Replaced my caps
Thanks for everyone for all the good info!
I just replaced all the caps in my NS-1000M's. I decided to use the existing xover board and mounting; I didn't want to go too crazy modding as my NS1000 are pretty darned clean. Plus it was quick to do.
I used existing wire. No boutique caps, just your stock Solens and whatever poly caps I had on hand. I tried to match them up; I would say they are all within 2% of correct value.
For anyone wishing to do this- a quick synopsis. Please see attached pics.
1. Desolder connections just on the sides: L1 on the right; L4, C3 and one leg of L3 on the left. You might need to desolder +IN; mine was long enough not to need to do. Observe wire placement!
2. Flip up the board to access underneath and remove the remaining caps. You might need to pry them off as they are glued to the board.
3. I needed to drill out the holes as the Solen cap leads were fatter.
4. Put in the new caps-
..Start with the two big 47uF (C1) caps. It's a tight fit. Leave enough room on the left to fit C3. Use some sort of glue to attach them. Epoxy, silicon.
..For C3 I used a big 20uF and a little 1uF; the 1 uF just hangs off the board but it will clear the cabinet hole. Using two 10uf might have fit better.
..There is no space for C2 (2.2 + .47 uF) to fit on the board so I glued them to the C1 caps and made jumpers (in green).
..Plenty of space on the right for C4 (2 + 1.5 uF).
5. Screw the board back down and replace the side connections L1, the one leg of L3 and L4 EXACTLY as you desoldered them. Button the unit back up and enjoy! 🙂
Also, while apart, it would be a good time to replace the old pinch-type speaker connections with something more modern to accept banana jacks and binding posts. I got some off ebay; they fit the NS-1000s perfectly. $20.
If anyone wants hi-res of these and more pics, drop me a pm and I'll send them over.
Thanks for everyone for all the good info!
I just replaced all the caps in my NS-1000M's. I decided to use the existing xover board and mounting; I didn't want to go too crazy modding as my NS1000 are pretty darned clean. Plus it was quick to do.
I used existing wire. No boutique caps, just your stock Solens and whatever poly caps I had on hand. I tried to match them up; I would say they are all within 2% of correct value.
For anyone wishing to do this- a quick synopsis. Please see attached pics.
1. Desolder connections just on the sides: L1 on the right; L4, C3 and one leg of L3 on the left. You might need to desolder +IN; mine was long enough not to need to do. Observe wire placement!
2. Flip up the board to access underneath and remove the remaining caps. You might need to pry them off as they are glued to the board.
3. I needed to drill out the holes as the Solen cap leads were fatter.
4. Put in the new caps-
..Start with the two big 47uF (C1) caps. It's a tight fit. Leave enough room on the left to fit C3. Use some sort of glue to attach them. Epoxy, silicon.
..For C3 I used a big 20uF and a little 1uF; the 1 uF just hangs off the board but it will clear the cabinet hole. Using two 10uf might have fit better.
..There is no space for C2 (2.2 + .47 uF) to fit on the board so I glued them to the C1 caps and made jumpers (in green).
..Plenty of space on the right for C4 (2 + 1.5 uF).
5. Screw the board back down and replace the side connections L1, the one leg of L3 and L4 EXACTLY as you desoldered them. Button the unit back up and enjoy! 🙂
Also, while apart, it would be a good time to replace the old pinch-type speaker connections with something more modern to accept banana jacks and binding posts. I got some off ebay; they fit the NS-1000s perfectly. $20.
If anyone wants hi-res of these and more pics, drop me a pm and I'll send them over.
Attachments
NS1000 tweeters
This is a reply for Beachmountain.
I have a pair of tweeters I may sell, one is new, the other has been used for approx 10 hrs.
They cost me £150 each. Send me an offer by mail if you wish.
Regards.
This is a reply for Beachmountain.
I have a pair of tweeters I may sell, one is new, the other has been used for approx 10 hrs.
They cost me £150 each. Send me an offer by mail if you wish.
Regards.
Re: Replaced my caps
Hello everybody,
Is it possible to have the reference / brand of each components ?
