Vintage vs Modern? A Tale of 2 Speakers!

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[@dgregory4178]

Danny speaks the truth. As a hobby In the 2000's, i used to buy vintage speakers for cheap and replace the crossover parts with much better caps, resistors and new wiring. ( Never messed with the coils) I would put Dynamat and new foam on the inside of the cabs as well. Stamped steel drivers would get clay or dynamat damping. Every speaker would transform! The best were Pioneer HPM 40's and 100's and a pair of early 90's KEF uniQ. Sounded amazing afterward.

[@dgregory4178]

@Jondahl Davis Yes, these speakers have electrolytic caps that deteriorate over the years. Dayton poly caps and mills resistors make a huge difference. I have Pioneer HPM 40's in my basement workshop that sound phenomenal and still surprise me with how good they sound.

[@geor664]

I've measured the flux density in the air gap for the same magnet assembly on an 8 inch Magnavox (Australia) MV8 diecast housing versus a thin iron metal pressed basket when I was in R&D at Magnavox. The pressed metal baskets absorb roughly 10 to 15% of the gaps flux. The result is a corresponding decrease in speaker sensitivity in dB SPL / W of drive. Similarly, at Dolby Labs (great company) I designed and mic'ed up a small low freq driver, placed an accelerometer on the speaker box. For every dB of box vibration I lost the corresponding amount of audio from the speaker cone. In all, for the particular box I was tuning, I gained 4dB extra sound from the woofer cone just by bracing the box. Not to mention the reduction in non linear distortion at box excitation frequencies as I ran up through the frequencies on the low frequency driver. The distortion is due to evenescent near- field air streaming behaviour between the vibrating box adjacent to the cone as the cone pumps air. BTW, Great video

[@markbryant4641]

Awesome info! Very interesting. Thanks.

[@manFromPeterborough]

That Magnavox is known as 8.30 woofer, 30 being the watts

[@martybousum1010]

Thanks for letting us into 'your world'. We love hearing your thoughts on this equipment. Thanks DR!

[@NickP333]

From my turntable to my speakers, the fun is always in upgrades and/or mods. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the outcome is mostly always better SQ, but tinkering around with my gear is definitely part of the hobby to me.

[@GregorMima]

I have some 30y old towers - my 1st pair of speakers i bought myself. Drivers are all still ok. At somepoint i will order alot parts off you Danny and upgrade my old babies :-) Thanks for the series!

[@ufarkingicehole]

Old KEF drivers like the ones used in IMF, Rogers, Spendors, Fried, etc.. seemed pretty fantastic. KEF drivers like the R200, T27, etc .. were also used in BBC designs as well. Great Video!

[@spyderdryverlee4581]

I used to own a pair of late 1960's Rogers LS6/3 BBC Monitors. 3 way inc a supertweeter. The crossover board was enormous. Cost £55. Probably worth £1000 nowadays. They were only 25 watt but were very capable if you kept the volume down. They were particularly good on vocals. My present (vintage) speakers are thirty year old active ATC SCM20SL. They have cast aluminium cabinets and weigh over 30kgs each. There are very few modern speakers that I would swap them for, apart from bigger ATCs and maybe Sonus Faber.

[@Nonsense62365]

Great Video! and Explanations about parts! WOW! I've been an AudioPhile since I was 20! I'm 65 now! And never knew about how crappy and cheap the parts are used in over 99% of All Loudspeakers! really makes you think! Kudos to Danny! - Thank you!

[@Jonathan-ff4wo]

I always learn so much after watching your vids. I'm not yet initiated into diy audio. But your knowledge is inspiring me to want to understand electronics and audio components in a hands-on way. I feel like there is a whole world I'm missing out on. I'm tempted to make my own tube amps, preamps etc. But I can't wait to put together the GR studio monitor though when it's off back order. That should get me off to a nice start. 👍 Thanks danny for all your effort in keeping this channel and your company going.

[@bobrounsavall5058]

are you still in witchita falls? i want you to help me with some diy speakers

[@DJWerkz]

Absolutely fantastic and tactful way of explaining that some vintage speakers with multiple drivers are flawed in their original design

[@marcl8814]

Designs and approaches change over the years but also remember that new and expensive designs can also be flawed...after all everything still revolves around a speaker driver which hasn’t changed much in 80 years.

