H.H. Scott S-15 Tweeter Swap

[Andrew Heck]

Howdy. I use Scott S-15s and love the mids and even the bass, but the tweeters aren't so defined. What do I need to know as far as specs when I go to order replacements. I look to push 100W absolute max out of a Parasound 800ii. and the Scotts are 8ohms. Beside that, I don't even really know where to start. My system is unselfconsciously mid range and I really don't think I'm going upward for another two years or so. I do want to optimize the assets I possess. I would also appreciate advice on brands and styles of tweeters you might recommend for a mostly rock and roll set up that also throws in the occasional clawhammer banjo album. I honestly thank you in advance for your help.

 

[woofercooker]

If you replace the old capacitors in the crossovers you may be(will be) surprised how more defined the original tweeter will be. 100 watts may be too much for those Scotts. Capacitors are pretty cheap, too. Oh, and welcome to A.K.

 

[Andrew Heck]

Thanks for the welcome. I've never really messed with forums much in the past, but I really want to learn more about home audio.
I planned on capping them, and honestly, I don't plan on hitting them with the full 100. I'm giving them 60 tops now, but I have to max out my amp and pre-amp and that dB level is good. What I want is to push with the amp and only use a portion of the pre to keep the tiny bit of hum present from my turntable to a minimum.
SO you think I will get a noticable difference? I hope you are right. The old cones just seem to have it in them.
Again, thanks.

 

[woofercooker]

Those are old world speakers.. I know that those caps are somewhat dried out. I really believe they will sound great with a recap. If you recap with Janzen crosscap. or standard Z cap you will be amazed how good they sound. I use to think that the paper cones were inferior to dome after market tweeters. Its's not always that way, The Optimus 5 and Optimus 7 use cone tweeters and sound great with new caps... You will be amazed how good those Scotts willl sound with a recap!! I'm a Radio Shack nut and have learned a lot since I've joined AK. Those Scotts are very good speakers... Let us know what your impressions are after your recap if you do so.

 

[Andrew Heck]

I will. I got into them last night and ordered the capacitors. To do so, I had to dig out a bunch of fiberglass insulation. Is that common to find? Is it a stock condition of the speakers or did someone add it to settle overtones or something like that? I've got one running with the insulation in and one without. I actually think the one without sounds more full. Curious.

 

[Nat]

That fiberglass was intended to be there. True acoustic suspension speakers are full of damping material, and the fullness you hear will probably begin to bug you since it is actually boominess that the damping controlled.

 

[Andrew Heck]

@Nat, diggit, hoss. Thanks for the info. Would an amp with >800 damping factor at 20Hz maybe help with that? I didn't toss the insulation so after I re-cap them, I'll reinstall it. I would think it would be important that it not make contact with the actual speaker, though. Is that something I should watch out for or is that the mechanism for the damping? I'm kinda confused and thinking that the contact with the speaker would muffle the sounds that didn't need damping. Anyway, I appreciate your insight.

 

[drbiggles]

Hey,

I've got my restored Scott S-15's in the garden today doing PA duty, my youngest's birthday party. Just put the fiberglass back in where it was meant to be, just make it look nice. After I installed the new caps, completely different animal.

Biggles

 

[Andrew Heck]

@drbiggles, They're beautiful. Can't wait to recap mine. The capacitors should be here tomorrow.

 

[Nat]

Usually it's pretty straightforward to arrange the fiberglass so it isn't in contact with the back of the woofer, though you don't want to accomplish that either by squashing it down hard (it'll slowly recover) or by not having much at all under the woofer. It's actually easy to distribute the stuff so that it isn't an issue, but if you are very concerned about this, you can use porous tissue or thin porous cloth to cover the back of the woofer basket. I don't think there is any significant acoustic penalty. AR and KLH used to do this when the cabinets were very highly stuffed with shredded fiberglass or rock wool.

 

[ace218]

Hey,

I've got my restored Scott S-15's in the garden today doing PA duty, my youngest's birthday party. Just put the fiberglass back in where it was meant to be, just make it look nice. After I installed the new caps, completely different animal.

Biggles

Could you tell me where you found the RW5 82 and RW5 4 I can find the capacitors online but not those, are they resistors.

 

[drbiggles]

Could you tell me where you found the RW5 82 and RW5 4 I can find the capacitors online but not those, are they resistors.

Hey mang,

Mine tested within spec, so didnt have to get new ones. I generally get my resistors at parts express though.

Biggles

 

[ace218]

Appreciate the quick response. Maybe I will just trycaps first. I have one mid that isn't working so hopefully it's just a cap. If I need resistors what would be the equivalent to the ones for these speakers?

 

[blhagstrom]

The resistors would be 5 watt, cement type.
I wouldn't worry about them.
Those should last forever.

If you just have to have new ones, get them at mouser.com

 

[ace218]

If I don't need them I would rather not replace. This is the inside of my speaker notnsure if I use the same caps that are in the above image? Bottom cap says 5 uf 25 VPN next is 12 uf 30 VPN and another 5 uf 25 VPN and a 10:uf 30 volt.

 

[biscuithead]

Hey,

I've got my restored Scott S-15's in the garden today doing PA duty, my youngest's birthday party. Just put the fiberglass back in where it was meant to be, just make it look nice. After I installed the new caps, completely different animal.

Biggles

Those are beautiful!
I have a few pair of Scott speakers that I love. Do you know of a model list with perhaps manufacture dates?

 

[ace218]

@drbiggles, They're beautiful. Can't wait to recap mine. The capacitors should be here tomorrow.

I can see the two 10 uf and the one 4 uf. Do you remember what the other two are on the top where you have three caps?

 

[drbiggles]

Those are beautiful!
I have a few pair of Scott speakers that I love. Do you know of a model list with perhaps manufacture dates?

I dont, unfortunately. These were my first and only pair. Built like tanks, easy on the eyes and ears. Not so much for front and center critical listening in a smoking jacket kind of experience. Great while entertaining, doing other things around the house. Would be perfect to integrate a modern tweeter solution.

Biggles

 

[ace218]

I dont, unfortunately. These were my first and only pair. Built like tanks, easy on the eyes and ears. Not so much for front and center critical listening in a smoking jacket kind of experience. Great while entertaining, doing other things around the house. Would be perfect to integrate a modern tweeter solution.

Biggles

Thanks for your response. I will do a little more research and see if I can find out what caps I need. Would like to update because I think they sound better without updated caps than the KLH 17 I have.

 

[Andrew Heck]

I can see the two 10 uf and the one 4 uf. Do you remember what the other two are on the top where you have three caps?

Each speaker had four capacitors, two 5uf, a 10uf and a 12uf. The resistors were holding value pretty well. I just popped Daytons in there. Sounds a ton better, now if the cat hadn’t stepped right through one of the woofer cones...oh well, there’s even a repair protocol for that. Hope it turns out fantastic.