Bgw amp plus eq for free!

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H25 HORN TWEETER ADDENDUM

Assuming one can find acceptable condition tweeter cores (Denmark) it is still feasible to make a working pair of H25TG35-06 or of H26TG35-06 at reasonable cost. When the dome is busted, Scan-Speak of Europe makes a replacement fabric dome kit (# 600058) that Madisound sells for $25.60 US. It might be even better than the dome i got on the EBay H25 driver purchased (not fabric).

A good core with that fabric dome on would probably be close to the real thing, and beat Peerless' China stuff, considering the original H25 and H26 had a fabric dome.

Solen is listed for the fabric dome kit, but doesn't have it in stock, only "backorders allowed". Seems unlikely to me Scan-Speak would fulfill a Solen order for just a pair of domes and ship them from Denmark to Canada, therefore one might have to wait the order gets much bigger before they go ahead...

In the US Madisound isn't the only one having the Scan-Speak fabric dome kit, Meniscus audio has too, maybe others do. The former sells it for about $1.50 less, and the latter charges about $1.50 less to ship it to me, so both global costs are the same in my case.

The Vifa spare dome kit i have (post # 373, 4th pic), does fit correctly on the H25 driver, its what the EBay seller had on the driver. As mentioned before, once the horn is properly mounted on tweeter, the remaining kit "weakness" is that its not a fabric dome, the rest is correct. Though this might lead to a somewhat different frequency response curve?

I made a PDF file of Madisound's page, highlighting a few items, regarding the Scan-Speak fabric dome kit (# 600058) attached here.

RE: H26TG35-06, Madisound indicates the dome kit fits on this driver, so that's an easy way to salvage an otherwise ok H26 tweeter pair.

RE: D25TG55-06, same indication kit fits this one also, another example of a possible rescue if need be. I have three pairs of that older model, its a workhorse used in some of my satellites, not a sleek Kentucky Derby racing horse (Post # 372, 3rd pic, 3rd driver pair from the left).

The H25 is not mentioned in that Madisound list, probably because of its age and the many similar models released after, however since the dome kit fits the D25 above it has to fit the comparable H25 dome architecture. Would make another easy dome salvaging job.

Finally, Scan-Speak did come up with its horn tweeter version of a H25/H26, the very similar H2606/92000. Its another option, ready made, graph shown is 5 db between solid lines, so on-axis response is within +/- 2 db.

Richard

VIFA DOME REPAIR KIT HIGHLIGHT FROM Scanspeak Voice Coil (600058).pdf

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AN INTERESTING DEALER COMMENT REGARDING SOME NEUTRIK XLR CONNECTORS

I've written some posts here about Neutrik connectors, along with some others. When i picked up at dealer recently the Tascam CD player, i purchased at the same time some more older version Neutrik XLR's, NC3MX and NC3FX, as well as other NP3C 1/4" TRS.

No problem always in stock, i've mostly used these and still do, plus when something works well i tend to stick with it for a long time. But I wondered to dealer why he doesn't suggest or push on me the newer and sexier XLR XX series from Neutrik (NC3MXX and NC3FXX). Price difference, if any, is often a matter of cents.

Well, answer surprised me. He said the Pros they supply simply won't buy the XX series, they don't sell much, customers wanting the older version! (Still available alongside the newer.)

He added the double X series they keep 10 of each in stock for the odd guy asking, the possibility of putting a color code ring on that XX XLR being a feature a few prefer. As for the single X series they keep 300 of each in stock, because this is what the Pros ask for.

Further saying, the newer ones break badly when they do and are pretty much scrap when that happens. We've had groups on tour that were able to finish their show with broken older version connector, they're also easy to fix, less so with the newer model...

Its surprising why Neutrik invested time and money to design the XX series. For my part i still purchase the older single X models because its a long proven recipe, i'm familiar with it, and i get a good deal on them. Might be less critical to use XX connectors in fixed installations i guess, however on tour the show must go on...

