Sound Armour
New Member
I am looking into recapping my Infinity RS 2.5s. Any ideas on what caps I should use and where can I get them?
Thanks,
Kyle
Thanks,
Kyle
Infinity RS 2.5s recapping
- Thread starter Sound Armour
- Start date
Sound Armour
New Member
Around $200, will that be enough to get some decent caps?
geoff727
Well-Known Member
You could do a few things with $200, but it won't be a whole lot, honestly, for a 2.5 crossover. Given that budget, I think I'd get the series electrolytics out of the midrange circuit (the 125uf & 50uf) and replaced with film caps, tailored to whether you single or bi-amp the speakers. Have to be careful about space on the board, though. Film caps with values that high can get fairly large. At the very least, run an electrolytic with a high-quality film bypass. For example, when replacing the 125uf, use at least a 10% film bypass. Choose values that are easy to obtain; so, you could use a 100uf Bennic electrolytic and a 24uf SOLEN PB film cap, for example. The selectable resistors in the tweeter circuit would be replaced, too. Mills non-inductive wire-wound resistors are a good choice and only a few dollars a piece. On the ones I'm doing for my friend in Portland, every electrolytic in the woofer circuits is being replaced with new stuff, although I can't remember off the top of my head how much this was. I'm thinking at least $140, but I'd have to check. That's actually really inexpensive considering what those caps are. Another thing I'd do on your budget is replace the .7ohm resistor in the midrange circuit. There are much better products out there than those old sand-cast resistors, and they can be had for not too much money. Better components in series with the drivers can make a lot of difference if done wisely.
Then there's the free stuff...disassemble and thoroughly clean (DeOxit is good) the following: the tweeter fuse holder, the tweeter level selector, the midrange potentiometer, and all driver connections. You will be amazed at the gunk that can build up inside some of this stuff. The ones I'm re-doing have new potentiometers with no wear. They were bought new a couple years ago, and they were STILL filthy inside when I cleaned them a couple months ago. After cleaning, treat with a good contact enhancer. I use the Cardas stuff, but there's lots of products available. The Single-Amp/Bi-Amp switch, unfortunately cannot be easily taken apart and reassembled. If it's super dirty, there's no harm in directly replacing it. You can get them for about 20-25 bucks a piece.
G~
Then there's the free stuff...disassemble and thoroughly clean (DeOxit is good) the following: the tweeter fuse holder, the tweeter level selector, the midrange potentiometer, and all driver connections. You will be amazed at the gunk that can build up inside some of this stuff. The ones I'm re-doing have new potentiometers with no wear. They were bought new a couple years ago, and they were STILL filthy inside when I cleaned them a couple months ago. After cleaning, treat with a good contact enhancer. I use the Cardas stuff, but there's lots of products available. The Single-Amp/Bi-Amp switch, unfortunately cannot be easily taken apart and reassembled. If it's super dirty, there's no harm in directly replacing it. You can get them for about 20-25 bucks a piece.
G~
StimpyWan
Addicted Member
I agree with geoff 100%. Put as much money towards the tweeter and midrange series caps as you can, with hopefully using polypropylene caps. Those would have the greatest audible impact, since they're directly inline with the drivers. The tweeters use a 3.83uF cap, and the mids, a 50uF and an 125uF. Be warned though, there's a 125uF cap in the woofer circuit too. It's a shunt capacitor. Just don't mix it up for the midrange cap.
Parts Express has a fairly cheap 100uF Audyn Q4 poly cap, that you could combine with another 25 poly. The Dayton 1% and 5% caps are good and cheap. So are the Audyn Q4's. Jantzen's too, but they are a little more expensive. ClarityCaps are very good as well. Even the PX series. The Clarity ESA/CSA series are another step up. Mundorf caps are great too. Get what you can within budget. For the rest, use Bennic NPE's or Mundorf E-Cap NPE's. If you use NPE's for the series values, add a 0.1uF or 0.01uF low value bypass cap. Use a poly, or a Dayton film and foil. A Vishay MKP-1837 is also a good bypass cap. Look at Parts Express, Parts Connexion, Madisound, or Sonic Craft for the various caps you'll need.
Parts Express has a fairly cheap 100uF Audyn Q4 poly cap, that you could combine with another 25 poly. The Dayton 1% and 5% caps are good and cheap. So are the Audyn Q4's. Jantzen's too, but they are a little more expensive. ClarityCaps are very good as well. Even the PX series. The Clarity ESA/CSA series are another step up. Mundorf caps are great too. Get what you can within budget. For the rest, use Bennic NPE's or Mundorf E-Cap NPE's. If you use NPE's for the series values, add a 0.1uF or 0.01uF low value bypass cap. Use a poly, or a Dayton film and foil. A Vishay MKP-1837 is also a good bypass cap. Look at Parts Express, Parts Connexion, Madisound, or Sonic Craft for the various caps you'll need.
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Sound Armour
New Member
Great information, thanks everyone. I will let know if I have anymore questions.