[@DJWerkz]

@@marcl8814 very aware of contemporary designs that have been flawed, I am an ex-distributor of high end audio and also ran a restoration business too. Some very exotic pieces of audio equipment over the years have become very expensive door stops! The actual physical make up of a loudspeaker driver has not changed much but the materials used definitely has changed a tremendous amount. My initial comment was a slight sarcastic dig at some vintage gear that seems to command very high prices on the used market which baffles me (pun intended)!

[@marcl8814]

You’re right about that vintage gear, mostly just nostalgia and remembering the good ol days like in the case of my 70 Rectilinear’s. And using exotic new materials like diamond tweeters and hemp woofer cones always sounds (pun intended) better. Appreciate your point of view, Marc.

[@RFIDemocracy]

@@marcl8814 Diamond, ceramic, tungsten, beryllium, graphene, aluminum, polypropylene, polyurethane.... "speaker driver which hasn’t changed much in 80 years" Sure, the essential principles of speaker drivers are largely the same. But bass drivers, for example, are much more rigid, and much lighter and faster than they were 80 years ago when the only available cone material was pulp. Materials science and various advancements in technologies have significantly elevated all of the elements of modern speaker systems, including electronic components and enclosure panels. Moreover, most speaker systems today incorporate DSPs which allows the designer much more control over the way the system ultimately performs, and some powered subwoofers such as Paradigm and Martin Logan ship with built in room correction software, which is quite effective in taming acoustical anomalies in listening rooms. Certainly true that "new and expensive systems can be flawed" though.

[@davevolz6138]

@@RFIDemocracy Pulp i still considered good, though.

[@jonesaleroy]

Danny I can watch these videos for hours!! ❤

[@ehengle]

Outstanding explanation of the technologies and science behind the music. Thanks!!!

[@tboe5921]

Another great video,thanks a lot. I like to add buying a vintage speaker be careful of old cone surroundings. I had the experience of much higher resonance frequencies due to hardened foam or rubber surrounding. If this is the case, you can recone them in a professional reconing workshop. This is mostly not very expensive 😀

[@photobriangray]

A lesson in shade throwing, thank you for this class.

[@kennethsullivan8704]

You are correct that "frequency" is a measurement, but is also commonly used to describe the pitches emanating from the speaker elements which is transmitted to the air and then into our ears. That is why we are able to "hear" the frequency response of a speaker.

[@dannyrichie9743]

It is used to describe what we hear but still as a measuring stick. The pitch is described to have a certain frequency or wavelength to describe its position on a scale. But we don't hear "frequencies".

[@scottmackey4182]

Another fabulous video Danny! So much to learn from your knowledge and recommendations. Great comparison on both models.

[@ujean56]

Thanks Danny, this is why I come here! Excellent video.

[@mcjonner]

Very educational, I like it. It builds alot of trust. Have you ever considered designing a DIY portable speaker? You may not be interested, but I was looking at a portable speaker for the backyard or camping, etc and seen how good one called a vifa Helsinki was compared to many many speakers no matter the price. High quality driver selection and attention to detail took it to another level, it's been out for 5-6 years I believe and it's still one of the best, when many companies come out with new models yearly and still can't top it. Made me wonder what gr research could do if you guys were ever interested in something like that.

[@hoth2112]

Thanks for another great video Danny! 👍

[@rajugsw]

I have a pair of KEF 105/3's that I simply replaced the factory Electrolytic Caps in the Woofer/Midwoofer/Midrange sections. In the Tweeter section as you mentioned, I used SoniCaps. I kept all the original Inductors due to the cost of replacing them with Air Cores would not have been worth it sonically. Same goes for the Cap values which are as high as 680uF ! I'm sure the entire thing can be re done by yourself but again the cost of shipping the Speakers and the parts expense aren't worth it for me financially. I'd be much much better off getting one of your awesome open baffle kits for that kinda money. I did notice an improvement especially in the midrange/tweeter section (there's a mix of Solen/SoniCaps between the two. I kept the factory Bennic Resistors. again for cost. I was given 2 pairs of KEF 105/3's and a pair of KEF 104/2's for free from a mutual friend of Ron & I. I don't have much money sunk into them (I've actively amplified the *'Coupled Cavity" Woofers with 1000W Class ICE Power Amp from Parts Express with the Factory Crossover in series and the KEF Cube EQ profile inserted via miniDSP. For the Midbass/Midrange/Tweeter section, I'm running a pair of McIntosh MC50's (measured power of 70W@4Ω). Which is more than enough power even with the overtly complex Crossovers that they run through. Enjoy your Videos and again, I want to build a pair of NX-Otica's one day instead of buying a pair of Consumer Speakers that have crap inside for parts but have awesome marketing and a cult following. When I saw your Sonus Faber video. It was another eye opener. Keep up the awesome work Danny. Cheers, Joe