Thank you
kstlfido said:
Hello everybody,
Is it possible to have the reference / brand of each components ?
Thank you
Re: Re: Replaced my caps
Hi Audiojoy-
I'm just breaking them in!😀 I would say I've only got about 6 hours on them.
First impressions- High frequencies are less woolly and have more clarity (more fleshed out and crystal-like) as would be expected. Finger snapping sounds more like finger snapping: cymbals sound more like cymbals. I have noticed this slightly more with LP's, but digital source also benefits.
This does give a more 3D feel to the music. In one track, a snare drum really jumped out at me...a good thing!
This is of course just a part of the whole chain so YMMV. But one can't go wrong changing 30 year old electrolytics to modern poly caps!
A brief layout of my audio chain-
(analog) VPI HW-19 Mk III with Benz Glider LO to cinemag SUTs
(digital) macbook usb out to Twisted Pair Buffalo DAC w/ Metronome
(preamp) Modified MFA Magus B
(interconnects) Home made 24ga. loose silver single wire (wire from from Homegrown Audio)
(amp) Antique Sound USA SE 845 monoblocks or pair of McIntosh MC-75
(speaker wire) Copper tape loose on floor (local hardware store)
Marck- You mean the crossover or the whole speaker?
Anyways- having a lot of fun here listening thru my music. I would say changing the caps is definitely worth doing!
😀
-Kent
Hi Audiojoy-
I'm just breaking them in!😀 I would say I've only got about 6 hours on them.
First impressions- High frequencies are less woolly and have more clarity (more fleshed out and crystal-like) as would be expected. Finger snapping sounds more like finger snapping: cymbals sound more like cymbals. I have noticed this slightly more with LP's, but digital source also benefits.
This does give a more 3D feel to the music. In one track, a snare drum really jumped out at me...a good thing!
This is of course just a part of the whole chain so YMMV. But one can't go wrong changing 30 year old electrolytics to modern poly caps!
A brief layout of my audio chain-
(analog) VPI HW-19 Mk III with Benz Glider LO to cinemag SUTs
(digital) macbook usb out to Twisted Pair Buffalo DAC w/ Metronome
(preamp) Modified MFA Magus B
(interconnects) Home made 24ga. loose silver single wire (wire from from Homegrown Audio)
(amp) Antique Sound USA SE 845 monoblocks or pair of McIntosh MC-75
(speaker wire) Copper tape loose on floor (local hardware store)
marck said:
Marck- You mean the crossover or the whole speaker?
Anyways- having a lot of fun here listening thru my music. I would say changing the caps is definitely worth doing!
😀 -Kent
Re: Re: Re: Replaced my caps
Are you quite sure that those are electrolytics? I somehow remember reading that they were not....
kstlfido said:
Are you quite sure that those are electrolytics? I somehow remember reading that they were not....
I believe someone earlier in this thread mentioned that the higher-end yammies (NS2000.. etc) did use higher grade poly caps. But the photo they posted was so small you couldn't make them out to compare.
Are you are referring to the six 3.5 uf (to make C3) in a row? I am pretty sure they are 'lytics. The tops are made of rubber and you can see what I think is a safety vent nipple. Not common poly cap construction, even 30 years ago.
These six are identical to the single 3.5 uF used for C4 (on the right with a bracket) in my 'before' pic. The data on it reads-
MPM
3.5uF
100WV.AC
Nichicon Ltd.
S77T0
The rest on my 'before' board are definitely 'lytics, axial type.
-Kent
Are you are referring to the six 3.5 uf (to make C3) in a row? I am pretty sure they are 'lytics. The tops are made of rubber and you can see what I think is a safety vent nipple. Not common poly cap construction, even 30 years ago.
These six are identical to the single 3.5 uF used for C4 (on the right with a bracket) in my 'before' pic. The data on it reads-
MPM
3.5uF
100WV.AC
Nichicon Ltd.
S77T0
The rest on my 'before' board are definitely 'lytics, axial type.
-Kent
kst
if you want to get a real jump just remove the wool behind the crossover next to the woofer do not touch the wool behind the upper section of the cabinet.
