That is my question ;)
I'm going to recap the crossovers in my Altec Model 19's and use new wires to the drivers. Should the wire going to the drivers be twisted or seperate as they were factory, loose in the cabs?
Thanks,
Aaron
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That is my question ;)
I'm going to recap the crossovers in my Altec Model 19's and use new wires to the drivers. Should the wire going to the drivers be twisted or seperate as they were factory, loose in the cabs?
Thanks,
Aaron
Twisting pairs reduces EMI. The audible effects will be insignificant at the very most. But, twisted pairs look neater, and IMO, make the venture worthwhile on that basis alone.Quote:
Originally Posted by johnsonad
I've recapped my Model 19's but kept the original wiring. Maybe I should consider replacing that old wiring too in all of my Altecs that I've recapped. What kind of wire are you using and what kind of caps?Quote:
Originally Posted by johnsonad
Spot on. The only thing I could add is the longer the wire run, more chance of EMI. So a foot and a half run will not be noticeable. It MIGHT be noticeable on a very long run. Largest variable- is EMI an issue in tour area? If you live a block from a radio station...Quote:
Originally Posted by bowtie427ss
Good luck with the recap.I think you will like the difference.If you have an early pair you may want to do the ground bypass mods as well.
The choice of wire seems to be a very debated topic on this forum. I have a stash of Neotech 20g solid core wire which I'm planning to use. The caps are the new Jantzen Cross-Caps. So far they received good reviews and have values a little closer than other brands.Quote:
Originally Posted by voice of the theater
Thanks everyone, I'll twist the wires. As of now I don't have any EMI issues but who knows after the next move.....
I would not settle for values that are close. I used Solen "fast caps" (recommended by Bill @ GPA as well as others) and was able to find exact values. I'm not saying Solen are the best, but I think it's important to find exact values even if you have to wire multiple caps together to obtain the correct value. Altec Best is right about the "ground modification" too--that's important to do if your crossovers are from the 70's--from what I understand the very last Model 19's made in the 80's had the ground modification already done at the factory AFAIK......Quote:
Originally Posted by johnsonad
Yes to reiterate on the values.A 21uF cap will be difficult to find.Nobody makes them anymore except for large quanity special orders.So all you do is parallel a 10 & a 11 uF cap to reach the 21 uF value and so on.Best of luck with it.To show you some caps paralleled,here are mine done awhile back.
FWIW- Stranded wire is used a lot because it is easier to work with.I used 14awg high strand count 105.
http://www.hostboard.com/forums/hbmc...2010/10/73.jpg
http://www.hostboard.com/forums/hbmc...2010/10/74.jpg
Be aware that components are subject to manufacturing tolerances. +/- 5% is a good figure for affordable capacitors - giving a range of approx. 19 to 21uF for a nominal 20uF cap.
BEAM Pieces -- Capacitor part codes
Resistor Colour Code and Tolerances Explained
I'm not too worried about plus or minus 1uF. That is well within Altec's tolerances and they are adjustable for a reason :) My currect caps are off by almost 50% in some ranges and the inductors are no where close to correct. The speakers still sound good to me. The ground scheme will be a focus and thanks for pointing it out. I have an extra set of crossovers so I can A/B with the stock units after break in.
As for wire, 20g solid core is easier for me to work with than big gauge stuff. I can't figure a reason to go larger. It's what Altec used and if I'm not changing the gauge of the 100's of feet of inductor wire than I can't see what difference 10 feet of the other stuff will make...
Today I rebuild a Quad 303 amp. The internal wire is 22g and I left it as is. Right now it's making beautiful music and driving the 19's surprisingly well! :)
This doesn't make sense, what are you taking your measurements with?Quote:
My currect caps are off by almost 50% in some ranges and the inductors are no where close to correct. The speakers still sound good to me.
It's just preference.You use what you feel comfortable with.The difference if any will be so slight I doubt you will be able to distinguish it.At the very least will be very difficult to tell. But I just wanted to use the best I could, IMO.Quote:
Originally Posted by johnsonad
Hmmmm, I actually DO live very close to a radio station. I used to be able to hear it over my phone!Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Guy
That could come in handy--maybe if you listen closely to your speakers in between spinning vinyl you'll hear "Caller number 20 wins a pair of Altec Tar Filled 1803's!" ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Audio_by_Goodwill