[DJB]

anybody upgrade these

[JLM]

Careful with upgrades. 

First, why did you buy them?  I assume you conducted careful research based on what you thoughtfully wanted, the intended listening room, your budget, and a proper audition before hand.  So they must have been a good choice. 

Second, what do you now want to change?  Are you trying to scratch an itch?  Got a few coins burning a hole in your pocket? 

Third, do you think someone else can improve on an Andrew Jones design?  He is well respected designer and currently works for an 80 year old company.  He's designed $100k + speakers!  Most modders are simply lone hobbyists on a limited resources with a big ego.  Will the mods actually improve the sound by modern measurements or a trained panel in a double blind test?  Very, very doubtful.

Many attributes cannot be changed (size, shape, finish) and many cannot be easily changed (type of cabinet, efficiency, drivers, etc.).  What's left is tweaking of what Jones intended (at the price point).  With enough money and time most any design can be improved upon, but meaningful changes quickly take you into a completely new design. 

[DJB]

i bought them because the price was right and reviews on elac speakers were mostly good
i think they sound good but can they sound better
i read post on here about improving another model of elac speakers
i was just inquiring i know there are other factors like my room and equipment
just interested in improving my music

[JLM]

From the start, realize that these are fairly ordinary speakers that were built to a price/marketing point and doubtfully worth serious modding efforts. 

Let's define the problem first.  What are your complaints about the UF5's (or your system/room)?  What is the rest of your system and room like?  What are your listening habits (musical genre's, listen alone or with others, volume levels, setup, sources, etc.)?  What do other audiophiles think of your system/room setup?  Have you done any testing? 

Am not a particular fan of Jones or Elac but am leery of most mods.  Could/would they sound different, probably.  Will they sound better, most probably to the ears of the alterant.  Hard to second guess Jones/Elac. 

Again, can't expect serious lab testing or trained listeners in a double blind setup to verify modding results.  So mods are a violation of some degree to the design premise and a shot in the dark that only a mother (or those with a vested interest) could love. 

[timind]

Although it seems JLM is throwing cold water on your plan, he is asking some good questions. In your case though, it seems as if you didn't buy the speakers because you were in love with their sound.

If you want to see what mods can do for the sound, have at it. If you love the speakers and want them to sound better, be careful. My experience modding/upgrading the crossovers on a pair of speakers I loved was negative. I changed the sound, but lost the magic I loved.

[JLM]

Replacing probable $1 caps with $50 caps should improve the sound, but makes little sense in a $500 speaker.

Playing with the stuffing/lining is a crap shoot.

Don't know what bracing is like (stiffer should be better), but wouldn't be easy to do at this stage. 

That's about all you can reasonably mod. 

But defining the problem should always be the first step.  (See my previous post.)

[FireGuy]

From the start, realize that these are fairly ordinary speakers that were built to a price/marketing point and doubtfully worth serious modding efforts. 

This is a good question by the OP. 

I agree trying to modify on a relatively lost cost design is not something that should be pursued.  Just spend a little more on a better speaker based on good research.

However, it appears Pioneer's SP-BS22-LR (which got major praise) was/is a top candidate for upgrades to improve the sound. This certainly is anti to JLM's point above and mine.   Personally, I'm still amazed at the attention these got considering there are other (non Pioneer)  models at a modest cost that are equal or better without mods.

[corndog71]

Its a double-edged sword. 

It can be fun and interesting to experiment with modding speakers.  If what you want is a fun and interesting project that may or may not work out as planned.

Frankly it can also be a waste of time, effort and money if all you want are slightly better or different sounding speakers.  As if the effort isn't the point.

You can easily spend $200-400 on basic upgrades: No Rez for lining the cabinets and swapping capacitors in the tweeter circuit with a different brand.  You may find you like the sound of your speakers and be done with it.  Or you may not and crave more mods.  The next level is to ship one of your speakers to Danny so he can measure it.  He has to have it to see if it can be improved.  Say he does come up with an improved crossover.  It will likely cost another few hundred dollars.   But again, it's a learning experience.

Or you could just buy a different pair of speakers if the ones you have don't make you happy.  Maybe you don't care to deal with all of the above.

I once upgraded a friend's cheap Polk towers ($400/pr).  I added No Rez to the cabinets and contacted Polk about the crossover.  They were really cool about it as it was a discontinued model.  Turns out there had been several updates to the crossovers.  So I built new ones based off the latest update.   In the end they sounded a lot smoother, more detailed, and had better power handling.  You could crank them up louder with a lot less distortion.  My friend was blown away by the change!  He had no interest in doing all of this himself so to him it was worth it.  It was fun for me!

[Hobbsmeerkat]

My first foray into modding speakers was upgrading my dads 90s Technics 3-way speakers.
I went the cheaper route, mostly focused on bracing the cabinet and  installing the Parts Express equivalent of Norez. I also upgraded the wiring from 22gague to 16 gague and adding some small strips of butyl dampener to the driver frames. And use a 2x2 cut with a miter saw to brace the cabinet walls. I think it cost me about $80 to upgrade both towers? It helped with the driver frame ringing and tightened up the midbass section, esp at louder volumes.

