Diesis Solitaire 2 speaker xover revamp

The two smaller ones could easily be replaced with a pair of poly caps I feel as long as the legs are long enough. The Elcap thingy really ought to be looked at first if anything (maybe a personal beef about them).

If any of these caps are in series with the tweeter, then poly caps will have less resistance and will increase tweeter output a touch - THIS is often what is heard as an 'improvement' in my experience, so be careful.

They're not cheap suppliers, but Falcon do a matching service on electrolytics and they did me a pair of 5% matched 35uF electrolytics for my IMF Compacts when I updated them. I replaced the 1uF tweeter cap (it's more a kind of super-tweeter in these) with a poly one and the output definitely increased slightly..

Good luck. I quite liked the original Solitaire back then but it was a bit 'dry' sounding and needed power I felt.

Hi Hudz

Change them all.

No fancy pants components needed.

Replace the 12uF using a JB (JFX) 12uF poly as long as it's matched to 5% or better, otherwise make up using a 6.8 and a 4.7 for an 11.5uF total value which is within 5% of factory specified and will be fine.

For the HF use Jantzen standard Z caps of the same value.

The ESR difference between BRIDGED electrolytics and polys is minuscule, wrt new components. From the factory, a pair of elcaps brand new in a raw cap as opposed to a low loss 'lytic would be no more than 0.2 Ohms with two combined, and probably lower. The Polys probably under 0.1Ohms. There will be no measurable frequency response difference between those types in that crossover from new, but expect a big difference in detail from what you have now as the ESR will have risen in those old ones as well as the capacitance value probably drifting which will shift crossover.

For the LF, the difference between a plain 'lytic and a poly is about 0.2 to 0.3 Ohms ESR, or less, but certainly no more, so swapping out for polys there will only alter slope value very slightly (steepen it fractionally) when comparing like for like new values. With the older cap, you will likely have a slight flattening of the slope's 2nd pole meaning a crossover point a little higher than design spec with some slight phasing and matching issues but the main improvement is that in both cases, thermal drift will be non existent for the polys.

It won't need fancy pants expensive caps to notice a significant improvement. Clean the lead out legs off, keep them short and mechanically crimp them to the other connections using thin nose pliers and solder (that way no dry joint issues will happen in the future).

Doing as I advise above will restore them to factory response or as near as is possible.  Don't use electrolytics...they have no place in any high fidelity crossover.

If you don't like the sound as the HF is too lively then it was likely the same from new.  You can alter the L-Pad  but only a little otherwise step changes in sensitivity shift the crossover point and ruin phase response.  If you can provide me details of the tweeter and the L-pad resistor values you currently have there, I can probably advise of minor tweaks to lower the HF a little without ruining the crossover.

Brilliant, thanks Paul and Dave, parts ordered for the princely sum of £25. I would have bought Mundorf, Clarity cap or other big names, saved a good few quid.

I'll update when the patients have had their surgery.

Buzzin

Thanks for that nugget Paul, thats another hifi myth/assumption that I've bought into explained away. And much appredciated for taking the time to help me out.

As you say this doesn't seem like a forum more a sort of comfy back room at your local with a big bald bouncer on the door.

Big Bald Bouncer.....lol.

It is pretty much as you've decribed there, Martin.

We have no interest in conflict here, or challenging the very valid personal experiences of the individual. If you hear it, we trust you heard it...that's how we roll.

And yes, Paul's excellent contributions to the "snug" as I'm now calling it, are gratefully received and appreciated.

I'm glad were achieving what was set out in the beginning.

To his face? errrrrrrrrr..........nope

Chicken....lol

Hahaha!

I'm fast over the first three yards, you're safe after that ;D

Hudz get a Topping D50, you won't be disappointed.

Christ on a bike Dave,

The 405-2 sounds like its been dipped in honey and left outside on a warm sunny day.

And just like Sh#t, its covered in flies too.

Not meaning to be disrespectful to those that own, use and enjoy that amp. More power to your elbow but in the realms of the ability it has vs that of say a Hypex amp or the Orchard BOSC, its simply not in the same library as the good books.

Mills n Boon type stuff.

Good stuff Martin.  They will fill out a little in sound as the caps fully stabilise which can take a few hours (no longer).

Thanks for the recommendation, was looking at the one that just sold, some lucky bugger got a bargain, wonder who.............

Hopefully by the time I get mine a certain someone will have learned how to supercharge them.

Yep, all frilly, rosy kak and no real substance. Big knickers kinda amp.

Can;t afford owt decent at the mo, so stuck with it, it has had a few mods but I've heard a Kell kav 250 recently and had my ears opened.

Left them running all day and now the thumpy bass has been and gone I'm very pleased with the result. Cheers again  Very nimble and airy they sound now.