Avid Corp. model 102 crossover needs recap

[fxcamera1]

There was an earlier thread about this. I tried replying because I am in the same situation. But I didn't get a response because the thread is so old. So here goes my own thread...

The tweeter is out on my right speaker because the "7.0 uf 30v np" cap on the crossover is bad and Parts Express only has these 2 replacements:

https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-pmpc-68-68uf-250v-precision-audio-capacitor--027-238

https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-dmpc-68-68uf-250v-polypropylene-capacitor--027-424

These 2 replacements are 6.8uf each and 250v(instead of 30v). Would either of these replacements be appropriate? -And does the "v"oltage difference mean anything?

I tried asking if the poster he had good results using one of these, and which one he went with. Most replies said that 6.8uf is fine. One person said to try getting a 0.2uf and putting it parallel if he wanted an exact match.

(Now, is it really worth bothering to try to parallel with a .02uf? -that is, if I could find one!)

Any opinions or help is appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[A400]

I agree that 6.8 is probably close enough. It’s about 3% off spec which is probably less than the spec for the original caps. If you like things to be as close as possible to spec you may as well get a 0.2 cap (or two 0.1 caps if they’re easier to find) and add it too, but I doubt you’d easily hear a difference.

If you’re increasing voltage then it isn’t important. Higher voltage caps will handle more power, but other things would probably fail before this threshold.

Your two choices appear to differ only in tolerance. I’ve not used either but posters on here often recommend this brand and 5% tolerance is fine.

 

[fxcamera1]

Thank you A400.

 

[Fremen]

Timely post. I just picked up a pair of Avid 102A speakers and will replace the crossover cap. Happily the rubber around the speaker is in perfect shape. I'm also going to replace the binding posts since it's simple and inexpensive. When I opened up the back to remove the old binding posts I noticed that the two wires from the binding posts to the crossover look like they are 18 gauge, no markings on the wires so I'm not sure about the gauge. There is so much effort put into the speaker cables by people that it makes me wonder if it would be a good idea to replace these two 24" long wires with something a bit heavier, with a higher strand count. It's an easy replacement. Thoughts?

 

[Nat]

Easy enough to do, but recognize that whatever signal is passed through whatever you put in, anchor hawsers or romex, litz wire, or whatever, eventually has to pass through vastly longer and thinner voice coil wires, and those are more likely to be the limiting factor.

 

[FabRik8r]

I just picked up some 102a speakers in really nice shape. The current 7uF, 30V film caps seem to be doing just fine. I may replace mine with Dayton, since that is the only option that is fiscally responsible with the value of these speakers. It's crazy to me that you can buy $40 speakers like this that are better than most of the stuff you see on CL for up to $250. It's all about perception. The links for the two caps from the OP no longer work. But consider the difference is tolerance values. The cap with 5% tolerance will hit that 7uF mark. You can go with the narrower 1% tolerance, but in this case, I'm not convinced that is a guaranteed "better" option. Here is a link: https://www.parts-express.com/Dayton-Audio-DMPC-6.8-6.8uF-250V-Polypropylene-Capacitor-027-424

In response to the last post, I had some really nice Dayton binding posts, in satin nickel ... very tasty looking parts (https://www.parts-express.com/Dayton-Audio-BPA-38SN-HD-Binding-Post-Pair-Satin-Nickel-091-1247). Since these were designed to go into wood/mdf cabs, I had to come up with a way to keep these in position. As you know, the terminal cup and terminal strip are so thin, they won't hold anything like this. So I got some nylon standoffs, which worked really well. I added some CA glue around the base of the standoffs so that they never move.



Note, that it is a good idea to align the posts so the hole in the post is vertical. It will make putting raw wire ends in MUCH easier than having to fit in at an angle.



To make future changes easy, I soldered the ring tab on the binding posts to the wires on the crossover.