Making the most of it.

[bambino]

My main stereo setup in my room is all set with a vintage Onkyo receiver and BIG1970s top notch McIntosh speakers that I really treasure.

However, in my living room to listen to music with my roommates I hooked up a spare cheap Sony STR-DH190 receiver and Sansui SP-30s. The Sansuis have blown tweeters but through some weird circumstances I actually got them for free. For $0 even with blown speakers they sound pretty decent for a system I don’t have to worry about being in a common area.

The lack of tweeters makes them a little muddy but if I turn the bass down a notch or two they’re really not bad as a single driver speaker. A tech I consulted said they’re not worth spending money to fix. I have no electrical experience and lack the skills and tools to fix them even if I found working tweeters.

That said, what are your recommendations for getting the most out of this non-optimal but practically free setup? I’m thinking about getting some nicer but still affordable better vintage speakers And running the Sansuis as B speakers perhaps.

 

[sax6]

My main stereo setup in my room is all set with a vintage Onkyo receiver and BIG1970s top notch McIntosh speakers that I really treasure.

However, in my living room to listen to music with my roommates I hooked up a spare cheap Sony STR-DH190 receiver and Sansui SP-30s. The Sansuis have blown tweeters but through some weird circumstances I actually got them for free. For $0 even with blown speakers they sound pretty decent for a system I don’t have to worry about being in a common area.

The lack of tweeters makes them a little muddy but if I turn the bass down a notch or two they’re really not bad as a single driver speaker. A tech I consulted said they’re not worth spending money to fix. I have no electrical experience and lack the skills and tools to fix them even if I found working tweeters.

That said, what are your recommendations for getting the most out of this non-optimal but practically free setup? I’m thinking about getting some nicer but still affordable better vintage speakers And running the Sansuis as B speakers perhaps.

What's in bold ^^^^... While the SP30 are nice speakers with a very nice cab, I'm not the kind of audiophile to run a set a speaker with a defective driver.... They were free ? so get the dough runnin' for a pair of ADS, EPI, Energy or a pair of vintage B&W.........with all drivers runnin' smooth... and a vintage Yamaha, Pioneer or kenwood as a wire with gain !!

 

[62vauxhall]

Flogging a dead horse isn't going to make it move.

 

[sax6]

Maybe check wiring to tweeters in the Sp's ... both hi frequency drivers out ... ( ? )

 

[bambino]

What's in bold ^^^^... While the SP30 are nice speakers with a very nice cab, I'm not the kind of audiophile to run a set a speaker with a defective driver.... They were free ? so get the dough runnin' for a pair of ADS, EPI, Energy or a pair of vintage B&W.........with all drivers runnin' smooth... and a vintage Yamaha, Pioneer or kenwood as a wire with gain !!

Thanks for the recommendations! I’ll look into those.

 

[bambino]

Maybe check wiring to tweeters in the Sp's ... both hi frequency drivers out ... ( ? )

Yeah both tweeters are out. No sound at all. Is there a good thread or article on leaning to check wiring? I don’t know the first thing about what to do.

 

[bambino]

Also, I’m thinking these might be a good pair of practice speakers for learning how to fix them myself... I wonder if there’s a possible tweeter replacement I could try installing. It’d be a good way to learn by working in something I don’t care about too much.

 

[pauldrewry]

You half to get inside the speaker, one way is by taking out the woofer. Then you should be able to make sure wire are connected.

 

[RTally]

Yeah both tweeters are out. No sound at all. Is there a good thread or article on leaning to check wiring? I don’t know the first thing about what to do.

It is common for tweeters to stop working on old speakers. The typical reason is that the capacitors in the crossover have failed. A less common reason is that the tweeter voice coil failed.

A good first step is to verify that the tweeter is good. Use a digital mulitmeter (DMM) to check continuity across the voice coil with the tweeter removed from the circuit. If the tweeter is good, then replace the caps in the crossover. You can buy an inexpensive DMM from Harbor Freight for a few dollars. That is fine for troubleshooting.

If the above does not make sense, you got some learnin' to do. Lots of threads on AK about testing tweeters and recapping crossovers. Google is your friend.

PS: Replacing the tweeter will not fix the problem if the caps are bad.

 

[tyella]

It looks like the SP-30 have screws holding in the back panel. That should make it a breeze to check out. As RTally says, If you want to test the tweeters, you'll have to take them out of circuit. That simply means disconnecting one of the wires. If they test OK, but still won't play, that probably means the capacitor is bad. I think it's a 2.2uf. To install capacitors you will need to solder.

If soldering isn't among the things you want to learn, check your local craigslist for speakers. If you tell us your location and budget, we can steer you toward some things. We love to spend other people's money.

 

[bambino]

It is common for tweeters to stop working on old speakers. The typical reason is that the capacitors in the crossover have failed. A less common reason is that the tweeter voice coil failed.

A good first step is to verify that the tweeter is good. Use a digital mulitmeter (DMM) to check continuity across the voice coil with the tweeter removed from the circuit. If the tweeter is good, then replace the caps in the crossover. You can buy an inexpensive DMM from Harbor Freight for a few dollars. That is fine for troubleshooting.

If the above does not make sense, you got some learnin' to do. Lots of threads on AK about testing tweeters and recapping crossovers. Google is your friend.

PS: Replacing the tweeter will not fix the problem if the caps are bad.

