Screamin Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 Hi folks I am considering replacing the Foster branded drivers in my no name speakers. Photos attached. They have 2 tweeters (Plesey 3”) a Fenton 5” mid range and Fenton 10” sub. I was keen as they came with my Rotel system i bought for $75 yesterday. Rotel RX-202 Mk2 integrated receiver and RP-1500 turntable. The speaker boxes match in wrap colour. They are 600x400 boxes in chip board. Came with the system new when the owner bought it many years ago. Any thoughts on replacing them to get better sound? And with what brand. Don’t want to spend a fortune as they are a secondary hifi setup for home. I am assuming one of the crossover capacitors has faulted as it was working with slight distortion on the mid but then packed it in. When the mid stopped so did the two tweeters. I assume i need to recap? I need to get some caps i assume not sure which ones are best suited. Any suggestions greatly appreciated. Richard Western Australia
muon* Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 (edited) The caps appear to be in series so could be replaced with a single non polar (or bi-polar if you like) cap. What are the values of the caps? Just replacing drivers is a bit haphazard, as drivers are usually chosen to work together in the cabinet they are in, using whatever passes for a crossover. I'd replace the caps first and see how you like the sound then. If the combined value of the two caps isn't too big I'd look at Jantzen Cross Caps, or Jantzen bi-polar Premium Electrolytic Caps Edited July 16, 2021 by muon* 1
Screamin Posted July 16, 2021 Author Posted July 16, 2021 Thanks Muon The caps say Elna CE-BP 50v 2.2uf The other says Elna 6.8uf 50v Do I need to use particular brands types etc as I can prob get at local electronics store otherwise.
muon* Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 (edited) @Screamin scrap that I messed up They are in series so that 6.2uf + 2.2uf = 1.62uf So you can try a single cap instead of a value of 1.5uf maybe? https://speakerbug.com.au/index.php?route=product/category&path=25_28 Edited July 16, 2021 by muon* 1
afa Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 I think the caps should be kept as individual values and not replaced by a single cap. The mid (pink wire) is fed from the larger value cap and the tweeters (white wires) are fed from the small value cap. And it looks like the extended leg (through the terminal hole) of one of those capacitors has broken off from the positive terminal on the woofer (where the grey wire without the trace is soldered) 1
mwhouston Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 Extremely cheap speakers and I think even Tandy speakers would have sounded better. There is no inductors in the Xover and they have used caps to filter mids and treble. Cheap crap but can easily be improved. Here is the bit which will scare you. If a driver, mid or tweeter, is faulty replace with Jaycar or Altronic drivers. But replace both to ensure both have the same brand of drivers in both channels. Using one of the many online calculators design a three way 2nd order Xover based on driver specs. Get your Ls and Cs from many different suppliers and make your Xovers. Install and balance and you will have a very nice pair of speakers which may rival expensive brands. Happy to help just PM me.
muon* Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 1 hour ago, afa said: I think the caps should be kept as individual values and not replaced by a single cap. The mid (pink wire) is fed from the larger value cap and the tweeters (white wires) are fed from the small value cap. And it looks like the extended leg (through the terminal hole) of one of those capacitors has broken off from the positive terminal on the woofer (where the grey wire without the trace is soldered) That leg through the center did throw me, and I wondered if it was connected somewhere previously.
davewantsmoore Posted July 16, 2021 Posted July 16, 2021 Quote Any thoughts on replacing them to get better sound? Without an identical replacement driver it will need a new crossover, as mentioned above. The crossover parts will need to be selected carefully to make sure the new driver blends in wth the tweeters and woofer. At the risk of being a wet blanket, this is not easy.
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