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NLA Advent Crossover Componets

SG19

SG19

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
Getting ready to order components from Parts Express for my rescue NLA Advents , would using polypropylene capacitors perform better than electrolytic's ? Also replacing the resistors while I'm there , any noticeable advantage going with the 1% audio grade resisters vs the square audio grade ceramic's ?

Sorry for probably such an elementary question.
 

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Lux Man said:
So have you listened to them with the original components?
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Quite a bit actually the last couple months , got them together to test and need to finish the repair work
 

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I'm just curious, so what was it that you didn't like in what you were hearing that you hope this will change and in what way? With that said, there are bunch of threads here on doing this very thing. I think you will find a great deal of answers just waiting.
 
I did go through some older threads , many are vary old with links that are no longer valid and photo's that are deactivated, I did find some good info some of it incomplete however.

I find they sound pretty good but maybe not as crisp & clear of highs at times as the set I originally heard at the local vintage stereo shop. The guy I bought them from did a poor job packaging them together , pulled the 1st one out and the grill fell off with the woofer , mounting screws , and pieces of the cab face following ( pics ), the last pic is what they looked like before they were shipped, the bracing members were even knocked loose in both cabs and they resonate a bit due to that I believe. I put them together after re-foaming the woofers and repairing the cab face damage to test them for the 1st time.

Now I need to finish sanding the repair smooth , paint , reattach / glue the bracing , put new seals on the woofers and tweeters and while I'm in there I figured why not refresh the crossover components as well , basically wondering are better components worth the cost or just use the basic audio grade Dayton caps and resistors.
 
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I think the basic Dayton polypropylene film caps and audio grade resistors will be fine for these Advents and be a major improvement over decades old electrolytics. Probably would not notice much difference with boutique parts. I especially like those Dayton resistors. Good bang for the buck.
 
I like Audyn Q4 or Jantzen Standard-Z at a minimum. Or, Audyn Cap Plus or Jantzen Superior-Z from PartsExpress if you wanted to go up a level from a basic MKP -but you'll pay for it. As mentioned, Dayton (or even Mills) resistors are highly recommended as well. You could even piggyback some other 1uF cap of a similar performing (or better) material to reach the original 13uF to enhance the performance even further. Russian polystyrene K71, PIO K40-Y, or teflon K72 are some that I've tried in the past with good results (optional). 12uF is 8% less than 13uF. Ideally, you want to get as close to the original value as possible to maintain original frequency response characteristics, but 13uF is an odd size to find -good luck.

12uF MKP caps
 
Dave1027 said:
I think the basic Dayton polypropylene film caps and audio grade resistors will be fine for these Advents and be a major improvement over decades old electrolytics. Probably would not notice much difference with boutique parts. I especially like those Dayton resistors. Good bang for the buck.
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Thats what I have in my cart to order , their all in stock and I can get 10uF & 3uF to wire in parallel to stay with the original 13uF rating. Looked the Jantzen's up and their out of stock anyway. Getting the Dayton 1% audio grade resistors as well.

My main question was whether to stay with electrolytics or get poly caps , thanks for your recommendation.
 
To SG19 - From the above it's clear you are aware of the need to reseal the woofers where they mount to the baffle. In doing that, make sure you seal any cracks in the baffle that might remain from that tear-out damage, specifically any of those cracks still visible in the baffle that will be outside the circumference of the seal you use for the woofer. Also consider the screw holes for the woofer mount, as they may be ratty and outside the seal ring as well. And if you end up removing the rear terminals when you redo the crossovers (not sure if the NLA requires this; I did remove them on the OLAs), you have to be careful to reseal them too where they pass through the cabinet.

Given the severity of the damage these have suffered from shipping, it may be worth checking the joints in the cabinetry for partings as well.

The best final check on a sealed cabinet is to gently depress the woofer cone about an inch, quickly release the cone and watch for its return. The return should be slow, as in about 1 sec or so; an immediate return indicates a leak somewhere. The low end of these Advents (one of their best features) won't be as good as it can be unless the box is sealed.

Like onanysunday, I've used Audyn Q4 on my OLAs when I redid them, and have been very happy with them. I'm sure the Daytons would be great too.
 
SG19 said:
Thats what I have in my cart to order , their all in stock and I can get 10uF & 3uF to wire in parallel to stay with the original 13uF rating. Looked the Jantzen's up and their out of stock anyway. Getting the Dayton 1% audio grade resistors as well.