[@JoeJ-8282]

I love upgrading speakers also! I would actually love to talk speakers with you for a few hours sometime! I wish you lived closer to me, up in Albuquerque, NM... Maybe someday I can take a roadtrip down to Texas and check your shop out, because I'd love to see what all you do! I just do speaker upgrades for a hobby and for friends and family, but I'd love to learn some more about making a business out of it someday maybe!... Anyway, I would actually really love to see what all you can do to improve BOTH of these speakers in this video, because it looks to me like they both have MUCH room for improvement, but also great potential to be really good afterwards, so please make a video about your improvements to both of these models, along with their final improved measurements and listening results! That video will be very intetesting to see!!

[@TheDecguy]

I’m a vintage type guy. I still have 5 sets of old JBLs that I love even if they can’t keep up with a top of the Mark modern speaker. Also spent years in the studio using Yamaha NS 10s until I wouldn’t mix on anything else. At this point at 67 years my ears most likely can’t tell the difference anyways. I still love your videos.

[@rickparker7707]

I also have many vintage JBL 4311B, (4) to be exact. I have the original pair from high school, and three more pair from estate sales.

[@stephenyoud6125]

@@rickparker7707 take out the Crosssovers and replace the parts with better quality like for like values and line the cabinet walls with No-Rez. I'll be doing that on my buddies JBL L59's soon as I've done on several of my own speakers

[@geor664]

I've measured electrolytic caps and compared the behaviour to polypropylene, polycarbonate and the ultimate, mica-silver for crossovers. Non polar electrolytics are composed of two back to back polarized electrolytics. As you lower signal voltage through them you see distortion occur at the zero voltage crossover from positive to negative and vice versa. There is a dielectric absoption going on where it takes energy to reverse the voltage on the cap (signal going through the cap is AC). The greater the dielectric absoption, the greater this zero crossover signal flattening, as the signal fights to allow a release of electrons from the dielectric. So what I used to do, was measure this distortion at low signal levels to select the type of capacitor with the least of this effect. That gets me to the silver mica caps. Hellishly expensive by suffers the least from this effect. It even gets down to there where differences in dielectric absoption between different batches of the same capacitor type and brand. The green dipped metal film plastic caps where the absolute worst. Up to 30% of them would fail tests. Got to the point they where banned from use.

[@marcomartin9854]

Thank you. Great video. Very informative. It shows the problems found not only in audio but in other industries where more money is spent in marketing than research or parts and engineering.

[@alan93rsa]

Purchased a set of SVS speakers and returned them in less than a week.

[@Plastpackad]

Particleboard has excellent dampening and is being used again of brands like Wharfedale in top models. KEF used it because it was good.

[@rationalmartian]

I think a good quality MDF is one of the best materials for most speaker needs. It is pretty dead and non resonant. It's also incredibly consistent. Easy to use different thickness's for different panels. Easy to work, screw and glue. It's also very easily obtainable and relatively inexpensive. It's the best for building ones own designs or building a kit. Which I would suggest for most people who aren't all fingers and thumbs, and have a little time to do it. A quality, sturdy, dead, stiff box is a great place to put quality parts into. It's surprising just how poor and downright shonky some speaker cabinets are. Even some that should not be at the price. Some appear to imagine bracing isn't even worth the effort. Remarkable. Always identify the biggest panel, and give it a few good raps with your knuckle. It shouldn't sound like an old tea chest.

[@izismael5075]

I am so impressed by your knowledge and pragmatic approach to getting the best out of components! Just subscribed and will scan your video library now.

[@kinglear5952]

Very interesting and informative. Thank you from the U.K.

[@cpcnw]

My KEF LS35a's still sounding great after 30 years!

[@SlinkiestTortoise23]

REF 101’s? They are not LS3/5A - The crossover is completely different. Same drivers! Nice speakers!

[@paolozak3014]

Hi there, and thank you very much ! Do you have a video showing the effects of various capacitor, inductor and resistor types ? Of course good quality is always better, but perhaps cheaper elements are not critical in certain locations ...like avoiding using a gun to kill a fly ? For instance capacitors in parallel with a resistor, for slight resonant pole absobtion ?

[@richardevatt3574]

Thank you Danny, All the info is fantastic.

[@joecrachemontange4613]

I still have my polk audios from the 80's , Other than changing the tweeters they still run like new.

