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Looking for Suggestions to replace D26TG-35 06 Tweeters in Definitive Technology BP-20's

A

aschoenberg

New Member
Hello All,
I have a pair of DT BP-20's in my living room and they are just too bright (several years of trying different positions and locations). I have disconnected the tweeters (All D26TG-35 06) in the rear of both speakers and it is somewhat better. I hate to have to chuck these big fellas (great wife form factor), so I was looking for suggestions as to an alternative tweeter. My other speakers on my other systems are: Wharfedale Jade 3's, Wharfedale Denton anniversaries, Snell Type E III's. I prefer the British subtle sound. Listen to mostly classical, jazz and blues. I have heard that the D26TG-35's being ferro fluid filled can have the fluid solidify and therefore go bad / bright. Any idea how to check the fluid in these tweeters? Any suggestions on tweeters to consider as replacements would be greatly appreciated. I know the room has a huge effect on the sound, but I believe this issue is a speaker issue. Thank you for your constructive suggestions
 
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Before you replace the tweeters, maybe try padding down the originals with an L-pad. And since these have separate binding posts for woofer and tweeter section, you can do it without even opening the speakers.
 
sorry for the lack of knowledge but what is an L-pad and and how would I attach something to dampen the tweeters?
I have disconnected the rear tweeters and midranges, which made an improvement. I think the idea of dampening the forward facing tweeters makes sense. Please share what material an L-Pad is made out of, a picture would be very helpful. Thank you
 
Wow, thank you for the clarification. Have been an avid listener for decades and a sax player for 60 yrs. Just now learning about modifications. Since I have disconnected the rear facing tweeter and mid-range would this affect where I connect the I-pad?
Again, thank you
 
No, you'd be connecting it to the outside terminals. You could also connect it internally between the tweeter and the crossover, but doing it outside is much easier.
 
Thank you again for your clarification. On a different note, I believe that the midrange and woofers are not the brightness issue. The tweeters are D26TG-35 -6ohm these I believe are ferro fluid cooled. Since they are pretty old I have read that if the fluid dries up the tweeters can become overly tinny. I am looking for a replacement that would be more inline with a softer more subtle sound - any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Again thank you
 
Not really familiar with these tweeters but if you google the model number you'll find some threads here with what some other people have done with them.
 
If you're disconnecting the rear drivers then maybe reconsider just getting some different speakers. Those mods pretty much defeat the purpose of the bipolar design.

Dunno if it's the cause of your perceived brightness, but as well due to being bipolar design, the speakers like to have some room around them to do their thing. If they're crowded into corners or sandwiched (for lack of better terms) between other stuff maybe that's part of it.

From an owner of BP-10s and BP-30s, amongst other DT speakers..
 
aschoenberg said:
Thank you again for your clarification. On a different note, I believe that the midrange and woofers are not the brightness issue. The tweeters are D26TG-35 -6ohm these I believe are ferro fluid cooled. Since they are pretty old I have read that if the fluid dries up the tweeters can become overly tinny. I am looking for a replacement that would be more inline with a softer more subtle sound - any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Again thank you
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If the ferrofluid is old and thick, the tweeters will stop producing normal sound, but could produce an irritating high frequency sound. I had that problem with 43 yr old speakers, cleaning out the old ferrofluid and replacing with new from ebay brought them back alive, so allowed tweeters to function properly.

What is the floor made of in the room, and do you have any carpet on it?
 
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I successfully replaced the tweeters in my BP20s with Peerless D27TG-35-06 after reading somewhere they were a direct replacement without having to change the crossover. They sound great and are not bright at all. I did replace the caps in the tweeter circuit with Clarity Caps which further improved them !
I also have BP30s that are unmodified and they are definitely brighter ! These aluminum tweeters also have 20 year old ferrofluid and are at max life !
I personally would never defeat the drivers on the rear. Correctly placed, these bipolars are still sweet speakers.
 
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