[tomlinmgt]

I picked up an X-statik driver/x-over kit second hand last year and just haven't been able to find the time to build it out.  I happened across a set of the AV123 X-statiks for sale for a great price and am thinking I'll just grab those and sell my kit.  Are there any key differences between drivers, x-over or cabinet construction in the AV123 version compared to what's in the current kit and cabinet depicted in the plans?

Thanks,
Michael

[Hobbsmeerkat]

I have an AV123 X-Statik that is currently undergoing an upgrade, as well as a GR model that is replacing the one I lost from shipping damage. The differences between the stock crossover are mostly down to parts quality and the lack of a crossover board, since theyve since been sold outfor a while now.
Drivers are identical, aside from the shielded woofers in fhe upper section on the AV123 units.

There's a couple small changes to the cabinet plans, mostly in converting the original metric measurements to "freedom units" amd the front baffle being a long 1.5" thick vs the more current version which is slimmer, and is both bolted & screwed in place.

That said, the stock X-statiks are great as is, tho upgrading them is pretty easy if you only want to mod the stock crossover. Esp if you only plan to upgrade the crossover. Removing the stuffing and excess glue to install norez is an absolute pain...



My crossover vs the stock boards.

[tomlinmgt]

I have an AV123 X-Statik that is currently undergoing an upgrade, as well as a GR model that is replacing the one I lost from shipping damage. The differences between the stock crossover are mostly down to parts quality and the lack of a crossover board, since theyve since been sold outfor a while now.
Drivers are identical, aside from the shielded woofers in fhe upper section on the AV123 units.

There's a couple small changes to the cabinet plans, mostly in converting the original metric measurements to "freedom units" amd the front baffle being a long 1.5" thick vs the more current version which is slimmer, and is both bolted & screwed in place.

That said, the stock X-statiks are great as is, tho upgrading them is pretty easy if you only want to mod the stock crossover. Esp if you only plan to upgrade the crossover. Removing the stuffing and excess glue to install norez is an absolute pain...



My crossover vs the stock boards.

Thanks for the info, Hobbs. 
The x-over that came with the X-statik kit I have looks like the example on bottom in your pic. So the network with the point to.point wiring is what's in the AV123 model?  Looks like it has some nicer parts.  The kit I got also has the upgraded caps and tube connectors, but they haven't been installed in the base network yet.

[E-Zee]

Michael,

Seeing your most recent post it sounds like you may have the AV123 kit plus some upgraded capacitors?  Upgrading those caps is very doable but may require some adaptation considering new sizes and potentially adding additional bypass caps.  Can't say since I'm not certain exactly what you have.



The board in photo is not mine, but shows how those upgraded caps can get squeezed onto the original board.

I sent you a PM including phone number.  I'd be willing to try to walk you through it over phone if you were wanting to tackle it yourself.

[Hobbsmeerkat]

Thanks for the info, Hobbs. 
The x-over that came with the X-statik kit I have looks like the example on bottom in your pic. So the network with the point to.point wiring is what's in the AV123 model?  Looks like it has some nicer parts.  The kit I got also has the upgraded caps and tube connectors, but they haven't been installed in the base network yet.

The AV123 crossover is the one on the bottom with the green circuit board, fully standard, no upgrades.
The upper crossover is the fully upgraded options separated out onto custom 3D printed boards, one for each set of drivers.
Sonicaps & Miflex bypass caps in the tweeter, and tiny sonicap bypass on all the other caps, including the larger ones in the mid & woofer circuits.

But as shown above it's definitely possible to upgrade the stock board, and it would have been a a fair bit cheeper, but I'm glad I went the way I did.

[S Clark]

Change out the tweeter caps for sure.  The rest of the crossover isn't as crucial... IMO.

[E-Zee]

No doubt about it.  The example Hobbs showed would be my first choice.  That gives true point to point wiring, without any potential layout or circuit limitations caused by the printed circuit board.  I showed upgrades on the printed board with assumption that you had the assembled board and only a couple of upgraded caps.  I misread your original question as asking if you should sell current unassembled crossover to purchase the older av123 assembled board.  I don't think anyone would recommend the av123 board as preferable to having the higher grade components point-to-point on a new board. Rereading now I see you may be able to buy completely assembled speakers instead? If they are finished nicer than you will be able to finish them than that may be a good option if not cost prohibitive and would ultimately be my deciding factor.  If you love the finish of the ccompleted cabinets and can't do it yourself than that's your best option.

If not going that route than my final ranking of options and then I won't clutter this thread anymore.
1- purchase remainder of components needed for a complete new assembly.  You already have unknown percentage of the higher grade capacitors, so you need inductors and resistors, maybe still need a couple caps.  If you don't need much in way of caps, you might get that all done for under $200 and id consider that worthwhile.  Then sell the assembled AV123 boards to someone else who will be happy to use them as is. You might come ahead in that deal.
2- upgrade the assembled av123 board to add the new caps
3- use the board as is. Plenty of happy av123 x-static owners with no upgrades.

For me considering the cost of drivers and lots and lots of labor for cabinets, the design is absolutely worthy of the small additional expense for option 1.

[subsonic1050]

If you end up selling your kit let me know, I'd be interested depending on what you're asking for it!

[corndog71]

Change out the tweeter caps for sure.  The rest of the crossover isn't as crucial... IMO.

I disagree.  If you’re working from the stock crossover then the midrange cap needs to be upgraded too.  Those stock caps had a graininess and slight dullness to their sound compared to sonicaps.  Erse caps lose the grain but are still a bit darker sounding than sonicaps.  A good bypass helps.

[tomlinmgt]

Thanks for the info and feedback, guys. This is what was included in the kit I have...



Well then, if the drivers in the AV123 X-statiks are the same as what I have and the cabinets are well constructed and haven't undergone any sort of redesign to improve them, it sounds to me like my best move would be to get the AV123 X-statiks, pull the stock networks from them, upgrade using the Sonicaps and Mills resistors I have, and sell the drivers/x-overs I got in the kit. I don't see my schedule getting any less hectic in the near future, so finding time to build the cabinets and load them with the parts I have won't be happening any time in the foreseeable future.

[Hobbsmeerkat]

Yep, those are the stock AV123 crossover boards, (which have sold out, hence the current prices) along with the cap & resistor upgrades.

Alternatively, depending on the cost of the AV123 models available to you, x-statik flat packs are now available on the website, but if you're still too busy then, upgrading a stock pre-assembled model is definitely going to be an easier option for you.