[@mikehanks1399]

Me too. They out sound ANYTHING new. Nothing built their size comes close and even much bigger speakers can't compete with them.

[@okinawajapan1]

@@mikehanks1399 Yep. Exactly. Me too!!! Got two sets of Monitor 10s. THE best.

[@belverdemotorsports2410]

You guys have to go put some new MKP polypropylene caps in those polks. It gets so much better!!

[@jwrobin1]

Have a pair of Polk Monitor 5s from the late 80s. Great sound.

[@mikehanks1399]

@@jwrobin1Got a pair of 5 Jr. Plus with the passive radiator. No bookshelf made today can hang with them on the low end.

[@BrasspineappleProductions]

Vintage all the way. You could section off the resonator and add a another driver. Possibly add an adjustable tweeter high pass switch. The vintage will sound better in my opinion.

[@Slane583]

I have an early set of vintage Pioneer CS-53's that I got for (in my opinion) a really good deal at a goodwill a couple or so years ago. As they are they sound pretty great, but with how they're built I think Pioneer poured most of the budget into the box itself since it's made of plywood and not mdf or particle board, the 12" mid-bass woofer and the tweeter. So there's literally no crossover network in them, just some caps soldered to the tweeters. The speaker wire coming from your sound source also hooks the box either by spade terminals or a 1/4" jack. I've really been wanting to put some nice crossovers in them to make them better and possibly some better binding posts in the back. But I have no clue what frequency to cross them over at. Nor do I have the experience building crossovers.

[@JayyBird93]

Have you made a video on how to install one of your upgrade kits? I’m looking for my SVS speakers.

[@joelsterling3735]

I've got some 3-way technics with 15s in them...God I would love all these upgrades for them.

[@Helectronics]

Very informative video, I've learned a lot, thanks!

[@okinawa1312]

thanks for helping to understand these magic boxes. great informations

[@nellyt2807]

Well nothing has changed my mind one will carry on using the Westminster royal gr .inherited them plus all of my dad's o!d gear incl a pristine tborens124 tt .

[@mrgreekbeek]

Think you said the Kef midrange unit was paper. I believe it to be bextrine.

[@stanleynowak9325]

The laws of physics have not changed, and it's a 50 year difference.

[@levondanko628]

Automobile deaths p/100 million, 1972: 4.33, 2018: 1.13. Physics hasn't changed, so what has? Design, education, materials, experience?

[@MasterDJRenn]

@@levondanko628 ✔👍

[@Relayer6a]

@@levondanko628 legislation. Trust me, most car companies only care about your safety as much as the govt. makes them or for it's marketing value.

[@NakeanWickliff]

I'm curious how you feel about oldschool Klipsch Heritage speakers and the parts they used vs possible upgrades. Especially the Heresy1 and Forte 1 Speakers.

[@anthonykay5100]

Great vid. Definitely thinking about pimping up some speakers. Unfortunately I will be restricted to working with speakers with a sensitivity of 88 or about which wasn’t particularly common 30 years ago and even less likely with contemporary speakers

[@robertdavis5714]

Did not know such significant difference in capacitors and resistors as well. Now I know why your upgrades costs are what they are. I have a speaker for you that meets your criteria. Conrad-Johnson Synthesis Im-260.

[@engjds]

Fact is high end audio back in the 90's were built to perform and impress people with beards, these days they are built to wow the iphone age with glitz and bling and if they sound good, its an added bonus. These Kefs however, not the quality we have seen from top end stuff in the 90's,, you get a Jamo concert 8 and try wrapping your knuckles on that one)

[@raduflorin6154]

The woofer it's not paper on KEF , it's a Bextrene cone ( plastic and foam composite ) Every cone that is black , shiny and from the 70's and 80's , it's pretty much a Bextrene cone !!

[@keithbickerdike4621]

Great video ...

[@user-xw2tj1kn1f]

I loved this one! Thank you 🔥❤🔥

[@manzanaresantonio]

Vintage speaker vs modern Center-channel speaker!!! Why not compare a vintage speaker vs a modern speaker?! But really great information, We all learn from You!

[@mdocod]

550hz crossover is going to demand some pretty high value inductors and capacitors. Rebuilding that 3-way with all-air and poly caps might not even fit in the little cabinet.

[@lynnpoole7830]

The addition of 1/4 in MDF with GreenGlue works great for damping.

