Speakers - Toroidal trouble... Pics added!

had this email from tommy re the crossover, don't worry I'll let someone look at it but how would you interpret this?... (Thanks Tommy) Chris

• the red wire goes to the lowther and the other red wire goes to amp

• the two blue goes to tweeter and amplifier too

• both wires are in series and minus goes straight from amp to tweeter and lowther

 

Sounds like the red goes from the positive(red)amp/binding post, through the inductor into the positive(+) terminal of the lowther (limiting upper frequencies).
The blue goes from the SAME binding post(red), into the caps & resistor & into the positive(+) terminal of the tweeter(limiting lower frequencies)

The negative(black)signal from the amp/binding post goes straight into the negative(-) terminals of both the lowther and the tweeter.(ie not going into either red or blue on the crossover, but one wire for each coming from the - input from amp/binding post straight onto the - spade of each drivers....)
Give it a try, sounds sensible. Just make sure to keep the volume down while you're testing them.
Good luck

 

Thats how I had it last night, and it sounds bazzing! Glad I didn't strip it all out.

(chuffed is an understatement)


it begs the question how much better they would sound with really posh wires inside...

Thanks everyone!

 

Cool. Just to be on the safe side though, the blue wires should connect ONLY to the resistors and capacitor, and the reds ONLY to the Inductor. If this is the case, you shouldn't have any probs...

 

"Everything is made together the caps and resistors and the toroid share soldered connections between them (acting as one unit if you like), and two wires in and two wires out. Could each driver take what it needs from this? It sounds very good at the mo, I have the tweeter positive connected to one wire and the lowther positive connected to the other... then all the negatives connected direct to the binding post."


Sorry Chris just read this, and it doesn't sound right. From what i know, the red and blues should never be connected together. The reds should connect either end of the inductor and the blues either end of the caps/resistors.

You said you soldered these yourself..
Are you SURE they were wired exactly in this way before?
It sounds like you're sending an identical signal to both the lowther and tweeter and that's not right..

 

If the inductor and cap are connected together (and they are meant to be like that by design) and it connects as Tommy says, then it is probably a series xover. Get a circuit diagram from Tommy.

 

Simon, From what i just quoted above and looking at the pics, it sounds like the resistors, caps and inductors are all connected in parallel with each other.

 

Its altogether in one contiguous lump yes. two wires in, two wires out.

 

If that is the case then its a notch filter. Very strange to run two drivers from the same notch filter, and also for the tweeter to have no HP.

I'd still like a circuit diagram of what is meant to be happening.

 

Hi Andy what seems to have confused things is that the blue is a positive here like the red and both go from the positive post, through the crossover and out the other side, one to the lowther and one to the tweeter, and all the negatives are connected direct from the drivers to the negative post. No wonder i wired it up wrong! See my pants new diagram attached! Whats a notch filler Simon?

 

What i meant is AFTER the blue and red wires go from the amp output/binding post, they should go to seperate components on the X/over.
Are the blue and red actually soldered together going into or especially leaving the X/over to the speaker terminals and were the old ones definitely wired like that beforehand??

 

yes Andy although there are two wires in and two wires out the both enter then exit a fused bundle of soldered components, which encompasses both the toroid and the other bits, its always been like that. One big lump! No separate paths.

 

Sound like someone's been messing with it before you got your hands on it.
Basically, a crossover splits a signal so you get a high pass(cuts low frequencies so the tweeter doesn't get any bass fed to it) and a low pass(cuts highs so no treble to a midrange or mid bass).

A notch filter allows most of the signal through but cuts a out a (usually small) middlesection. These only have one output which means the red and blue wires that lead to the speakers are feeding the drivers an identical signal, which doesn't seem right.

 

Hi Andy ...sounds very good though, from my experience of an unlimited lotus tweeter, (how the bloke that owned these before me had jigged it) I was lucky to still have some fillings (let alone the tweeter)... I'm very happy with the same signal as it is at the mo! The crossovers an original Tommy, so it must be right.

 

So long as you're happy Chris. Wish i could've been more help...
Happy listening mate