Dayton Wright XAM-4 Crossover Help Needed

[a&scm]

Hi guys,
I want to change out the capacitors in the crossovers of my XAM-4`s

I bought them new, Placed the order in Dec/85 and drove up to Canada to pick them up and I still have all my original paperwork !

It`s been about 8 years since I hooked them but the other day I dragged them out and listened to them for about 1-1/2 hours and they sounded ok.

Since they are 33 years old I decided to redo the crossovers some.
These speakers are NOT user friendly as to any kind of repair work...AT ALL !

Took chisels and pry bars to open them up
Here`s what they look like inside. No crossover board at all just parts glued here and there.
The Nichicon caps are 100uf 50V NP.
Can anyone help me choose an upgrade replacement for the them ?

 

[StimpyWan]

I always recommend Mundorf E-Cap, for NPE replacements. Not as cheap as normal electrolytic caps, but they do sound good.

E-Cap 100uF

The E-Cap is a 5% tolerance part, where the PE caps are 10%. There's also the Plain series of E-Cap, but not cheap.

E-Cap 100uF Plain

Here's the NPE from Parts Express. Their 100uF cap is quite a bit cheaper.

PE 100uF

Good luck - I think you'll need it...!

 

[a&scm]

I always recommend Mundorf E-Cap, for NPE replacements. Not as cheap as normal electrolytic caps, but they do sound good.

E-Cap 100uF

The E-Cap is a 5% tolerance part, where the PE caps are 10%. There's also the Plain series of E-Cap, but not cheap.

E-Cap 100uF Plain

Here's the NPE from Parts Express. Their 100uF cap is quite a bit cheaper.

PE 100uF

Good luck - I think you'll need it...!

Thanks StimpyWan...
I was told I could reduce the number of caps by half by getting different values ?? Is that something you would recommend ?

 

[StimpyWan]

You're crossover has several parallel capacitors. Those bundles can be replaced with a single cap, as long as it's the same value as the bundle.

 

[a&scm]

As I dig around, it seems the caps for the midrange are by passed with a Vishay film cap +-10%.
I`ve have been told to leave it as is and just put a better cap in.

So as of right now..I`m deciding between a Clarity or a Solen for the midrange and using the Mundorf Ecap`s for the subwoofer.

 

[a&scm]

Any thoughts ? anyone ??
I sure need to get this project moving along so I just need to finalize my parts order.

 

[StimpyWan]

Some feel Solens are bright. I'm not sure, so I've never used Solen capacitors on a critical position. One in series with a driver. I have used ClarityCaps, and liked them. Warm and a bit mellow. Definitely smooth. They needed lot's of break in, to open up. Worth the wait.

I like bypass caps too. Though, I've never tried the Vishay caps. They are well liked. But I'm cheap, so I stick with Dayton Film & Foil. They work for me.

 

[a&scm]

So does that mean I don`t have to change those old Nichicons out then ? Or do I still need to put a better cap/caps in to go along with the Vishay ?

 

[StimpyWan]

Those capacitors are old. Plus, old NPE's usually don't hold up well. I'd change them out. But, I'd also do the replacements using the same bundled method.

Looking again at the pictures, the crossovers are laid out in parallel/series bundles. That looks planned to me. Parallel caps add in value, and series caps subtract value. A layout like that helps lower ESR and helps lower distortion too. So, I'd use new NPE's, and wire everything the same way. Keep the bypass cap in the circuit as well, as that improves sound. The old Vishay caps are probably still good, and you could reuse them. Though, Vishay makes new bypass caps, if you want to upgrade them with new caps?

 

[a&scm]

Those capacitors are old. Plus, old NPE's usually don't hold up well. I'd change them out. But, I'd also do the replacements using the same bundled method.

Looking again at the pictures, the crossovers are laid out in parallel/series bundles. That looks planned to me. Parallel caps add in value, and series caps subtract value. A layout like that helps lower ESR and helps lower distortion too. So, I'd use new NPE's, and wire everything the same way. Keep the bypass cap in the circuit as well, as that improves sound. The old Vishay caps are probably still good, and you could reuse them. Though, Vishay makes new bypass caps, if you want to upgrade them with new caps?

Well after digging around I`m not finding a suitable NP cap with a 100uf 50V rating. With your suggestion in mind, what would be a good work around ?
Can I still replicate the layout using 100uf 100V or would that be overkill ?

 

[StimpyWan]

50V crossover capacitors are pretty much nonexistent now. So, you'll have to step up to 100V caps. No harm or issues in using them, other than they may be slightly bigger than stock. The higher voltages can at least improve power handling.