[@paulb4661]

Try lining the inside with 1.32 - 3.15mm lead sheet on polyurethane adhesive additionally held with multitude of wood screws topped up with engine room damping panels used in ship building and glass fibre infill. It's a mildly toxic, politically incorrect combination, certainly not recommended for vented enclosures, but with sealed it's as "dead" as it gets and passes the knuckle test wth flying colours. Dampen both the lead and MDF lightly before before applying glue and as soon as it starts to turn yellow and expand, stick them together, drive the screws into pre-drilled holes and clamp it. You can trim the excess once dry and seal the exposed lead with oil to prevent discolouration, prior to applying self-adhesive open cell engine room panels on top. Considerable weight gain brings about an additional benefit of providing stable, inert platform for heavy diaphragm drivers under excursion. It's like having an anechoic chamber inside the speaker, which should also be braced in a matrix fashion. Multiple, interconnected chambers with rounded edge, large aperture openings in-between.

[@Enemji]

Look at Andrew Jones designs. His crossovers are 2200/2500 to the tweeter and 90/100hz to the woofers. The midrange is a pretty much a full range from 2200hz to 90hz.

[@harrylucas3415]

could you please try and test some kef concerto 1970 and some 104 ab refrence

[@richarddominguez8268]

How do i send my speaker to you for improvement Thanks Richard

[@alwaysexpandinghorizons6173]

Nice! Great new Website also!

[@randycarter1618]

One of the things I found kind of odd about the SVS center channel is they are NOT video shielded too . It's not a must with modern LED TV's , but you'd think for $700 they would do a better job ,, and they crossovers are not something I would expect from a speaker at this price point !

[@GUY2606]

After your upgraded part kit. Would you recommend the SVS ultra center or look elsewhere?

[@crazydwarfer]

Thanks for your work here, and all other videos. I was shocked viewing them about what they put into those mega overpriced speakers. Do you have any recommendations on how can I improve Polk Audio T15s for surrounds, T30 for Center, and T50s for front LR in Home theater? Is there a way to upgrade those significantly? Maybe you have upgrade kits?

[@TheFilwud]

I really wish you had used an old speaker (like you did) with a modern hifi speaker, not a piece of surround sound that is designed to work with 4 or 6 other speakers and probably a sub, I don't think this was a valid comparison. Even so, interesting though to see how the parts compare.

[@philmccracken2012]

I was totally thinking the same thing?! Why would he take a center speaker that he's calling new and then take a vintage floor speaker that he's calling Old and then compare the two?

[@musiclassica]

Why do you think this is a center speaker? He says it’s a 3-way speaker, which I don’t think center speakers are.

[@morganpointer2457]

@@musiclassica check that again

[@musiclassica]

@@morganpointer2457 Maybe you’re right. I cannot believe that a guy who’s been in hifi his whole life and has a YT channel on it has never heard of surround speakers set-up. Too weird for words. Hopefully he’s reading this and can elaborate.

[@morganpointer2457]

@@musiclassica he knows

[@dawolyan13]

I love your videos sir!! Love them! One question: why use a center channel as part of this comparison? Is that not similar to comparing apples and oranges? Thank you sir!

[@matthughesrocks]

I'm still using my early 90s Technics SB-L160 speakers and they sound great, so I'm not sure if upgrading would be any benefit.

[@jimconnaughton2947]

WHAT UP GRADE WOULD YOU RECOMMEND ON A PAIR OF KLIPSCH R 28F

[@rolandrohde]

I would love to see this kind of analysis for something like the Canton B100 or maybe the Ventos

[@dannyrichie9743]

Send them over.

[@juanmillaruelo7647]

What is potentially problematic with iron ('steel')? Perhaps galvanic corrosion, in bimetalic connections? No resistance to speak of.

[@ford1546]

If you make the crossover correctly and lower the frequencies it is too much of then you can get very good sound even with the iron core coil. you can not only insert good and expensive components and think you automatically get good sound. you must make the crossover filter correctly. You should have pretty good speakers before it makes sense to upgrade to extra good and expensive components

[@codychavarria6088]

Also suggestions for surround sides and maybe even rear

[@geminijinxies7258]

SVS really cut the corners when designing that speaker.. All jokes aside, this was an entertaining and informative video! As usual.

[@C_O_N_C_E_P_T]

Where do you think cut corners where besides the crossover?

[@geminijinxies7258]

@@C_O_N_C_E_P_T Well, the actual cut corners on the cabinet itself. Check the video at about 12:10 and you'll hear him talk about it.

[@mostirreverent]

Have you worked on any ADS speakers specifically L880

[@dannyrichie9743]

No.

