Crossover bad?

[x21]

Hello All:

I am wondering what the symptoms of worn out capacitors are in a crossover. My Castle Harlechs are rather dark sounding with my Brio.

Regards:
x21

 

[James]

Is there actually any output from the tweeter?

 

[x21]

Is there actually any output from the tweeter?

There is.

 

[Fatmarley]

Dried or drying ferrofluid maybe?

 

[James]

Dried or drying ferrofluid maybe?

I suspect this is a far likelier cause than capacitor ageing.

 

[Craig B]

The Vifa D25AG-05 tweeter that Castle was using during this time period was indeed a ferrofluid cooled model...

http://www.sea.vg/vifa/D25AG-05-06.pdf​

 

[x21]

I'm wondering if I should send it off to get rebuilt or find a replacement. Thoughts?

 

[Fatmarley]

The Vifa D25AG-05 tweeter that Castle was using during this time period was indeed a ferrofluid cooled model...

http://www.sea.vg/vifa/D25AG-05-06.pdf​

Surley there's something wrong with that graph. It shows the tweeter rolling off at 4khz!

 

[Craig B]

Surley there's something wrong with that graph. It shows the tweeter rolling off at 4khz!

Looks like it was set to multiply frequency scale by 10, likely do to with the trace being incapable of showing much detail above 20kHz. Fq response range is specified as 2.5 to 35kHz.

 

[Fatmarley]

Just noticed it shows Fs at 200hz, when it should be 1500hz.

 

[Fatmarley]

I'm wondering if I should send it off to get rebuilt or find a replacement. Thoughts?

You only have to remove the 4 outer screws to get it out, and remove the 3 inner screws to take it apart. The only worry I know of, is if the voice coil is not self centering. I'd bet it is though.

Scroll down to near the bottom of this page to see what it should look like inside.

http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/C17_II.htm

 

[Craig B]

I'm wondering if I should send it off to get rebuilt or find a replacement. Thoughts?

Have you had the Harlechs for some time?

The reason I ask is that I recall them as being capable of sounding a bit OTT in the lower resisters if not sited carefully and/or if the room were easily excited.

IME, with QWTLs one has multiple sources of bass over a narrow range of very low frequencies, any one or more of which can become doubled or even trebled if the distance from two or more room boundaries happen to be the same.

What version Brio is it, btw?

 

[Craig B]

You only have to remove the 4 outer screws to get it out, and remove the 3 inner screws to take it apart. The only worry I know of, is if the voice coil is not self centering. I'd bet it is though.

Scroll down to near the bottom of this page to see what it should look like inside.

http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/C17_II.htm

This post on AVforum may give a better idea of what to expect once the face plate is off. Paradigm used a version of this same tweeter with their own custom faceplate.

 

[x21]

Have you had the Harlechs for some time?

The reason I ask is that I recall them as being capable of sounding a bit OTT in the lower resisters if not sited carefully and/or if the room were easily excited.

IME, with QWTLs one has multiple sources of bass over a narrow range of very low frequencies, any one or more of which can become doubled or even trebled if the distance from two or more room boundaries happen to be the same.

What version Brio is it, btw?

I've had them for about 10 years. It wasn't until I got a pair of castle knights that I realized how dark they sounded.

I have the brio(2017)

Also my old PSB Alpha B1s currently have a more exciting sound than the Harlechs.The harlechs tweeters still have more detail but are muffled next to any other speaker I have.

 

[Geoffreybombom]

If you suspect ferrofluid and are in the UK, Willys Hifi can probably help, ring Will he is very good.

 

[x21]

After some more time playing them I suspect the older castles just have a warmer sound. If I put a highpass filter on them it sounds more balanced. They seem to not bring the cymbals out like other speakers such as the Totem Hawks but the overall sound seems well put together.