It will sound lean, but the realism factor might just surprise you. If you love it balance out that leanness with a change of thoose internal cables for audio note silver speaker cables.
Takes seconds to try let me know how you get on.
if you want to get a real jump just remove the wool behind the crossover next to the woofer do not touch the wool behind the upper section of the cabinet.
It will sound lean, but the realism factor might just surprise you. If you love it balance out that leanness with a change of thoose internal cables for audio note silver speaker cables.
Takes seconds to try let me know how you get on.
To clear any confusion.
In the NS-1000 series the 47uF bass caps are cheap electrolytics. Well worth changing. The 3.5uF caps in the mid section are NOT electrolytics, they are good quality (though there are alot better caps on the market now) self healing metallized paper caps. Open one up and you'll see (as I did with all my 1000M caps) that they are not electrolytics. The tweeter cap (2.7uF) again is a decent quality metallized paper cap, again, there are much better units available now.
The NS-2000 didn't have any electrolytics at all.
Some people still mod the NS-2000 crossover as in the pic.
In the NS-1000 series the 47uF bass caps are cheap electrolytics. Well worth changing. The 3.5uF caps in the mid section are NOT electrolytics, they are good quality (though there are alot better caps on the market now) self healing metallized paper caps. Open one up and you'll see (as I did with all my 1000M caps) that they are not electrolytics. The tweeter cap (2.7uF) again is a decent quality metallized paper cap, again, there are much better units available now.
The NS-2000 didn't have any electrolytics at all.
Some people still mod the NS-2000 crossover as in the pic.
Attachments
morksbeanbag-
Thank you for the clarification. I should have caught the mpm code on the 3.5uF caps.
Audiojoy-
When I get a chance, I'll try the wool removal. I have them pretty well dialed in for now and want to get their new sound in my head. 😀 Salas's recommendation of extreme toe in really helped imaging too.
Thank you for the clarification. I should have caught the mpm code on the 3.5uF caps.
Audiojoy-
When I get a chance, I'll try the wool removal. I have them pretty well dialed in for now and want to get their new sound in my head. 😀 Salas's recommendation of extreme toe in really helped imaging too.
kst
imaging has been a slight problem for me also. I have a toe in of about 15 degrees by 'extreme' what sort of angle toe in have you tried. I think I better go more extreme tonight to see what happens.
However, having said all that, at many live concerts there never seems to be much imaging specificity. Sound seems to emerge from above between and around one another.Agreed a solo is more obvious in a mix and the very high frequency cymbals tend to have more specificity when imaging, otherwise sound stage depth and width and absolute separation in space of the musicians is a far more grey area in a live situation than can be administered from a hifi system that images very well. Be it natural or not in the case of the latter.
imaging has been a slight problem for me also. I have a toe in of about 15 degrees by 'extreme' what sort of angle toe in have you tried. I think I better go more extreme tonight to see what happens.
However, having said all that, at many live concerts there never seems to be much imaging specificity. Sound seems to emerge from above between and around one another.Agreed a solo is more obvious in a mix and the very high frequency cymbals tend to have more specificity when imaging, otherwise sound stage depth and width and absolute separation in space of the musicians is a far more grey area in a live situation than can be administered from a hifi system that images very well. Be it natural or not in the case of the latter.
NS2000 vs. NS1000 imaging
One of my proposals for improving imaging is to (1) mount the drivers symmetrically, centrally aligned like the NS2000 and (2) build into a low-diffraction enclosure (with curved edges).
Can anyone comment on how the NS2000's imaging compares to that of the NS1000?
One of my proposals for improving imaging is to (1) mount the drivers symmetrically, centrally aligned like the NS2000 and (2) build into a low-diffraction enclosure (with curved edges).
Can anyone comment on how the NS2000's imaging compares to that of the NS1000?
audiojoy-
My listening space is rather cramped. Speakers have 5' between them, toed in at a 30 degree angle. I sit appx 6-7' away. Creates a rather small sound stage. Plus I live in an attic; I'm sure I get some odd reflections.