[@michaeleales7097]

so would it be worth having my old JBL L220's Gone thru I had the surrounds done 8 years ago on both the LE 14 DRIVERS and the passives but I think the crossovers and the LPADS need to be replaced

[@sherloidbai7064]

absolutely

[@dandonna852]

Can't believe that I saw sand caster in high end amplifiers. wow

[@chrisj9008]

I run the ultra center in my setup and I also have the klipsh RP504 center. Hands down the SVS ultra has been the star. It blends and sounds great. Interesting your take. I have a pretty broad seating area with 4 chairs across the front of a 120 screen about 8 to 9 ft back. My experience has been thats is been great with the horizontal distribution. I would wonder how much of that curve is intentional for the "theater sound" or if that's unintentional. Great insight as always.

[@chrisj9008]

Interesting as I am going through this. This starts getting into end results vs financial considerations to meet profit levels (I don't fault for this, I think this is every mass marketed speaker with a marketing dept). Truly interesting take on things. Great video as always as I am 15mins in so far

[@chrisj9008]

I should add. Yes I am a SVS fan boy. I run a 7.4.2 system that is pretty stunning for anybody who listens. The totality of the system and its blending is for the money, pretty awesome. Yes I know there are better, and well that's usually $$$. I use to pro-sound installs and run touring rigs so not a completely novice to this. I will say that my fan-boy status has as much to do with the customer support they have provided me and yes thats partially marketing, I get that. But thats part of the experience of a product. Infact this video did not dissuade me from SVS, it has me wondering about upgrades as I tinker with my system.... Again, 3rd time, but great video!!! I enjoyed the last part comparing the cost and benefits. I think that center channel at a higher price point (say +400) would have me looking elsewhere, so it still seems like a decent price to performance investment.

[@dannyrichie9743]

@@chrisj9008 If you are really like to then maybe DIY is for you. We have DIY loudspeaker kits that walk all over these for a lot less money, but you have to assemble them yourself.

[@chrisj9008]

@@dannyrichie9743 absolutely, I use to do some DIY, hell I even have a ful woodshop now. I have had my eyes on some kit just because I like to tinker and say "I did that'. My large living room is my next project for sound. Been eyeing the open baffel. Keep up the great content!!!

[@chrisj9008]

@@dannyrichie9743 I wonder how a series on upgrades like you did for through klipsh RP600 would work out... most SVS owners have some disposable funds and would chase improvements...

[@Relayer6a]

Obviously depends on the speaker. But I'm not going to go out and buy an "expensive" new speaker and then have to "fix" it. You didn't mention where the speakers were made. The vintage Kef was probably made in England by the company that designed them. That allows more tweaking. And even using some cheaper components they can, if they're good, compensate. The new one was probably designed in England to be manufactured as cheaply as possible in some factory in China. Makes the analogy of lipstick on a pig come to mind. It's probably not good for much more than a paperweight.

[@dannyrichie9743]

Check the follow up video.

[@mwahlert]

If only replacing the binding posts on the speaker, and not the amplifier feeding it - with the tube connectors, is there still much benefit?

[@dannyrichie9743]

There is still quite a bit of benefit in most cases.

[@MrJason9142002]

Is there any benefit to having to center channels as left and right?

[@quananginh9446]

I definitely loved this video

[@starker1971]

Aren't all Electrolytic caps polarized ? How can Polarized capacitors ever be used with AC music ??

[@dannyrichie9743]

No, they can be non-polarized.

[@MichaelAmster]

It seems like you may want to choose a modern speaker with better fundamentals. Seems hard to fix things like bad crossover frequency choices. The rest seems like something simple - parts choices.

[@hugobloemers4425]

I have heard that some speaker builders rather than trying to make their speakers as dead as possible will tune the cabinet resonance frequency of the enclosure to either not be perceived as distortion or even to sound pleasant. Is this BS? And if it is not, should you be careful bracing speakers as this could move the cabinet resonance frequency in a region where it is perceived as unpleasant?

[@thunderpooch]

Most companies should make their cabinets as dead as possible, and you probably should as well. But there are a few companies who are true artisans and can tune their box so it provides extremely pleasing colorations to the sound.

[@dannyrichie9743]

Some speakers are designed with a lossy (resonant) cabinet to add some bloom. So what is really happening is that the speaker is becoming an instrument rather than reproducing the input signal. Added buzz where none should be is never pleasant.

[@marcl8814]

I like your answer Danny. I also think Hugo has a good point. While not purely reproducing the exact input signal the “singing” cabinet is acting like an instrument and may sound musical and pleasant and not necessarily sound like a “buzz”. Similar to the way a tube amplifier introduces some second order harmonics or bloom. In some cases this idea could be an advantage, but that’s just my guess.

