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I would agree that better crossover components make for better sounding speakers. Solens are not so great IME, I think Clarity ESA would be a step up, and Clarity MR or Jupiter copper foil caps would be even better but lots of cash. I also like Mills resistors and foil inductors.
DbxGlad you found the solutionI like the Soundscapes with the closed bafflePinpoint imagingI would spend the "cap" money on upstream electronicsEnjoy your adventure
I've seen that article many times. Note that there are no details on how the listening tests were performed, or on whether the results had any statistical significance. All I can say is that I have built several of my Philharmonic 3's with standard grade Clalrity caps and with various Clarity upgrades, and I have also participated in properly conducted ABX tests of caps. There might be a difference--it's very difficult to detect it in blind tests because there is so much random variation. But so far I'm sticking with the null hypothesis.
I find it hard to believe that Salk didn't put enough in there. You are aware that you actually can put too much inside; right?
Hey you guys, you could always just do the super duper cap upgrade to one speaker of a pair and then listen to them in mono using the balance control to switch back and forth. Any real differences should be obvious. Of course have someone swap the position of the speakers while you are out of the room now and then to keep the test honest.Methinks the "tire testing without a pressure gauge" syndrome is at work here. If you don't measure the cap removed with a capacitor meter and replace it with another of identical measured value you are just fooling yourselves. A capacitor is not the value marked on it, it is the value that it actually is. For example a 10% tolerance 10 uF cap can be anywhere between 9uF and 11uF and be in spec. So you can be off by 20% from one part to another. In some circuits changing the value of a capacitor by 10 or 20 percent will create a circuit change you can easily hear. This is especially true if the stereo unit or matched speaker pairs had been built originally with selected matched pair capacitors and or resistors and coils. A 20 percent value change from one speaker of a pair to the other can easily cause imaging and phase shift issues that are audible and this has nothing to do with the "wonder" quality or excessively high price of the so called premium grade capacitor.Anticipation bias says that when you make changes to your system, especially if they are expensive changes, you are going to like the new better in the absence of true ABX testing.So how many of you actually use a capacitor meter when cap rolling??? Frank Van Alstine
Well, don't think can agree here. They are an easy speaker to drive but do require quality inputs. They are revealing. Bad recordings are especially tough on them...
If money was no object and I didn't have kids, I would have a set of Aesthetix or AR amps. (Tube amps and kids DONT mix...) One other question , how are they set up. Open or closed rear baffle, how much stuffing? Have you checked the speakers with a sound pressure test to make sure something didn't happen in transit? Embarrassing story. My first high end amp was a Pass x 3 . Got it and killed myself to set it up in a flash. Was using rca interconnects and never read the manual. So started listening and wasn't impressed . Warmed up and while better, still required a lot of energy and flat sound . Went on for weeks, convinced it was me. Then read a review where the reviewer talked about how you needed to short the xlr connection to use rca! What??? What a difference. Not sure why I ever sold my pass amp!
When I sold my VMPS speakers with TRT caps to a guy, he emailed me later and said mine were better than his, but he had another pair (with regular caps) to compare. Without having two pairs, it's going be tough to remember, and your mind is going to let the $1,000 caps win.
Don't underestimate the powerful instrument of your ears. If you know the sonic signature and sound characteristics of your speakers, you will notice a difference when switching caps - even speaker cables or wires. This is dependent that you are elevating the component in question - if you are not elevating, you are moving horizontally, or even de-elevating.I cannot stress enough for people to know the sonic signature of the sound your speakers produce. Even when replacing connectors of one of your audio components, you will change the sound coming from your speakers. For a good or bad result will depend on what and how you are applying the component in question.