One thing I noticed early on was the image kind of fell apart it the tweets were firing directly at me. Always sounded better if my ears were about 1' above them. It could be my room, but the 30 degree toe-in helped.
Agreed- live performances -can- have less focus- it really depends on the venue. Much of what I listen to is studio recordings, which probably have the imaging 'constructed'. It really depends on the studio and mixing tech.
Shaun-
I would love to hear some NS2000 owner feedback too! Never seen any in these parts. The be drivers cry out for some custom enclosure!
-Kent
My listening space is rather cramped. Speakers have 5' between them, toed in at a 30 degree angle. I sit appx 6-7' away. Creates a rather small sound stage. Plus I live in an attic; I'm sure I get some odd reflections.
One thing I noticed early on was the image kind of fell apart it the tweets were firing directly at me. Always sounded better if my ears were about 1' above them. It could be my room, but the 30 degree toe-in helped.
Agreed- live performances -can- have less focus- it really depends on the venue. Much of what I listen to is studio recordings, which probably have the imaging 'constructed'. It really depends on the studio and mixing tech.
Shaun-
I would love to hear some NS2000 owner feedback too! Never seen any in these parts. The be drivers cry out for some custom enclosure!
-Kent
I don't currently use NS-1000's , but I used them "n" hours per day often 7 days a week in a succession of UK professional recording studios between circa 1977 and 2006, (always driven by Yamaha B1 power amps) and I've personally owned a few pairs of NS-1000M at home , and done quite a lot of listening on the NS-1000 type as well. Up until the mid-90's in studios this was always with first-generation pro analogue tape masters as sources, so without degrading contributions from turntables or 16-bit digital sources.
In studios we always used them as "nearfield" monitors, mounted on their sides with tweeters at ear level facing outwards, and "toed-in" so that the beams from the tweeters met behind the head. They would be mounted immediately behind the mixing console so the tweeters would be probably a metre or so from the ears. This listening situation was found to be absolutely optimum, and we always returned to it after trying other placements ...the converse being that I couldn't believe how bad a pair sounded when I heard them soffit-mounted and being driven from an ordinary commercial power amp.
The bass end was definitely improved with them horizontally-mounted (ie as compared to conventional vertical mounting), and I was surprised to read somewhere online that the designers had originally intended them to be used mounted horizontally - a prospect which appalled the Yamaha marketing guys who insisted on them being marketed as conventional vertical speakers. Sorry I don't have that URL to hand , but found it by Googling NS-1000 several years ago.
Listening to music like that has always been a joyous experience for me ( even though it's been work....) - the soundstage is incredibly defined with very serious 3D depth. On NS-1000 's you are guaranteed to hear things you never heard before in recordings you thought you knew very well indeed. The transient response and lack of distortion has always seemed breathtaking to me.
Listening to a bad recording ( or a badly-mastered modern commercial music recording...) on NS-1000's is IMHO an excruciatingly horrible audio experience - it doesn't get much worse. Listening to a great recording can be breathtakingly good.
Just my 2c worth on the imaging...
The prospect of further improving the sound from them by swapping-out the caps etc. is certainly intriguing - if and when I get a studio again I shall certainly get a pair of Ns-1000s and give it a try, as I have a pair of spare crossover units.
At Berwick Street Studios in London in the late 1970's, we liked NS-1000 so much that we bought a larger pair of Yamaha's which if I remember rightly were called FX-3 . I believe they were the only pair in the UK
In studios we always used them as "nearfield" monitors, mounted on their sides with tweeters at ear level facing outwards, and "toed-in" so that the beams from the tweeters met behind the head. They would be mounted immediately behind the mixing console so the tweeters would be probably a metre or so from the ears. This listening situation was found to be absolutely optimum, and we always returned to it after trying other placements ...the converse being that I couldn't believe how bad a pair sounded when I heard them soffit-mounted and being driven from an ordinary commercial power amp.
The bass end was definitely improved with them horizontally-mounted (ie as compared to conventional vertical mounting), and I was surprised to read somewhere online that the designers had originally intended them to be used mounted horizontally - a prospect which appalled the Yamaha marketing guys who insisted on them being marketed as conventional vertical speakers. Sorry I don't have that URL to hand , but found it by Googling NS-1000 several years ago.
