Ditton 66 crossovers in B&O Beovox 5700

[TellMeWhy]

Hi! I have acquired a pair of B&O Beovox 5700 in very good condition. They have the same high and mid as the venerable Celestion Ditton 66 but a different woofer and passive radiator (10" rather than 12").

Replacement, even newly designed, Ditton 66 crossovers are available. What does anyone think about fitting these into the Beovox with modified cap values on the bass end?

Could this achieve a smaller clone of the Ditton for small $$?

 

[tubed]

More than likely the two respective crossovers would be designed differently to accommodate for the two different drivers used in the two different speakers.
If you are itching for something to do give it a try

 

[Oldsansui441]

Congratulations on your Beovox 5700's, they should be a great listen. l am a Beovox fan of this era in particular, l have 1702's and 4703's. I would just recap your original crossovers with good quality like for like caps and also check resistors, l did this on mine and they sound great. Shouldn't cost much at all, just a bit of time with the soldering iron.

 

[TellMeWhy]

Congratulations on your Beovox 5700's, they should be a great listen. l am a Beovox fan of this era in particular, l have 1702's and 4703's. I would just recap your original crossovers with good quality like for like caps and also check resistors, l did this on mine and they sound great. Shouldn't cost much at all, just a bit of time with the soldering iron.

OK thanks for the advice! Yep I think that a recap will yield good results, and even though the caps aren't showing signs of leakage, it will improve things dramatically. Not a tricky job by the looks of it:

 

[Zonker92]

Nice. Definitely replace the resistors, if there's any question: Easy to spec them with a DMM. B&O has been known to use 3-watt resistors, which are grossly undersized for modern amplifiers. 10-watts or higher would be much safer.

 

[TellMeWhy]

Congratulations on your Beovox 5700's, they should be a great listen. l am a Beovox fan of this era in particular, l have 1702's and 4703's. I would just recap your original crossovers with good quality like for like caps and also check resistors, l did this on mine and they sound great. Shouldn't cost much at all, just a bit of time with the soldering iron.

Quick question- would you recommend splashing out on pricey polypropylene caps like Solens, or would a basic electrolytic like Alcap suffice perfectly? When you say like for like, does that mean voltage ratings too? Or would I be fine with same value non-polarised electrolytic caps rated at higher voltages? Thanks a lot!

 

[Zonker92]

Higher voltages are always fine. They just handle more power. Some people think they also sound better.

Most people here would say that basic film caps, like Daytons, are a significant sonic upgrade over electrolytics, plus they last longer. (A lot of people think Solens are a little on the bright side.) Downsides are they cost more and are a lot larger. Plus they have less resistance, so the effect of the circuit may change, but only slightly.

 

[Oldsansui441]

Quick question- would you recommend splashing out on pricey polypropylene caps like Solens, or would a basic electrolytic like Alcap suffice perfectly?

I personally like to replace the electrolytic caps on these with good quality electrolytics to keep similar esr etc in the circuit, l use 100v caps. This is also what is recommended over on Beoworld. There is a chance that Poly caps MAY change the sound signature but they may not also.

I use these with good results. https://www.jaycar.com.au/15uf-100v-electrolytic-crossover-capacitor/p/RY6910