[@josephwood499]

Hi Danny, just found your channel. Would like to get your opinion on a couple of vintage Panasonic SB-400 speakers that i left at my mom's like 20 years ago. I would like to get them fixed as one tweeter got busted and a little nice punched a hole on both woofers. Later replaced woofers with cheap ones but they are now laying without being used. Do you recommend upgrade or is a waste of money? Would be better to get a set of modern speakers?

[@lamusicasevaaacabar2266]

Hi, I have a pair o0f Grundig Fine Arts BX3 (BX300) and sound really good, but de inductors are with ferrite core, this is a 2 way speaker with a crossover frecuency of 2000 Hz. Do you think that by changing the inductors for ones with an air core, there will be a significant improvement in the sound? Thank you

[@hgwaterous]

On the binding post versus spring terminals issue, what is the increase in resistance (or inductance/capacitance) between the two? If nothing major, then what is the magic that degrades the signal?

[@aussie_philosopher8079]

I wonder if there any upgrades for a b&w dm560 that I got ripped off on.

[@redleather100]

This is invaluable content .

[@extrap51]

Hi Danny, do you sell the better quality capacitors and resistors

[@markbushinski1198]

Enjoyed the video, where do you get the tube connectors?

[@dannyrichie9743]

www.gr-research.com/store/p44/Electra_Cable_Tube_Connectors.html

[@racesla]

Great shirt.

[@alanm.thornton4055]

Always learn a ton from your videos!! This one was super helpful!! Here's an odd question. What or how do you upgrade an older speaker that doesn't have a crossover?! I have set of the old British Epos ES12 speakers, that sound great (to me), but they are "old", and have one single capacitor on the tweeter! Can these be "upgraded" or improved?

[@dannyrichie9743]

Stay tuned. Someone is sending me a set of them.

[@wadimek116]

That's the neat part you don't

[@polocash11]

I want to build my own speakers to go with a 200w/channel 1988 Sony amp. I was thinking of building 4 ohm speakers. 4 vs 8, which is better?

[@sc0or]

I know only that if I buy a cheap loudspeaker in 80s, it would look like a piece of .. plastic covered with some textile. No disappointments. And people usually listened to a pair before they buy it. Now good looking furniture and KZbin "reviewers" are crazy cheap. And a marketing department reasonably thinks that the exterior can help them to earn some extra money.

[@svx94]

Great insight! I need to remember some great marketing companies to avoid. Thanks!

[@dwindeyer]

I'm not sure I get the criticism of the term "crossover frequencies".. "Crossover frequency" is a pretty common term for the point where the lpf and hpf slope meet, and it has more than one of those points per speaker so it seems pretty normal to me?

[@dannyrichie9743]

Where it crosses has an effect on the time arrival and on how it sounds.

[@russmaleartist]

Most of the speaker's psychology, even the rest of the equipment, is in marketing; however, it seems most is in the speakers. Oh, and with regard to drivers in multiples or different placements than strictly verticle -- look at the success and the money people are spending at KENRICK SOUND in Japan.

[@someonesomewhere5117]

The question is, does someone that owns this speaker think it sounded good before, now thinks it sounds bad without ever hearing the upgrades?

[@parapobabam]

the proper terminology for tip-to-tip contact is called "docking".

[@stephennielsen2134]

Great videos . Question have all Klipsch speakers, 3 RC 64II,s for LCR, 4 RS 62II surrounds 2 RS 62II front heights, 4 pro 180 RPC ceiling and 6 subs 4 SW-112- 2 SW115. Room 26x18 10 ft.H. Sounds great. Upgrades needed? Power Yamaha RX-A3060 my old Mcintosh 2105. Thanks for your time and informed opinion. 👽greetings 🇨🇦🎭 Home theatre novice.

[@allenwight9247]

Good lord, only having experience tinkering with the infinity kappa 8, what a pretty box of shite electronics the svs ultra is! LOVE THIS VIDEO! Thanks for breakin down the speaker, what every discerning buyer oughta know 🥰🥳🙇🏽

[@vernarddevilliers7899]

I wonder what he would end up with if he were to design a boombox🤔could be interesting

[@JohnWilliamsextremelog]

Have you ever reviewed the Polk LSiM series?