Listening to music like that has always been a joyous experience for me ( even though it's been work....) - the soundstage is incredibly defined with very serious 3D depth. On NS-1000 's you are guaranteed to hear things you never heard before in recordings you thought you knew very well indeed. The transient response and lack of distortion has always seemed breathtaking to me.
Listening to a bad recording ( or a badly-mastered modern commercial music recording...) on NS-1000's is IMHO an excruciatingly horrible audio experience - it doesn't get much worse. Listening to a great recording can be breathtakingly good.
Just my 2c worth on the imaging...
The prospect of further improving the sound from them by swapping-out the caps etc. is certainly intriguing - if and when I get a studio again I shall certainly get a pair of Ns-1000s and give it a try, as I have a pair of spare crossover units.
At Berwick Street Studios in London in the late 1970's, we liked NS-1000 so much that we bought a larger pair of Yamaha's which if I remember rightly were called FX-3 . I believe they were the only pair in the UK
Hi Everyone,
jotom750 i'm very interested in purchasing your tweeters as i recently blown 2 in the last 3 months. i'm also interested in improving/modifying my crossovers, im a beginner so any info would be greatly appreciated.
Hugomac
jotom750 i'm very interested in purchasing your tweeters as i recently blown 2 in the last 3 months. i'm also interested in improving/modifying my crossovers, im a beginner so any info would be greatly appreciated.
Hugomac
kstlfido,
Could you point me in the right direction for purchasing the Caps required for the crossover & also the types. Also what speaker cable is best for replacing internal cabling.
Hugomac
Could you point me in the right direction for purchasing the Caps required for the crossover & also the types. Also what speaker cable is best for replacing internal cabling.
Hugomac
studio chap
thanks for your contribution, greatly appreciated.
Horizontal sounds fascinating.
Will feedback once I try them
thanks for your contribution, greatly appreciated.
Horizontal sounds fascinating.
Will feedback once I try them
hugomac-
I used the standard line of Solen caps, purchased from here. They have all sorts of DIY speaker parts. You probably can find another supplier closer to you. Solen's are pretty common.
Please refer to Post #201 for installation and Post #196 for the xover schematic. If you need help, PM me and I can send over higher res pics of the rebuild. It's pretty straightforward.
Audiojoy replaced internal wiring with audionote silver cable. He can help you with sourcing. I left mine stock.
Studiochap-
Thanks very much on the input- you probably have 10 times more time listening to NS1000's than all of us on this thread combined!😀 Your experience has great value. Yes, they are VERY revealing, garbage in garbage out. Exactly what I want with a pair of speakers. I too, will have to try horizontal mounting.
I used the standard line of Solen caps, purchased from here. They have all sorts of DIY speaker parts. You probably can find another supplier closer to you. Solen's are pretty common.
Please refer to Post #201 for installation and Post #196 for the xover schematic. If you need help, PM me and I can send over higher res pics of the rebuild. It's pretty straightforward.
Audiojoy replaced internal wiring with audionote silver cable. He can help you with sourcing. I left mine stock.
Studiochap-
Thanks very much on the input- you probably have 10 times more time listening to NS1000's than all of us on this thread combined!😀 Your experience has great value. Yes, they are VERY revealing, garbage in garbage out. Exactly what I want with a pair of speakers. I too, will have to try horizontal mounting.
Yamaha NS1000 crossover tweaks
AudioJoy,
Really enjoying your comments & enthusiasm regarding tweaking the internals of the NS-1000's, i purchased mine 6 months ago & have been blown away with there detail after playing around with audio equipment for the last 20 years. I've since blown 2 tweeters ( the originals) & have replaced one which was about 20% clearer than the other original before it blew. Both tweeters blew when i had the tweeter dial turned around to +3 because i was hungry for that extra detail. After reading your comments i am now exited to try your improvements, i recently bought a Yamaha CA-2010 Solid State with a 20w Class A switchable switch which improves the detail. Do you recommend any other Amps? Maybe the new Yamaha A-S2000 or Tube Amps? I'm desperately after new tweeters & i'm keen to replace the Caps on my x-overs one at a time & also replace internal wiring to the Silver Audio Note. Unlike Snoopy i really do believe that a lot of your efforts have made vast improvements. I would be happy to hear from you about in which order i should tackle these steps & some photos would be greatly appreciated. Is it possible for the x-overs to blow the tweeters because i can't see how a 100 watt Amp can blow tweeters that apparently handle a lot more. The veneer around the cabinets is starting to come away from the timber do you know what i can replace it with? is it easy to buy the same look & apply it myself after sanding down the cabinets. Any information regarding the above comments would be very much appreciated.
