CS-99/CS-63DX Horn tweeter

kvining

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Picked up a set of CS-63DX speakers off of CL for a 100 bucks one speaker was good, the other had a blown horn tweeter PN# PT-103 F. I ended up pulling the horn tweeter from a set of CS-99's I have on the project bench, I am having the tweeters refoamed on that set and haven't really been in a hurry to get them off the shelf. The CS-63DX's sound really nice now, vastly superior to the CS-99s, but I am left with the problem of coming up with a horn tweeter for the CS-99's now that I've robbed Peter to pay Paul. Has anyone found a good replacement for this hard to find part? Or someone who repairs them? Not much on the net and haven't seen it on Ebay, and I haven't had a lot of luck matching up something from Parts Express.

1120223-pioneer-cs63dx-horn-tweeters-pt103f.jpg
 
I've seen them on eBay. I recently found a set of cs-63dx's and they are wonderful speakers .
 
I'm very impressed with them, the added box volume certainly addresses the criticism of the CS-99's 15" woofer being in too small a box, the overall tonal quality improvement is very impressive playing jazz and classical. I have a recap job planned for them as well. If ebay is the only resort, is there anyway I can add some sort of protection to these tweeters for whatever is blowing them up?
 
RE: horn tweeter problem - when i had a pair of these new in ~ 1976 i would blow the horn frequently as new amps got too powerful for these old style speakers. At the time Pioneer provided new voice coils and I could disable the horn speaker and install them myself. I vaguely remember removing the three screws from the back magnet and the voice coil being accessible. This voice coil change may have been the super tweeter not the horn, I'm trying to remember.

Maybe with a sample we can get one of the folks restoring speakers to create new voice coils or rewind it? I also added a fast blow fuse inline at the main speaker terminals, exterior to the cabinet. I can't remember the value of the fuse or if it helped. I'm careful with the speakers I have now not to overpower them.

I picked up a pair of CS-63DX about a year ago and re-capped them, it really brought them to life. I did one speaker at a time and the difference was obvious. Worth doing. I bought modestly priced caps, I think the re-cap project was ~ <$50

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original crossover.jpg
new crossover.jpg
 
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Folks,

I just stumpled upon this page when I was searching details for CS-63DX speakers whcih I recently acquired. When I tested (with Technics SA 505) they sound awful and I guess one of them has issues with tweeters. I'm a newbie to this stuff.. so before I embark on a recapping project, how can I check tweeters & woofers are in good shape. Physically they look good, sonically I don't see any sound coming from the tweeters of one of the speakers. Does recap solve the issues? Original owner stated that he bought them in Japan and hardly used after shipping them to US, they were just sitting in the living room for 4 decades. Any suggestions ?
 
Hi, these are awesome speakers so hang in there. The recap isn't likely to repair speakers that aren't working now. there is a small chance a cap has opened. Do you have a multimeter that you can test the voice coils? If so, open the back, remove the big batt of insulation, take some pictures so you can re-wire it. Disconnect one of the midrange horn wires spade lug at the crossover end. The other speakers have removable terminals at the speaker. You only need to disconnect one wire from each speaker so you isolate and measure the voice coil. The supper tweeter should be ~ 7 ohms, horn tweeter should be 7 ohms, midranges 14 ohms, woofer 5 ohm. If the speakers all measure OK, then move onto a re-cap.

You can get a wiring diagram here https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/pioneer/cs-63dx.shtml
 
Thanks Jerry, this is very helpful. I have a multimeter and will be able to check the speakers. I will get back to you with my findings. Thanks again for your quick response.
 
This is what you should expect to see when you open the box, Be careful not to break the spade connections on the speakers. I found them to be crimpled hard on some speakers and needed to be "gentle but firm" with a small needle nose plyer or screwdriver.
CS63DX open.jpg CS-63 open.jpg
 
Removing connectors from speaker terminals much easier and safer if a small pick is used to loosen the grip of the connector.
 
Hello Everyone, Hope you all are safe and doing good. Although I have been home quarantined for last few weeks, I did not get a chance to check the speakers as I was busy working from home. Finally I was able check them last night and found that one of horn speaker has no signal when I tested with multimeter. Rest all looks good. I cleaned up the contacts with deoxit thinking that it may improve sound quality. I still see lot of distortion, muddy sound and very fatiguing. Should I go ahead with recap and will it fix the problem? Check the attached pics. The quality of the cabinets is good and physical condtion of the speakers is mint, so I dont mind spending $50 on recap project, just need some expert's advice before I place an order in partsexpress.

Jerry - Did you have same sound quality issues before recapping them ?

Thanks in advance..
 

