Quote Originally Posted by voice of the theater View Post
Hello--I joined this forum a few days ago.........

..........a couple of them look like they may have leaked oil at one time--could that be the reason why one of the horns isn't quite as bright as the other?

..........what I really need to match up is the uf rating--does anyone know if that's true?

The solen has an 8.2 uf cap..........Is that close enough considering the solens are +/- 5% and the original caps are rated +/- 10%?

Also, the "copper" in these crossovers doesn't look so great.

Has anyone out there ever pried open one of these Valencia (type) crossover boxes which are riveted shut? Any advice on how to do this safely?

...........has anyone out there ever opened up the crossover box for an Altec N501-8A crossover before?

The speakers/horns sound identical to each other but like my Valencias, I'm wondering how much better they'd sound with new caps......

The description of the Solen Fast Caps on the Parts Express website makes them sound like the best thing since sliced bread!
Welcome!

Yes.

Correct.

Depends on whether all the tolerances 'stack up' to cause a significant shift Vs the OEM units, but usually it's not an issue except with the self-proclaimed 'audiophile' that can apparently hear differences normally only attributed to Bats or similarly hearing dominated species.

In a potted XO, only the caps tend to need replacing, but if you scratch off a small section along any wire's exposed length and find any corrosion, then all of it should be replaced IMO.

Haven't dis-a-s-s-embled a Valencia XO, but I've 'melted' others using a commercial electric hand held heater/blower, though these require a 20 amp dedicated outlet, so not an option without some extra wiring in a typical home/garage. Easy to ruin components with it too.

Yes.

Only one way to know for sure.......

FWIW, I prefer PIO and there's some measured proof as to why along with lots of good info on other types in your 'Dayton' thread.

GM