Finished Neo 2X's w/ all the Goodies

Ron · « **on:** 11 Apr 2010, 06:50 pm »

Finally finished my new Neo 2X's yesterday evening. The previous four (4) Neo 2X's that I built all had the Sonicaps, Mills resistors, Vampire input terminals, and No-Rez performance upgrade options. My lastest build differs in that in addition to the previous performance upgrade options, these have the platinum bypass caps and JPS Labs internal wiring. In other words, all the performance goodies. Initial impressions are that the platinum caps and JPS Labs wiring do in fact raise the performance level up a notch. To my ears, the highs sound more extended, detailed, with an increased since of space between different musical instruments. Also, the transient response seems to be faster and more sharply defined. As the platinum caps burn in more the sound should get even better. Supposedly it takes several hundred hours or more for the platinum caps to burn in properly.One subtile improvement that I have noted is that the sound between musical notes seems quieter. This may be a result of the JPS Labs wiring.
Bottom line, I am very impressed so far with the sound improvements made by adding the platinum bypass caps and JPS Labs wiring. These two upgrades are fairly expensive ( approx. $180.00) , but if you want the best possible sound quality from your Neo 2X's, they are definitely worth it.

Ron

mlbrand · « **Reply #1 on:** 11 Apr 2010, 08:26 pm »

NICE! Those look flawless, excellent finish and impressive crossover build! Good to hear your positive impressions of the upgrades. Did you put some Acousta-Stuf or poly-fil in these?

Ron · « **Reply #2 on:** 11 Apr 2010, 08:30 pm »

I used both No-Rez and Dacron Poly-Fil.

Danny Richie · « **Reply #3 on:** 12 Apr 2010, 03:03 pm »

That increase in the dead space between the notes is a result of the Sonicap Platinum by-pass caps. It reduces smearing and takes resolution to a new level.

Good ear!

Ron · « **Reply #4 on:** 12 Apr 2010, 03:32 pm »

Danny,

I can't believe how much better the Neo 2X's sound with the platinum bypass caps. Presently hearing details and nuances not heard before listening to the same music. The previous Neo 2X's I built with just the Sonicaps and Mills sounded great, but you are correct that the platinum bypass caps definitely take resolution to a higher level. Also, very impressed with the quality of the JPS Labs wiring too.

Ron

HT cOz · « **Reply #5 on:** 12 Apr 2010, 04:58 pm »

Ron,

Are they on the tweeter and the woofer? Looks like two caps...

Thanks,
Robert

Ron · « **Reply #6 on:** 12 Apr 2010, 06:32 pm »

Robert,

The platinum bypass caps are in the tweeter circuit only. I used a Sonicap .1 uf Gen. 2 bypass in the woofer circuit which works very well. The most sonic benefit is gained using platinums with the tweeters. Highly recommend this combination. Well worth the extra cost.

Ron

starkiller · « **Reply #7 on:** 13 Apr 2010, 06:10 am »

Ron

Oh sure, NOW you build some N2x's with all the good stuff!

Ron · « **Reply #8 on:** 13 Apr 2010, 10:55 am »

Alan

These are the first pair that I built with all the performance options offered by Danny for the Neo 2X. Really wanted to see if the platinum bypass caps and JPS Labs wiring made a noticeable improvement in sound quality. My opinion as well as the opinion of others is that they definitely do improve the sound. Sorry that your's don't have them. I will be glad to upgrade yours if you want me to.

Ron

Ron · « **Reply #9 on:** 13 Apr 2010, 12:43 pm »

I have decided to build a pair of Neo 3's (sealed ) with all the goodies for my next project. As much as I like my new Neo 2X's, I will need to sell them in order to fund the Neo 3 S project. If anyone might be interested in the Neo 2X's, just send me a PM.

tortoiseman2542 · « **Reply #10 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 03:38 am »

How much or what size of a piece of veneer does one need to do a pair of these speakers. I was looking at some of the veneer's on the ebay page in another GR thread and am not sure how much would be needed. Just curious...

Robert

Ron · « **Reply #11 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 11:42 am »

You would need a sheet of veneer 4 ft. x 4 ft.

dvenardos · « **Reply #12 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 04:17 pm »

Ron,
Do you wrap the left, front, and right sides with one piece of veneer? Looks like you have a slight roundover, but not much.

Ron · « **Reply #13 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 04:41 pm »

Don

I do wrap the left, front, and right with a single piece of veneer. Prior to veneering, I go over the front vertical edges on the Neo 2X's with a 3/8" roundover bit. A 1/2" radius would be better, but it wouldn't allow enough room on the front to install the grill frames.

Ron

Ron · « **Reply #14 on:** 24 Apr 2010, 01:37 pm »

Presently have about 45 hours of listening time on the Neo 2X's and they are already starting to sound even better. Depth of the sound field seems to be deeper and the overall musical detail is better too. The platinum bypass caps definitely do make a noticeable improvement in sound quality. As the caps burn in more they should sound even better.

RogerB · « **Reply #15 on:** 24 Apr 2010, 05:54 pm »

Quote from: Ron on 24 Apr 2010, 01:37 pm

Presently have about 45 hours of listening time on the Neo 2X's and they are already starting to sound even better. Depth of the sound field seems to be deeper and the overall musical detail is better too. The platinum bypass caps definitely do make a noticeable improvement in sound quality. As the caps burn in more they should sound even better.

Please keep us posted Ron with your impressions as the platinums continue to break in. As usual, your build is absolutely beautiful!! Anyone wanting the N2X with all the bells and whistles would be getting a great deal on these!

Roger

Ron · « **Reply #16 on:** 24 Apr 2010, 09:57 pm »

Thanks Roger. Greatly appreciate the compliment.

Light-Echo · « **Reply #17 on:** 25 Apr 2010, 12:31 am »

Very nice Ron

Question. Do you solder the speaker connections? I'm sure there are those that would say "well duh, of course", but the speaker cables between the amp and the cabinet aren't soldered, and if you are using banana plugs, those don't seem to me to be any better a connection than a set of terminal spades.

Thoughts?

Thanks
Dave

Danny Richie · « **Reply #18 on:** 25 Apr 2010, 01:57 am »

Quote

Thoughts?

Yeah, someone needs to come out with a new type of binding post.

Ron · « **Reply #19 on:** 25 Apr 2010, 02:23 am »

That's a good point Dave. I normally like to solder the wires to the speaker terminals and the input terminals because I think it makes a better connection. But you are correct that the wires leading up to the speaker input terminals are not solder. I would think that so long as you have a good mechanical connection and takes steps to prevent oxidation at these connection points that it will not degrade the input signal from the power amp. That's just my opinion.

Ron