CSS Criton 1TD X Crossover Tips and Tricks

Our site: www.css-audio.com
Make sure you get the most out of your new Creative Sound Solutions speaker kit by properly assembling and soldering the crossover. This video demonstrates some key tips and tricks on the CSS Criton 1TD-X speaker kit.
Tools/Equipment needed:
Soldering Iron
Solder
Wire Strippers
Pliers (optional)

[@markmorrow3250]

Nice video. I have seen several videos of people soldering and not making a good physical connection first. All of the old kit manuals I have seen all show a good physical connection and stress the importance of that step. Really confused me when I see someone just touching two or more leads together and soldering them. Thanks for showing how it’s done.

[@ramane2900]

oh man!! I wish I watched this video a few weeks ago when I soldered everything. I guess there will be another kit to assemble. Great video! Thanks CSS.

[@superslyko123]

Their customer service was excellent! My speakers wouldn't speak so I sent them pictures of my crossover & soldering attempt. In 1 day they sent me back an explanation that solved my problem! I was soldering right over the red insulation. WRONG. Now they sound great. Wow! Talk about staging! Presence! I didn't know speakers could sound this good .

[@thedatajanitor9537]

Thanks man. This was great for someone who's fearful of wires and shit.

[@sloboat55]

Excellent vid. It helps to practice soldering before you work on your gear. 60w minimum soldering iron.

[@thelowprofile9767]

Your audio level is too low.

[@br31woodlands69]

Wish they mention this video when the parts are shipped.

[@JMJM75257]

top tip use needle nose pliers to twist the component leads together. far easier to get a few good tight twists than just hooking the two together. But honestly good video!

[@psyphonyxaudio]

Great video! Im sure with will be helpful for those ordering a kit .. or hesitating and now see how simple it is !

[@Atheistic007]

For those new to soldering, try some practice soldering with some scrap wire until you get it every time. HEAT the wire is the trick.

[@Plymouyhian]

Funny that this is from an audio channel and is so hard to hear. I had to turn on sub-titles.

[@css_audio]

Hi Jeff, unfortunately we are loudspeaker engineers and not audio video recording engineers 😬 I'm sorry the levels seemed so low. We checked levels on our laptops and on our phones before posting and while they were lower than a lot of other KZbin videos, we could hear them fine on our end. We did buy some new recording equipment so hopefully future videos will be at a louder volume.

[@lezbriddon]

video about sound quality, with virtually no audio......

[@bruceandt]

Would you recommend using hot glue to stop the longer wires from vibrating? With all that goes on inside the cabinet? Could a hot glue last or might you recommend epoxy. Or is even necessary?

[@gerlachsieders4578]

I missed another importent piece of info: where in the cabinet do you stuff this massive board? On the bottom, backpanel?

[@css_audio]

On the bottom of the cabinet pushed as far back as you can with the big inductor toward the back.

[@gerlachsieders4578]

Excellent and prompt answer, thank you kindly!

[@todd69er]

Is there any concern with heat building up on the crossover if the foam is loosely installed in the cabinet or if it droops?

[@css_audio]

No, the resistors are rated high enough to dissipate the heat effectively without becoming hot enough to burn anything.

[@silverlining682]

Hello from New Zealand,what gauge speaker wire do you recommend to run from a crossover to speaker

[@css_audio]

We use 16ga multi-strand 99.9% oxygen free copper wire, which should be readily available in several different brands.

[@chrisssmallengines7163]

Do you sell components separately ? These crossovers are for your speakers that you sell ? Do you have a web site to look at what you have ?

[@css_audio]

These components are all designed to be used in crossovers for our kits. A crossover is specific to the drivers and cabinet, so it shouldn't be used with other speakers. We sell our kits through our website: www.css-audio.com

[@jepryx]

Jay brought me here

[@robertongjunco4121]

Is there a specific solder brand you can recommend? I read somewhere that crossovers are soldered by silver lead free solder so as not to affect the sound quality of the compenents.

[@css_audio]

Hi Robert, Kester is a good brand. I would definitely go lead free for health reasons.

