Tweeter cap upgrade in RS 2.5. Worth the cost?

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LarryD56

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Re: Tweeter cap upgrade in RS 2.5. Worth the cost?
« Reply #20 on: 26 Oct 2017, 12:10 am »
Yeah, I meant 700 & 1100uf on the RS 2.5. I am presently trying out a pair of RS 2a's that sound very nice in their stock form. I'm looking to upgrade the midrange capacitors in those (if I get them) (probably will) and the woofer caps in those are 125, 600, and 1600. I was getting the two different speaker's caps mixed up.

I'd really like to put the Mundorf Supremes in the 2.5's midrange crossover, but the cost is astronomical. It seems that any step upward from the EVO Oils is a giant step up dollar-wise.

Larry

Jeff

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Re: Tweeter cap upgrade in RS 2.5. Worth the cost?
« Reply #21 on: 26 Oct 2017, 01:14 am »
Roger that  :cry:

Stimpy

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Re: Tweeter cap upgrade in RS 2.5. Worth the cost?
« Reply #22 on: 27 Oct 2017, 12:43 pm »
There's an 100uF EVO Oil.  You could use a 22uf Supreme paralleled with that, and probably get very close to the sound you want.  I did the same thing with my recap.  I used a 3.9 EVO Oil + a 2.2 Supreme, to get a 6uF I needed.  I also used a 22uF EVO Oil and a 2.2 Supreme Silver/Oil, for a 24uF midrange cap.  No complaints from me.  They sure beat the 30 year old NPE's!   :thumb:
« Last Edit: 27 Oct 2017, 03:41 pm by Stimpy »

LarryD56

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Re: Tweeter cap upgrade in RS 2.5. Worth the cost?
« Reply #23 on: 1 Jan 2018, 06:57 pm »
Bought some EVO Oils from you to try out in my RS II's. Mixed them with Clarity CSA's. I'll see if they're what I want in the 2.5's. Thanks for the help Jeff.

Larry D.
« Last Edit: 4 Jan 2018, 02:42 am by LarryD56 »

Stimpy

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Re: Tweeter cap upgrade in RS 2.5. Worth the cost?
« Reply #24 on: 3 Jan 2018, 01:53 am »
I just recapped a pair of Acoustic Research AR58S speakers.  A 3-way, with a 3/4" dome tweeter, a 1.5" dome mid, and a 12" woofer.  Very nice, detailed and dynamic speakers.  Much better than I expected.  And for a 12" woofer, it blends exceptionally well with the dome mid.

For the recap, I cheaped out a bit.  I used Bennic NPE's, with Dayton Film & Foil bypass caps, for the parallel shunts.  For the series caps, I used a 3.9uF CSA Clarity Cap (with a Dayton 0.1 F&F, for the 4.0uF value) needed for the tweeter, and a 25 ESA Clarity for the dome mid.  No bypass there (yet), as I wanted to hear them stock, as-is.

On first listen, the caps were very closed in, no air.  Poor dispersion.  The music was very localized to the speaker cabinets.  Good low level detail.  Foley effects, in movies, were very audible.  But, oddly enough, the mids were quite veiled, with poor upper end response.  Very closed in, as stated.  What I was hearing was pretty much how Tony Gee described the ESA's as sounding on his Humble Homemade HiFi review.  Maybe too warm and relaxed for me?

After a few hours of play, the speakers bloomed a bit more.  The music became much more expansive.  Though still, after about 40 hours, the Clarity Caps are still veiled and closed in to me.  I hope additional break in helps?  It might soon be time to add a bypass to the 25uF mid cap.  If after a few more weeks, and the sound doesn't improve, it'll be time for another Mundorf order from Jeff.  Match the AR58S speakers, to my AR90's!

LarryD56

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Re: Tweeter cap upgrade in RS 2.5. Worth the cost?
« Reply #25 on: 3 Jan 2018, 02:54 am »
The CSA's seem to fit the bill in the tweeter department quite nicely. The EVO oil is very revealing. A bit too much at first, but is smoothing out slowly now. I only have about 30 hours of play time on the caps so far. I figure about mid-January that things will permanently settle in.

You may have a while to go on the AR58S before it evens out. It's always hard to tell with capacitors. They're all different and act different.

Larry D.

Stimpy

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Re: Tweeter cap upgrade in RS 2.5. Worth the cost?
« Reply #26 on: 3 Jan 2018, 11:57 am »
Thanks Larry (duh), and it's good to hear that you're enjoying your recap so far.  Plus, it's good news that you like the CSA's on the tweeters, and that the EVO Oils are "very revealing".  That's what I was hoping for with the ESA's, but they're not there yet.  I'll give them time, as they're a well respected brand.  But I my still order a 22uF EVO Oil, for comparison purposes.   :)
« Last Edit: 3 Jan 2018, 11:01 pm by Stimpy »