My main question was whether to stay with electrolytics or get poly caps , thanks for your recommendation.
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Without a doubt, get polypropylene film caps. The Dayton ones are very inexpensive too. If you want to go Jantzen, I recommend the Standard-Z type. They sound good and don't break the bank. A step up from there without getting too expensive is the Clarity brand caps.
 
FWIW I used Mortite to seal the woofers on my 4 NLAs, inexpensive and effective. I ordered new X-over components as well, just haven’t found the time to remove and replace. Gonna watch this thread from the bleachers.
 
northpaw said:
To SG19 - From the above it's clear you are aware of the need to reseal the woofers where they mount to the baffle. In doing that, make sure you seal any cracks in the baffle that might remain from that tear-out damage, specifically any of those cracks still visible in the baffle that will be outside the circumference of the seal you use for the woofer. Also consider the screw holes for the woofer mount, as they may be ratty and outside the seal ring as well. And if you end up removing the rear terminals when you redo the crossovers (not sure if the NLA requires this; I did remove them on the OLAs), you have to be careful to reseal them too where they pass through the cabinet.

Given the severity of the damage these have suffered from shipping, it may be worth checking the joints in the cabinetry for partings as well.

The best final check on a sealed cabinet is to gently depress the woofer cone about an inch, quickly release the cone and watch for its return. The return should be slow, as in about 1 sec or so; an immediate return indicates a leak somewhere. The low end of these Advents (one of their best features) won't be as good as it can be unless the box is sealed.

Like onanysunday, I've used Audyn Q4 on my OLAs when I redid them, and have been very happy with them. I'm sure the Daytons would be great too.
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I'm ordering a roll of their speaker gasketing tape also. I used JB weld automotive panel epoxy to to adhere the break out chunks and fill voids in and around them along with all the mounting holes then drilled holes a little undersized so the screws could get a good bite.

I will run a bead of glue all around the interior cabinet joints when I re-glue the bracing also inspecting closely for addition damge. My plan is to work on the crossovers in the cabinet , should be enough room and one less can of worms to deal with.

I did your woofer test , one did vary well , the other has an obvious leak, it's the one I repaired but I figured as much as I still need to sand the repair spots flush , both will get new seal tape around all the drivers.
 
Just a thought to ponder. You can change all the components you want, spend as much money as you want, but that doesn’t mean they’ll sound as good as or better than the original. The only question is, will you like what they sound like with all your new $$ stuff? That’s the bottom line in my mind. But if you think you’re restoring to them to their original sound that can’t be answered because we don't have anything to compare them too.

So you live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and you had those shipped?
 
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Lux Man said:
Just a thought to ponder. You can change all the components you want, spend as much money as you want, but that doesn’t mean they’ll sound as good as or better than the original. The only question is, will you like what they sound like with all your new $$ stuff? That’s the bottom line in my mind. But if you think you’re restoring to them to their original sound that can’t be answered because we don't have anything to compare them too.

So you live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and you had those shipped?
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Just got home from listening to a friends set of Advents and his sounded better , tighter , cleaner so I do have a direct comparison. Gambling $36 that they will sound better doesn't seem vary high stakes to me , besides I will still have the original components if it ends in disaster.

I bought them on ebay out of PA , 915 miles away from Cedar Rapids , so yes the seller shipped them.
 
I've done NLA recaps with both electrolytic and film caps. My kid preferred the electrolytic, difference was minor at best. Often when I replace electrolytic with film I add a 0.3 or such resistor in series with the cap, though I do this in a kind of bread board way to check improvements (despite the obvious risk of confirmation bias) before finalizing. I would advise that if you stay with electrolytic caps do not get the cheap no name caps.
 
SG19 said:
Just got home from listening to a friends set of Advents and his sounded better , tighter , cleaner so I do have a direct comparison. Gambling $36 that they will sound better doesn't seem vary high stakes to me , besides I will still have the original components if it ends in disaster.

I bought them on ebay out of PA , 915 miles away from Cedar Rapids , so yes the seller shipped them.
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So, any word or news with your rebuilt crossovers for your Advents? Did you finish them and how do they sound?
 
For those who have redone their x-overs, did you do them in situ, or tap out the x- over panel to work on them on a bench?
Looking at eBay NLA crossover panels, I’m assuming the panel is glued somehow to the interior wall of the cabinet….
 
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