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Hi - my speakers sound fine but not great before I recapped. I didn't have any distortion issues, just an average sound. The recap provided a brightener, cleaner sound.
I'm sorry to hear about the horn measuring open. Not having this driver will make a noticeable difference in the dynamic range on the high end. The sound will be flat from that side. I haven't seen a good option for repairing these and not many drivers on the used market. This thread started with OP looking to find a speaker repair service or replacement.

The recap is your easiest next step because the parts are readily available and easy to do. I think I'd want to investigate the distortion a bit more and have a plan for replacing the horns before i started the recap.

Can you connect a low volume source direct to each of the woofer and mid-ranges and listen for distortion? they may measure OK on DVM but have interference in the mechanical voice coil clearance that creates distortion. Can you feel rubbing when you gently push the cones in/out on the woofer? The cone should move smoothly without any scrapping feel.

I would not experiment too much with the super tweeters (small 3" round) as lower frequencies direct connected could cause them problems. If these are not working perfectly you may not notice, they add ~10% to the high end. I had them not working on one of mine and until i measured them i didn't hear they were open.

Edit - I relooked at the wiring diagram and the dual 3" dome tweeters show wired as the primary tweeters. But I know when listening to the drivers up close much more high-frequency sound is delivered by the horn. I'll pull the grills and try to listen to each again.

Contact cleaner the tone-shaping switches on the crossovers as well.

Check the woofer and mids. If they sound OK with a dedicated connection at low volume, go to re-cap and look for a replacement or aftermarket horn that fits. I'm curious about what you find.
 
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Hello Jerry I saw the list of caps you replace but in the picture I saw double capped in one section., was there a reason for this? Also what would be the best caps to go for if price is not an issue?
I bought my 63DX over a year ago and just now decided to bring them out and test them. Luckily they work wonderfully and the boxes are in really good shape. (will need to do a little maintenance on the wood to bring out the rich texture.)
Right now I am testing them out with the Pioneer QX-9900 Quad receiver pulling Led Zeppelin from the computer. They sound pretty damn good. I don't have 15" woofers running anywhere in my house so this is a nice change. I should have pulled them earlier on.

Regards,
 
i maspadaro, the dual capacitors are used as the best way to meet the needed uF value with stock component values. Placing capacitors in parallel adds their values together. In post #4 the list, when compared to the crossover schematic shows the 10uf + 3.9 uf are added to make the needed 14uf.

I don't have an opinion on the best capacitors to purchase. I found these to be an excellent value for the application. Let us know if you choose a different brand and how they worked out.

One additional thing I found helped these speakers are stands which raises the speakers off the floor so the tweeters/ mids are located at approximately your ear listening level. The sound stage and separation improvement as noticeable. The stands I built were ~ 10 inches tall if I remember correctly.
 

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i maspadaro, the dual capacitors are used as the best way to meet the needed uF value with stock component values. Placing capacitors in parallel adds their values together. In post #4 the list, when compared to the crossover schematic shows the 10uf + 3.9 uf are added to make the needed 14uf.

I don't have an opinion on the best capacitors to purchase. I found these to be an excellent value for the application. Let us know if you choose a different brand and how they worked out.

One additional thing I found helped these speakers are stands which raises the speakers off the floor so the tweeters/ mids are located at approximately your ear listening level. The sound stage and separation improvement as noticeable. The stands I built were ~ 10 inches tall if I remember correctly.

Thank you for the Cap info then. I have been thinking of raising them but will need to get a larger base . the ones I have are for smaller speakers and I am worried with a 60 pound beast on them.
Thank you again.
Regard,
Miguel
 
Hi all, I am new here and I was hoping to get some help if possible,
I do have a pair of Pioneer CS99a’s and need to replace the voice coil of two of the super tweeters DS06 and one voice coil of the horn PT410F-2...
My question is is someone knows the size of those voice coils?
are the DS06 13mm (0.5 inches)?? maybe 14mm??
and the PT410F-2 25mm (1 inch)?? maybe 25.4mm??

thanks for your help!

Agustin
 
Hi - I have not seen anyone with voice coils available, but it would be great to hear someone is able to replicate them.
I have a donor PT-222F from CS-63DX that I could measure and post the voice coil specs. I'm not sure if that helps your CS-99 project.
 
Hi - I have not seen anyone with voice coils available, but it would be great to hear someone is able to replicate them.
I have a donor PT-222F from CS-63DX that I could measure and post the voice coil specs. I'm not sure if that helps your CS-99 project.
Hey Jerry, you wouldn't happen to have that donor PT-222F anymore would you?
 
Hey Jerry, you wouldn't happen to have that donor PT-222F anymore would you?
Hi Napes, yes I have a PT-222F with an open voice coil. If we find someone who can re-manufacture voice coils I would send it to them to help the cause. I'd commit to buying several as well.
 
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