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#1 Speaker mods

Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2021 6:06 pm
by Daniel Quinn
I’ve got a pair of dovedale cabs to which I’ve lined with steel. I’ve fitted a 12 inch Monacor , a 5 inch audax and a scanspeak tweeter.

They sound marvellous. I’m listening to abacab at the moment , what a trio.

The monacor is doped and runs full range , the midrange as got a cap and inductor and the tweeter just a cap.


They are all six ohms so no resistors .

In the new year I intend to try improve them because I’ve nothing else to do.

As anybody tried the scanspeak dome midrange , is it any good and any issues ?

#2 Re: Speaker mods

Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2021 6:22 pm
by pre65
Daniel Quinn wrote: Fri Dec 17, 2021 6:06 pm
They sound marvellous.

In the new year I intend to try improve them because I’ve nothing else to do.
It might help if you had an idea of what (if anything) you find lacking in them at the moment.

That way suggestions might be forthcoming.

#3 Re: Speaker mods

Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2021 7:34 pm
by Daniel Quinn
Nothing. I listen to them perfectly contented. If I was still practising law I would leave them as is , but my extended sabbatical needs filling.

#4 Re: Speaker mods

Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2021 8:28 pm
by pre65
Do you have any other loudspeakers at home ?

#5 Re: Speaker mods

Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2021 9:28 pm
by Nick
Speakers are not something i know much about, but driver info and xover values may allow those that do to give more info.

#6 Re: Speaker mods

Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2021 9:51 pm
by Ray P
Daniel Quinn wrote: Fri Dec 17, 2021 7:34 pm Nothing. I listen to them perfectly contented.
In that case I suggest leaving them alone and finding something else to expend your energy and funds on?

#7 Re: Speaker mods

Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2021 9:57 pm
by pre65
When "playing" with kit it's a good thing to have a reference component to judge the results.

As you are happy with your speakers, they are (surely ?) the reference at this moment in time, so if you modify them how do you do the before/after comparison ?

#8 Re: Speaker mods

Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2021 2:16 pm
by Daniel Quinn
Do we participate in a hobby which kills time till time kills us or is is something more serious .

#9 Re: Speaker mods

Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2021 2:25 pm
by pre65
Daniel Quinn wrote: Sat Dec 18, 2021 2:16 pm Do we participate in a hobby which kills time till time kills us or is is something more serious .
What you hope to get out of any hobby, or pastime is entirely up to you Daniel.

You received some suggestions, how you process those suggestions is (again) entirely up to you.

#10 Re: Speaker mods

Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2021 3:18 pm
by karatestu
Mid range domes seem to divide opinion. You can't cross them over super low. I'm not sure if they all have ferro fluid or not but I try to avoid the bloody stuff if possible. Tweeters have too much distortion if used with 1st order filters imo. I would be concerned that mid domes could be the same.

I think the only way to find out if you like what they do in your set up is to try one.

#11 Re: Speaker mods

Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2021 4:02 pm
by rowuk
IF the speakers are truly free of artifacts, you're alone on the planet. I believe that this is more a sign of your ears/perception needing a jolt.
If we think about everything missing in stereo (compared to a good live venue), there is always something to think about and then react on.

Sometimes the easiest way to get a new project is to invite some ears that you trust for an extended listening session and go from there.

Another method is to get some measuring tools and to get some paperwork on what you currently think is "perfect". Basic tools like Holm Impulse or REW with a simple calibrated microphone like an UMIK 1 can easily show the warts of a system.

Teaching ourselves to measure and correlate what we hear to what we measure would keep one busy for a long time!

#12 Re: Speaker mods

Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2021 4:47 pm
by Ray P
rowuk wrote: Sat Dec 18, 2021 4:02 pm IF the speakers are truly free of artifacts...
He didn't actally say/suggest that, what he said was "I listen to them perfectly contented"?

#13 Re: Speaker mods

Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2021 5:26 pm
by Nick
But again, more information would at least allow a model of the existing speakers to be created and then to see how a different drive unit would work.

#14 Re: Speaker mods

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2021 9:44 am
by steve s
He didn't actally say/suggest that, what he said was "I listen to them perfectly contented"?
I wish I still listened like that..

Nowadays I find it difficult not to listen objectivity to both the music and the kit.
I remember when I 1st owned yammi ns1000s in the 90s and spent a year or so thinking this is it.. perfect!

Then I built my bestest horns and thought I would not get better than this..and for thought that for 5 years or more.

Its amazing what you dont hear until you hear it.