[@johncarter3156]

Also I would like to see your opinion on DALI ZENSOR VOKAL. Those DALI speakers are so overpriced that I was baffled by how bad that speaker sounds. It's like put in a bucket with the lid on top. ZERO details, upper mids totally cut, high details totally missing. I couldn't believe how bad it was. I tweaked the crossover a bit and the high details appeared so obviously extremely bad crossover design. Please test it.

[@tonychan6814]

SVS is known for their Sub woofers who build speakers. The ultra range are suppose to be better than their prime range yet listening to you, they are still not as good as they should be. For $700 in US and $1400 in Australia they are way too expensive for just 1 center speaker. Then what about the others for a 5.1.2 Dolby ATMOS setup? The problem with vintage speakers are availability and it will look weird and over size as a center speaker. People wants to buy good, reasonable price and available. Most home theater speakers are not design the same as music 2 channel full dynamic speakers.

[@chrisj9008]

I would have disagree on too expensive, but agree with the rest. I will disclose i am a SvS fan boy with a full blown SVS system. (Aka confirmation bias) For the money I think the performance you get is above market value. This video simply reviewed what is inside, but remember we hear what's produced. Measurements are great but not all telling. Sometime ear pleasing is not represented by super flat curves etc. (NOT saying that's not what we aim for), quite the opposite). The reviewed (to his credit) is focused having created a business around providing a niche of higher quality components for a specific market so there is some ingrained bias in the review. Note that bias does not mean bad quite the opposite here, more a comparative perspective. I auditioned alot of system and the SVS was the price to performance winner for me. Yes, their marketing of their In home trial and customer phone support sold the deal. Call that marketing, but part of what we chase is the experience, and my system pleases me. While I 100% agree that better components could have been used, did they need to be. Do you need forged piston rods or are cast ok in your car. You can have anything you want, but that comes with cost. And honestly, you add in some extra cost, I am not sure the cost to performance would be there vs some other options. If this video comes as a surprise to anybody I don't think they understand the modern global marketplace. I saw this video as opportunity and looking at things I am still pretty happy with what I end up with. And then some. If you do a search on some reviewers (Zreviews and others) you will see pretty high praise for the SVS ultras. I think that reflects a price to performance balance that they had to achieve. And also for their purposes of home theater and mixed media. I do find them a bit fatiguing for longer music lkstening,, forward and alive at first, but truely engaging for theater. Next for me after SVS as I expand out my home theater, is DIY with electronic processing , and honestly thats just because I can blending my prior proaudio background and my woodshop hobbie. Although 1st is more room acoustic management through measurements. Upstairs in my living room is more for music listening, I am leaning DIY up there fwiw. This is a never ending hobbie!!!

[@wadimek116]

@@chrisj9008 If you do enough measurements it tells everything. I thought most speakers sound good untill I listened to real high ends like b&o beolab 90 which does everything way way way better than any normal 5k usd speaker. This made me think that something is really wrong. Driver is simple thing magnet, spider, voicecoil and core. There is no expensive element in it even if you want to have 100% copper, neodymium magnet, berilium core etc. Still would be quite cheap to make but somehow difference between 5k usd speaker and a 100k one is huge

[@DerbyRepairs]

I wish i could have your knownledge! I have a video showing how i made the sound on my car with 4 mid range on the doors and 2 woofers+ tweeters on the boot cover. I noticed that when i used crossovers to the speakers the sound was not so great and i can remember being better with only capacitors on mid-tweet and the woofers directly to the amplifier. Can this be true? Can the crossover destroy the quality or does it sound like this cause i had bigger range coming out from each speaker covering each other? sry for my english but im not native .

[@dannyrichie9743]

An improperly designed crossover can be pretty bad. You may have also experienced a polarity issue. Ideally the passive filter needs to be designed based on the measured output in the car.

[@DerbyRepairs]

@@dannyrichie9743 Thank you for taking the time to response. Polarity is ok cause i checked one by one with dc to be sure. The speakers are the same i suppose i need to measure one woofer one tweeter and one mid range right? Then adjust the crossover to my needs.

[@dannyrichie9743]

@@DerbyRepairs When I said a polarity issue, I should have really said a phase issue. Polarity can be common between a tweeter and a mid, but they can be acoustically out of phase. Reversing a polarity can often bring the phase (or time arrival) back into alignment. Then yes, measure each driver and then the sum of the drivers to see how they look.

[@DerbyRepairs]

@@dannyrichie9743 Crystal clear! I know alot about electronics but a few things about audio. I will measure and check the phase.

[@markbradbury5266]

Someone please send Danny the SVS Ultra Bookshelfs !