[@johnsnow9887]

Are you actually saying that solder may affect sound quality!!??? that is just insanity

[@css_audio]

@@johnsnow9887 We are saying that a bad connection from corrosion, lack of mechanical contact, or a cold solder joint can result in loss of sound quality. Using a good quality lead free solder ensures you have a good connection while also minimizing lead based health risks.

[@ericschulze5641]

Your not going to find many people in this field who say lead free solder is better "it's not " I haven't checked but this guys probably from California

[@itry2hide2]

9:21 What temp should the iron be on? Either C or F?

[@thomasschafer7268]

Total uniteresting for Europa. 500€ more for the kit like in the US.

[@css_audio]

The added shipping cost and VAT are definitely something to consider, but even with those costs included, our speakers offer tremendous value in both performance and personal satisfaction. Or so our European customers tell us...

[@zukispur5493]

I have 2 pairs of 1971 leak sandwich 600 speakers which for me are the perfect speakers as they sound exactly how I like to hear my music . Heavy round warm and clean. Anyway the crossovers need changing so I went for LI WEI FREQUENCY DIVIDER OF SOUND BOX. can anyone tell me if they'll be suitable please. Thanks in advance from London

[@project1971]

Orientation of the components is important or not ?

[@css_audio]

If they are close together inductor orientation can definitely matter. Here they are too far apart to interact meaningfully.

[@janosnagy4382]

@@css_audio kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmHXhY2vgbZrY6s you're wrong, he measured it...

[@matthewtaylor7355]

Do u need to solder those joints... Twist solder sounds better

[@css_audio]

We recommend twisting for a good mechanical connection and then soldering to keep everything locked in place. There shouldn't be a difference in sound either way as long as a solid electrical connection is made.

[@soundman2604]

you need a little more practice soldering

[@kerryarmes2786]

Thanks, but I’m pretty sure we’re set 😉

[@michaelhayes5316]

huh!

[@crossoverchef]

ok

[@dell177]

that tip is to small for this kind of work. I like uing a larger tip with a 40-60w iron. That way you get the joint up to temperature quickly so when you feed in some solder it just flows.

[@css_audio]

This tip has worked fine for us but a larger tip can work great as well.

[@jonboy9912]

Looks like you forgot to solder the first twist joint you made!

[@css_audio]

It's soldered, it's just tough to see on the video because the solder flowed into the joint well. This is easier on the thinner leads as they heat up faster.

[@jonboy9912]

@@css_audio nice job

[@twochaudiomg2578]

Tip & tricks LOL. Start out with a $2 cap guys . Here's a tip. Raise caps & res. Off crappy board just a little it helps

[@jero1836]

The major flaw on this board is that the inductors are placed wrong. 1 of them should be vertical and turned 90deg. the way it is now could be fine but then the distance between them should be much larger to not interfere with each other. I dont know why manufactures just ignore these simple electric rules?!? When u order this kit, make another board! When inductors change their value constantly because of this during playing music, the frequenties of filtering are changing constantly too, you dont want that. And his job here is to put it mildly a crappy job, get a decent soldering iron for this kinda work, and shorten the leads as much as possible.

[@css_audio]

Thanks for you comment. We are aware of inductive coupling. However, the inductors on this board are too far apart to have an impact on each other. Inductors have to be much closer together before that becomes a concern. They are almost 4 inches apart here and they would need to be significantly closer to measure a change and less than an inch before it would start to actually have a significant impact.

[@jero1836]

@@css_audioWhen you put the small inductor vertical with the side aimed at the other coil the coupling problem is solved. That is the better solution here. Further i like say some good things too :) Air inductor coils are great aswell as the caps, thumbs up. Many manufacturers put garbage electronics in their expensive speakers, the items used here are top notch.

[@nelsondog100]

Very unprofessional in my opinion. It’s actually quite sloppy work. 👎

[@css_audio]

As a DIY kit, you can make this look as pretty as you want, but most of our customers are concerned with making the correct, solid electrical connections before hiding the crossover in the cabinet permanently, which is what we've shown here.