[Waker]

But an even bigger improvement will be had be replacing the crappy Magnepan fuse holders with some decent ones. 

I've never taken apart a Mag speaker--I would want precise instructions.  Have you considered writing a step-by-step manual based on your experience of modding these things?   

[drphoto]

I took out the fuses when I modded my 2c's. Then burned out a mid panel wire!

 I was able to fix this w/ a bit of aluminum foil and  plastic tape. But not an ideal solution, as the tape would occasionaly lift, and have to 'rub' it to make contact. I had 'naked' panels, so it wan't a problem, but if socked, you'd be facing a big job to fix.

 be carefull if you go non fuse.

Dunno about 'audio' grade fuses

[andyr]

I took out the fuses when I modded my 2c's. Then burned out a mid panel wire!

That is a very sad tale.    But when I bought my IIIas almost 20 years ago, the dealer had already removed the mid-range fuse (they were his personal pair) ... and I never had your problem, in all that time.

Possibly you like to play them much louder than me?  Or possibly, if you had a more powerful amp, you wouldn't have experinced the problem?

Regards,

Andy

[raindance]

Its all volume related I'm sure. In 20 years of owning different Maggies I have yet to hear the famous "crack" sound that they supposedly make when you crank the volume to high. And I listen at up to 93dB in my room (measured).

In my day job (pro AV) I hear "crack" sounds often with regular cone speakers - but that is called clipping and is not desirable because it kills speakers.

[andyr]

Its all volume related I'm sure. In 20 years of owning different Maggies I have yet to hear the famous "crack" sound that they supposedly make when you crank the volume to high.

The famous "crack" is simply the mylar excurting so much, it slaps the surface of the magnets.  Yes, it's volume related.

In my day job (pro AV) I hear "crack" sounds often with regular cone speakers - but that is called clipping and is not desirable because it kills speakers.

I thought the "crack" sound from cone speakers was the piston hitting its end stop?  IE. again, too much excursion - ie. loudness related.

Regards,

Andy

[drphoto]

I think I fed 'em sufficient power (Stratos Monos), but yeah.....I stand on the gas pedal a bit sometimes. 

The wire burned at a 'kink' or little V shaped spot, which apparantly created an area of high resistance.

[raindance]

I thought the "crack" sound from cone speakers was the piston hitting its end stop?  IE. again, too much excursion - ie. loudness related. Agreed, but clipping also sounds like a loud crack.

[andyr]

The wire burned at a 'kink' or little V shaped spot, which apparantly created an area of high resistance.

"V shaped kink" ... sounds like a manufacturing problem?  Relay the wires yourself - so you know it'll come out well!! 

Regards,

Andy

[SteveFord]

Any recommendation for wire to go with these little monsters from Acme Audio?

[andyr]

Any recommendation for wire to go with these little monsters from Acme Audio?

Steve, these are exactly the fuse holders I used for my IIIa ribbon fuses.    (I have removed ribbon fuses in my "Frankenpans".)

As to wire - that's a personal choice IMO.  For the ribbons in my IIIas and Frankenpans (which are the longest wires in the XO), I decided as follows:
* I am a fan of solid-core wire rather than stranded.
* However, the 2m length of the top ribbon wire means the ribbon wires need to be of a larger guage than you would think, with the low ribbon current.
* So I ended up with 8 strands of 24g wire, to total ~15g.

Regards,

Andy

[pelliott321]

I have been using my rebuilt IIIa's for almost a year now with out any fuses. I removed all for the stock maggy connections and have no problems, just good clean sound.  I can get a solid 100db's on the rat shack meter before mylar slap.  I am running 150 watt/ch SS on the base panels and a 50 watt/ch glass on mids/ribbon using Andy's passive xcover design