While i didn't upgrade the overly simple crossover (just 3 parts) i don't think it will be worth the cost beyond what's already been achieved, esp since they cost about $100 at retail.

If i were to do it again with another pair of speakers, I'd definitely take things a little further with some proper norez installation, and upgrading the crossover. But for now, I've got my XLS encores with a pair of NX Studio's on the way.

If its a cost you're willing to afford as a way to learn new skills and maybe have some fun along the way, then id be willing to go down that route.
Otherwise I'd say take a look a building your own kit. Like say a pair of X-SLS encore towers or even the MTM version. (Not on the site, but you can always call or email Danny for info)

[WGH]

Since these speakers are about $450 each, no matter how good they sound I would put very little money into them. Modifications will not increase their resale value when you get the urge to upgrade, but mods are fun. I have modded my last 3 speakers with positive results.

The UF5's are built to a price point, you could easily spend $500 on mods but then you would have $1400 speakers with a resale value of $500. What amp/receiver are you using? The $500 might be better spent toward upgrading your electronics and make a bigger overall improvement than changing the crossover.

DIY mods would give you the most bang for the buck. The UF5's weigh only 40 lbs each, resonance control would be a good place to start. Benefits would include a tighter tuneful bass, greater midrange clarity with a tighter focus and improved 3-D imaging because cabinet vibrations are reduced.

I have documented many of my cheap tweaks that can transform an affordable speaker into a giant killer here:
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=44748.msg400398#msg400398

Cabinet bracing along with damping both the box and the woofer drivers will go a long way toward improving the sound. Tap the speakers sides, do they sound hollow or a well damped thunk? If hollow then cabinet modifications should be #1 on your list.

No Rez damping material has been mentioned a few times. Great stuff but 2 layers of self stick vinyl floor tile from Home Depot, 1" open cell foam, and 2 cans of 3M Hi-Strength 90 spray adhesive (for both the tile and foam) works almost as well, $200 vs. $65, your choice.

Damping the woofer baskets with PlastiClay will add clarity, is cheap and fun to do. Frank Van Alstine first wrote about this tweak in the very first Audio Basics newsletter, Volume One Number One, January 1982, which is still available on the AVA website, and it is still as valid today as it was 38 years ago. The results were just as Frank described with clearer, less colored, quicker, and smoother sound.

[Hobbsmeerkat]

The vinyl option is good too, esp cuz it's readily available at most box stores
I quite like Butyl automotive dampener, esp on the drivers since its quite thin (80mil) & easily moldable the curvature of metal frames.
And of course open cell foam is also easily accessible and quite cheap.

Here's what I did to my dad's woofer drivers:

 
It knocked all of the ringing out of them, and the foam helps to prevent reflections off the back of the woofer

[DJB]

thanks for the replies, i think i will wait  for now

[Danny Richie]

Third, do you think someone else can improve on an Andrew Jones design?  He is well respected designer and currently works for an 80 year old company.  He's designed $100k + speakers!  Most modders are simply lone hobbyists on a limited resources with a big ego.

I can, and I bet Andrew can improve them as well. They were built to a price point. So his hands are tied to what can be offered at that price point.

Upgrading the quality of the parts, wire, adding No Rez are all given improvements.

Will the mods actually improve the sound by modern measurements or a trained panel in a double blind test?  Very, very doubtful.

100% the sound can be improved.

And improving and tweaking speakers are part of the fun of this hobby. Sometimes even a little improvement can go a long way.

And we offer a free service of measuring, testing, and evaluating.

Our recommendations can vary depending on what we find. See examples here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CWVxZIr5t8&t=435s

And sometimes it is the really well designed ones that are the best models for mods: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m_GJ8JQpCI&t=62s

[Chikoo]

Replacing probable $1 caps with $50 caps should improve the sound, but makes little sense in a $500 speaker.

Playing with the stuffing/lining is a crap shoot.

Don't know what bracing is like (stiffer should be better), but wouldn't be easy to do at this stage. 

That's about all you can reasonably mod. 

But defining the problem should always be the first step.  (See my previous post.)

Define the goal should be the first step.
Identifying the problems that are preventing you from getting to your goal is the second step.

[Chikoo]

This is a good question by the OP. 

I agree trying to modify on a relatively lost cost design is not something that should be pursued.  Just spend a little more on a better speaker based on good research.

However, it appears Pioneer's SP-BS22-LR (which got major praise) was/is a top candidate for upgrades to improve the sound. This certainly is anti to JLM's point above and mine.   Personally, I'm still amazed at the attention these got considering there are other (non Pioneer)  models at a modest cost that are equal or better without mods.

I have the BS22 and FS52, Elac Debut F5, Elac Debut 2.0 F6. In my experience, if you are a consumer of highly compressed music, the BS22 & FS22 are amazing bargains. If you have some more money, the Elac debut are better. The Elac debut 2.0, not a candidate for compressed music. The well recorded and detailed music is what it is built for. Amazing clarity and the decay is phenomenal. Every note is clean, and well articulated. The other two speakers won’t even let you realize what you are missing.