Hugo
AudioJoy,
Really enjoying your comments & enthusiasm regarding tweaking the internals of the NS-1000's, i purchased mine 6 months ago & have been blown away with there detail after playing around with audio equipment for the last 20 years. I've since blown 2 tweeters ( the originals) & have replaced one which was about 20% clearer than the other original before it blew. Both tweeters blew when i had the tweeter dial turned around to +3 because i was hungry for that extra detail. After reading your comments i am now exited to try your improvements, i recently bought a Yamaha CA-2010 Solid State with a 20w Class A switchable switch which improves the detail. Do you recommend any other Amps? Maybe the new Yamaha A-S2000 or Tube Amps? I'm desperately after new tweeters & i'm keen to replace the Caps on my x-overs one at a time & also replace internal wiring to the Silver Audio Note. Unlike Snoopy i really do believe that a lot of your efforts have made vast improvements. I would be happy to hear from you about in which order i should tackle these steps & some photos would be greatly appreciated. Is it possible for the x-overs to blow the tweeters because i can't see how a 100 watt Amp can blow tweeters that apparently handle a lot more. The veneer around the cabinets is starting to come away from the timber do you know what i can replace it with? is it easy to buy the same look & apply it myself after sanding down the cabinets. Any information regarding the above comments would be very much appreciated.
Hugo
Hi Hugomac, you might be lucky and find a Yamaha B-1 amp, and possibly cheaply if you were lucky. If you were really lucky you would find one with the optional UC-1 remote, enabling you to switch between 5 pairs of speakers with preset levels for each. The B-1 has the relays built-in , but you can not access them without the controller.
The B-1 is a really quite formidable amplifier, and a brilliant match for the NS-1000's. Downside is that you can not find the power output mosfets if they blow. Also if you have a bad back you really should get someone else to lift it for you if it's necessary to move one. Due to the age of the B-1 's now, it's a good idea to recap them too.
I heard recently that someone in Japan had bought the remains of the production line from Yamaha, and is now manufacturing these amps ( including the mosfets)
Hi kstlfido and audiojoy - I'm really pleased to discover more NS-1000 fans out there. I've found many people who rubbish NS-1000's in really vehement terms - when interrogated it eventually comes out that they've never actually heard a pair, - and are basing their opinions on the fact that the NS-1000 must be like a "big NS-10".
Re my earlier post , placing the NS-1000's as suggested will certainly give you a very tightly defined listening "sweet spot" for one person . However , if you listen like that for a while you may find it hard to return to a more conventional setup..🙂
The B-1 is a really quite formidable amplifier, and a brilliant match for the NS-1000's. Downside is that you can not find the power output mosfets if they blow. Also if you have a bad back you really should get someone else to lift it for you if it's necessary to move one. Due to the age of the B-1 's now, it's a good idea to recap them too.
I heard recently that someone in Japan had bought the remains of the production line from Yamaha, and is now manufacturing these amps ( including the mosfets)
Hi kstlfido and audiojoy - I'm really pleased to discover more NS-1000 fans out there. I've found many people who rubbish NS-1000's in really vehement terms - when interrogated it eventually comes out that they've never actually heard a pair, - and are basing their opinions on the fact that the NS-1000 must be like a "big NS-10".
Re my earlier post , placing the NS-1000's as suggested will certainly give you a very tightly defined listening "sweet spot" for one person . However , if you listen like that for a while you may find it hard to return to a more conventional setup..🙂