Thank you! That’s a huge help. I’ll get googling. Learning how to work on these will be a great quarantine project

 

[bambino]

It looks like the SP-30 have screws holding in the back panel. That should make it a breeze to check out. As RTally says, If you want to test the tweeters, you'll have to take them out of circuit. That simply means disconnecting one of the wires. If they test OK, but still won't play, that probably means the capacitor is bad. I think it's a 2.2uf. To install capacitors you will need to solder.

If soldering isn't among the things you want to learn, check your local craigslist for speakers. If you tell us your location and budget, we can steer you toward some things. We love to spend other people's money.

awesome! Soldering is definitely something I’d like to learn but also down to keep my eyes peeled for possible alternative speakers.

I’m in Washington DC. Budget is under $200 but $100 or less would be ideal.

Found a Nikko NR-300 receiver and Marantz 22M speakers for $100 but it seems from browsing AK that the Marantz speakers aren’t too highly regarded.

 

[swechsler]

If it turns out the tweeters in the Sansuis are bad, you could get a pair of cheap replacements from Parts Express that would make them sound 10 times better than having no working tweeter. Take measurements of the hole in the front baffle that the tweeter is mounted in. If it's smaller than the smallest dimension of the replacement, it should be OK, although you'll have to front mount the replacement, and possibly enlarge the hole.

 

[bambino]

If it turns out the tweeters in the Sansuis are bad, you could get a pair of cheap replacements from Parts Express that would make them sound 10 times better than having no working tweeter. Take measurements of the hole in the front baffle that the tweeter is mounted in. If it's smaller than the smallest dimension of the replacement, it should be OK, although you'll have to front mount the replacement, and possibly enlarge the hole.

So the new tweeter should be bigger? Why not get one that’s the same size as the original tweeter?

 

[swechsler]

So the new tweeter should be bigger? Why not get one that’s the same size as the original tweeter?

You want it bigger so it will cover the existing hole, plus most modern tweeters are designed for front rather than rear mounting. It was my impression that you didn't want to spend much money, which was why I suggested the $4 tweeter I did. The best solution would be to search for the originals, but that may take a while and would almost definitely cost a lot more.

 

[bambino]

You want it bigger so it will cover the existing hole, plus most modern tweeters are designed for front rather than rear mounting. It was my impression that you didn't want to spend much money, which was why I suggested the $4 tweeter I did. The best solution would be to search for the originals, but that may take a while and would almost definitely cost a lot more.

oh I see. That makes a lot of sense. Yeah the $4 tweeter is a great suggestion. I’ll keep an eye out for originals but most likely the time and money cost of originals isn’t worth it in this case. For the cost of a few tools, capacitors, and possibly $4 tweeters it sounds like I’ll get some practically free speakers way better than the way they are now, an opportunity to practice on some equipment that isn’t a huge loss if something goes awry, and the knowledge that’ll come with having done it.

 

[tyella]

oh I see. That makes a lot of sense. Yeah the $4 tweeter is a great suggestion. I’ll keep an eye out for originals but most likely the time and money cost of originals isn’t worth it in this case. For the cost of a few tools, capacitors, and possibly $4 tweeters it sounds like I’ll get some practically free speakers way better than the way they are now, an opportunity to practice on some equipment that isn’t a huge loss if something goes awry, and the knowledge that’ll come with having done it.

That's the spirit!
Spend $5 on a multimeter from Harbor Freight. While you're there pick up a cheap soldering iron and some solder. You should be done with the tools for under $15. If the old tweeters are no good, you can get those $4 tweets (plus another $8 or so for shipping). If you're feeling frisky, you can order some new capacitors from Parts Express to go with your new tweeters. Those old caps are most likely either crapped out or about to crap out. Caps will set you back another buck or two and not add to the shipping at all.

 

[bambino]

That's the spirit!
Spend $5 on a multimeter from Harbor Freight. While you're there pick up a cheap soldering iron and some solder. You should be done with the tools for under $15. If the old tweeters are no good, you can get those $4 tweets (plus another $8 or so for shipping). If you're feeling frisky, you can order some new capacitors from Parts Express to go with your new tweeters. Those old caps are most likely either crapped out or about to crap out. Caps will set you back another buck or two and not add to the shipping at all.

Nice! I’m stoked! Actually some original sp30 tweeters just popped up online for a very affordable price so I snagged em! If I don’t need them at least I’ll have spares. Now on to caps, the multimeter and the soldering iron. Hell yeah!

 

[Yodathedog]

My question is that if you fix them will your roommates be responsible enough to treat the components with respect. Otherwise you're wasting your time. I certainly wouldn't upgrade to a nicer pair of speakers, especially ADS with their fragile tweeters (I've blown a couple) if they won't respect them. My recommendation if you want party speakers would be to look into some Cerwin Vegas. Great sound and they can get loud.

 

[bambino]

My question is that if you fix them will your roommates be responsible enough to treat the components with respect. Otherwise you're wasting your time. I certainly wouldn't upgrade to a nicer pair of speakers, especially ADS with their fragile tweeters (I've blown a couple) if they won't respect them. My recommendation if you want party speakers would be to look into some Cerwin Vegas. Great sound and they can get loud.

oh they’re very chill responsible roommates and never crank up anything loud so it shouldn’t be a problem. The tweeters were dead when I got the speakers.

Thanks for the update on Cerwin Vegas. Hadn’t heard of them before and they look rad. Will definitely keep those in mind for future needs.

I’m guessing the Sansuis will be fine for safe normal listening volume use once I fix the tweeters. It’ll just be moderate volume music and thinking of running the tv audio through the stereo as well since the tv built in speakers sound terrible. The Sansuis aren’t particularly insanely fragile are they?