 1 speaker.
I have heard it and it sounds very good. The bass is very good for its size. The imaging and soundstage are superb.
Also, look at the www.murphyblaster.com MB1. Use the Hiq OW1 and you will have a great speaker.
Rick Craig at home.earthlink.net/~selahaudio/ can set you up with some speakers that use boxes from madisound.com and the seas W22 with seas tweeter. This should sound even better. The seas units have really great mid range accuracy.
Try your luck at the madisound.com diy site.
home.earthlink.net/~selahaudio/
For $600, you can really get phenomenal speakers that will leave the Boston Acoustics in the dust...
Tell them Dale sent ya.
Good questions...
A "ready made" speaker from a retail shop will have a 5-10X markup from cost. So, a $600.00 speaker will have around 60-100.00 in parts. Granted, there is major cost reductions from volume, but still cheapo parts. A good DIY speaker can use high end components and cost the same or less. The key is in crossover/driver interaction. SOme of these DIY guys are excellent. I have listened to some of these speakers compared to $5000.00 retail speakers and they sound as good.
I live in Harvard, MA and have some DIY speakers that I made for around $600. and some that cost me 1000. You are welcome to come over and take a listen.
Dale
A "ready made" speaker from a retail shop will have a 5-10X markup from cost. So, a $600.00 speaker will have around 60-100.00 in parts. Granted, there is major cost reductions from volume, but still cheapo parts. A good DIY speaker can use high end components and cost the same or less. The key is in crossover/driver interaction. SOme of these DIY guys are excellent. I have listened to some of these speakers compared to $5000.00 retail speakers and they sound as good.
I live in Harvard, MA and have some DIY speakers that I made for around $600. and some that cost me 1000. You are welcome to come over and take a listen.
Dale
prash said:
If you strike out on your own, you might well end up with something not as good, but if you take advantage of what DIYers have done before, you should end up with something that absoulutly smokes anything you could buy for the same money.
You aren't paying for shipping, advertising, manufacturer mark-up, dealer markup (well you are paying it on the drivers), and you never count your labor because you are having fun.
There are many, many well-sorted projects out on the net that you can clone or use as a take-off point. Some examples on my site. Don't stop there -- your hardest problem will be choosing among the wealth of excellent DIY speakers out there.
And don't feel you have to spend your entire budget. There are some immensly satisfying speakers you can build for even under $200 (or less -- my current mains, BD-Pipes, are a good example). Then you can take the money you save and upgrade your source or amps or add a powered sub.
dave
Dale, thanks for the invitation wow. I am tempted to see your speakers. I live in Acton which is not very far.
I will check out the leads you gave me, looks like that might be the way to go. I have auditioned several brand speakers in this price range and not been satisfied for some reason or the other. If the DIY speakers sound as good as some very expensive brand ones, I certainly don't mind the effort involved to put together a pair.
I will check out the leads you gave me, looks like that might be the way to go. I have auditioned several brand speakers in this price range and not been satisfied for some reason or the other. If the DIY speakers sound as good as some very expensive brand ones, I certainly don't mind the effort involved to put together a pair.
Just for experience I suggest you rebuild your spks. You need to find out what the SPL( the efficiancy) is of the speakers, what the ohms are and start looking for a tweeter that you can cross at 2.5K with the same SPL and impedence. <www.partsexpress.com> sells refoam kits and lots of drivers. You can buy the foam and tweets at the same place. Learn about passive crossovers here <www.the12volt.com/caraudio/crosscalc.asp> and think about upgrading the parts in your crossover to improve the sound. No reason to toss some speakers that will end up sounding good if you can use them as a learning experience for less money than it would take to buy a ready made piece of garbage. You aught to be able to refoam, replace the tweets and play with the cross for around $50 to $75 depending on how much you spend on your tweeters. That will be important since they will be covering 85% of the sound reproduction and the better you buy the more projects you will use them in. If you spend 10 hours playing with them and 90 hours listening that works out to $.75/hour. Good cheap entertainment and you get a chance to see if you like messing around with this stuff. And of course you will once you see the possabilities.
If you're will to spend a little more time and effort, I suggest woofer overhaul. Buy a new woofer that will fit the box. What are the box dimentions? We can help you get a 9.25" nominal diameter woofer that would sound much better than a re foamed version of what you have got now. That + a new tweeter (and most likely a new crossover) would have you're ears dancing without having to get your hands dirty. Well, they will likely get a lot dirtier than I imagine due to unforseen difficulties, but will be easier for a first project than building your own box. That can wait for your next project. What do you think?
-andy
partsexpress is an excellent source
-andy
partsexpress is an excellent source
As thatch_ear suggested I think I will go with a new tweeter and refoamed woofers. I was looking at partsexpress and the price for the Scanspeak 9300 (seems to be a popular tweet) was about $76 ea. Although the total might come up to about $200 with the refoam kit etc. I can probably use the tweets for an upgrade later for a better speaker in a different box (w/ a good woofer and xover). Good idea u think?
Well there may be a mismatch with this setup however. This can perhaps be cured by a tweaked xover or some such thing. You guys think this is doable? Or do I scrap this whole thing and start with a clean slate? (just as an aside, my wife hates the old boxes
)
Well there may be a mismatch with this setup however. This can perhaps be cured by a tweaked xover or some such thing. You guys think this is doable? Or do I scrap this whole thing and start with a clean slate? (just as an aside, my wife hates the old boxes
)
prash said:As thatch_ear suggested I think I will go with a new tweeter and refoamed woofers. I was looking at partsexpress and the price for the Scanspeak 9300 (seems to be a popular tweet) was about $76 ea. Although the total might come up to about $200 with the refoam kit etc. I can probably use the tweets for an upgrade later for a better speaker in a different box (w/ a good woofer and xover). Good idea u think?
Well there may be a mismatch with this setup however. This can perhaps be cured by a tweaked xover or some such thing. You guys think this is doable? Or do I scrap this whole thing and start with a clean slate? (just as an aside, my wife hates the old boxes
$76 per is, IMO, too much to put into them -- you'd do better to spend less and get new woofers as thatch-ear suggested. Get something cheaper -- you want to have a speaker you can pass on to a friend with proceeds towards the next pair when you are done or that set of beaters you need for the garage.
Madisound has a $40 Scan-Speak that i still think is overkill. Parts Express has a Vifa MG27 for under $30. Both of those should go as low as possibly needed. Not able to go quite as low but possibiliies are the Axon at Zalytron for under $20 or maybe even the http://www.apexjr.com/speakerstuff.html]Sonance[/URL] at ApexJr for $5 each.
dave
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