Hi guys, I've been lurking here for a while, trying to find the solution to my problem, but with no luck.
I own a pair of original Castle Trents, and while moving house, the tweeter on one of them seems to have been damaged. It is still outputting sound, but it's almost inaudible. I'm pretty sure it's not the fault of amp or wiring as this has been checked thoroughly. I've also checked inside the cabinet but the wiring inside seems undamaged.
My question is where would I find a replacement, or an alternative pair of tweeters that would fit these speakers? I know a couple of places (Wilmslow etc) but I'd rather repair them for less than the cost of a new pair
I can post photos, do some tests etc if you find you need any more info. I'm not an expert and the tweeter may not in fact be irreversibly damaged
Cheers for having a look
I own a pair of original Castle Trents, and while moving house, the tweeter on one of them seems to have been damaged. It is still outputting sound, but it's almost inaudible. I'm pretty sure it's not the fault of amp or wiring as this has been checked thoroughly. I've also checked inside the cabinet but the wiring inside seems undamaged.
My question is where would I find a replacement, or an alternative pair of tweeters that would fit these speakers? I know a couple of places (Wilmslow etc) but I'd rather repair them for less than the cost of a new pair
I can post photos, do some tests etc if you find you need any more info. I'm not an expert and the tweeter may not in fact be irreversibly damaged
Cheers for having a look
Test both for continuity and resistance first using a (Digital Multi-Meter) Is continuity with defective tweeter intermittent? erratic? or stable?
Second, test resistance. What are the readings for both? Might provide a clue.
Had a few sets of Castles myself over the years and as I recall, some of the tweeters were ferro-cooled. They had a tendency to dry out eventually. I'm guessing the resistance on the defective tweeter is much higher than the known working one.
Of course the problem could also be in the x-over itself, pics of it, as well as the tweeters would be helpful.
Regards. Leon
You've gotta wonder if the ferrofluid oil had solidified, and you've only just noticed!
Since it's a biwireable crossover, you can test the units seperately. Not hard to get the old ferrofluid out with a blotter with a lot of tweeters and some careful disassembly. Troels does it as a matter of course, but you'd then need to modify the crossover for the extra brightness:
Vifa C17WH-
Ordinary copper wires is a bit cheap, isn't it. Gold plated at least according to the golden-eared ones at this forum...
Since it's a biwireable crossover, you can test the units seperately. Not hard to get the old ferrofluid out with a blotter with a lot of tweeters and some careful disassembly. Troels does it as a matter of course, but you'd then need to modify the crossover for the extra brightness:
Vifa C17WH-
Ordinary copper wires is a bit cheap, isn't it. Gold plated at least according to the golden-eared ones at this forum...
Attachments
Yes that Troels...loves to have at anything with his exacto knife and dissect
makes me shudder at timesBut this sounds like it might be above the comfort level of the OP...at present.
I guess he'll let us know....I'm interested in the DMM readings first...easy enough for him to pop out the tweeters and then work back from there...if one of them doesn't test well IMHO.
My guess is the ferro-liquid has dried up (difficult to tell conclusively from the pic) but your multimeter tests will soon ferret out useful info...If the tweet check out the same as the known good one then you're on to test the x/over...I'll stay tuned.....Leon
I think you could test those tweeters without a multimeter here. I know because I've been there!
Put a 1.5V battery across the tweeter terminals, and the tweet should make a loud scratch noise. Technically it moves forwards when +ve is applied to +ve.
A gunged up tweeter will be very muted. The fluid sets to solidish rusty-looking paste. All looks easy enough to replace on a simple second order crossover and a pair of 104mm tweeters like Morel CAT 298 would probably be perfect. Those blue non-polar capacitors are probably showing signs of ageing too and would benefit from replacement or upgrade to polypropylene. I don't know that they are easily disassembled though. You'd hope there are screws under the cosmetic covers.
Put a 1.5V battery across the tweeter terminals, and the tweet should make a loud scratch noise. Technically it moves forwards when +ve is applied to +ve.
A gunged up tweeter will be very muted. The fluid sets to solidish rusty-looking paste. All looks easy enough to replace on a simple second order crossover and a pair of 104mm tweeters like Morel CAT 298 would probably be perfect. Those blue non-polar capacitors are probably showing signs of ageing too and would benefit from replacement or upgrade to polypropylene. I don't know that they are easily disassembled though. You'd hope there are screws under the cosmetic covers.
Yes, if one of the tweeters is, indeed, irrepairable, there are a number of superior alternatives. IMO the Castle tweeter in this model was marginal at best.
Hey guys, thanks for responding. I did the battery test but there was no response from the affected unit so I've decided to go with the Vifas, it's a shame they won't be "true" castles anymore but I'm sure I'll get over it
Cheers for the help
Trust me...you aren't missing a thing..in fact, the Vifa's are a couple of notches up in performance! Enjoy!
now he has upgraded Castles
Yes..they are now Castle+
hi guys, I'm new here...I live in Italy and I've bought a pair of Castle trent with a blown tweeter.
I'd like to find out a pair of driver a little more detailed and clear than the original ones.
Im now listening a pair of Triangle comete ex equipped with a titanium horn tweeter...just to give you an idea of what I mean for clear and detailed sound...of course I don't want to reach that level of trebble in such a different diffusor
Any suggestion?
I'd like to find out a pair of driver a little more detailed and clear than the original ones.
Im now listening a pair of Triangle comete ex equipped with a titanium horn tweeter...just to give you an idea of what I mean for clear and detailed sound...of course I don't want to reach that level of trebble in such a different diffusor
Any suggestion?
You might have a problem to fit a new tweeter into the box, because of the size and shape fo the original (rather poor) tweeter, but if you can manage it somehow, te Vifa DX19TG-05 is an excellent choice, much better than the original, also quite cheap. It is a 4 ohm tweeter, but do not worry, you have to match the SPL of it to the woofer, so just add a series resistor BEFORE the X-over somewhere around 3.3-6.8 ohms (guesstimation). Of course be prepared to change the X-over parts values, but with some experimentation it could be much better overall than the original. Suggested part values to start with: cap:3.9-4.7 uF, coil: 0.33-0.47mH (assuming a 2-nd order filter)
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