Richard

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Recently a member posted a link to all Audio magazine equipment reviews. Looked at that list, LOT of items, and found in the list some old friends that i have.

One that i've shown previously here is the Radio Shack Sound Level Meter (Post # 328, page 22 of this thread), which was reviewed by Howard Roberson of Audio, who said its an outstanding bargain!

Its not Pro gear plus it doesn't have a noble name (Realistic) i know all this, but nevertheless it did a competent job at a pretty good price for folks with thinner wallets (nothing wrong with that). Its portability is great.

This analog hardware unit might do the trick for low budget audiophiles who prefer the hard stuff. My unit is 30+ years old and still performs well. If one can find such SLM in good used condition at a low cost i'd say go for it. It comes with a good manual and can be mounted on a tripod in front of a speaker or driver. 9 Volt battery required.

On the PDF attached scroll down past the ads twice, once at the beginning and another time about middle in order to read the full review.

Another interesting use for such device is driver sensitivity measurement, in addition to those mentioned by Roberson at the end of the review. Eargle adds yet another use for a SLM:

"At all costs, a cancellation in output in the crossover region must be avoided. Such problems can be detected by feeding a sine wave signal to the system at the crossover frequency and observing the output on axis with a sound level meter. If a reversal of the leads to the HF transducer results in increased output, then the system should be operated that way. However, care must be exercised to insure that all other elements in the system are compatibly poled." (Handbook of Sound System Design, P. 127)

I suppose that a proper test tone from a test record or CD, a smart phone app, etc. would also do the job.

Richard

REALISTIC SOUND LEVEL METER.pdf

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TASCAM CD PLAYER SOUND

When i got the Tascam CD 200SB few weeks ago it was initially tested using headphones output, not my preferred way but for a quick test, regarding keep or return, it did the job. Usually prefer sound with some room acoustics (ambience) than the "dry" sound of headphones.

Since then had the time to do a real road test with a bunch of CD's having many voices and instruments. Plus this time using the Tascam's on board balanced outputs. Connected a set of the Aphex interfaces cables i made sometime ago (Neutrik XLR from Tascam to 1/4" TRS into good old Mackie mixer) since these cables are the same than what i need for the Tascam. Have to make a 3rd set of those cables for the CD.

Didn't use the mixer's stereo channels, instead the TRS inputs that share circuitry with the mic preamps on XLR's (behind the 1/4" used on the pic), since they offer the cleanest signal path among all 1/4" connectors. The second pair of TRS on the pic, also using the shared mic preamps circuitry channels, are for turntable sound (TT to Bellari phono preamp, on to Aphex for balancing/level & impedance matching/filtering, then to mixer. Weird? but works).

One channel is panned hard left and the other hard right. Then on to Mosfet amp driving the Polk Monitor 5's (not the later 5 Junior, 5B or C, etc. which have less desirable drivers), rather the original model Five purchased 1977.

The speakers' resolution level is quite different, the Sen H25L phones don't come close. In fact there were two sounds from CDs heard with the speakers, that i didn't even notice with the cans on, and i should have. Because phones on the head are sort of a "sealed system", right on the ear and reducing and/or masking ambient noise if any, so one should hear details even more being in a "bubble". Wasn't the case though.

No EQ used most of the time, just gain. The balanced Tascam signal provided has impeccable clarity, beyond my expectation, making it somewhat addictive. This unit doesn't need the help of the Aphex's "magic" to sound great.

Sadly Tascam has discontinued many of its CD players (the most interesting 2RU dedicated models) since the world has changed to iPod, smartphone, streaming, whatever. Glad to have acquired this last unit here...

Richard

P.S. i have purchased (Madisound) and received the fabric dome replacement kit from Scan-Speak for my H25... horn tweeters. Will report on this soon, including many pics.

[SEAWOLF97]

TASCAM CD PLAYER SOUND

When i got the Tascam CD 200SB few weeks ago

I own the very best sounding CD player I've ever heard, BUT
it currently has an overheating issue and has been replaced in my stack
with a SACD deck and a Music Hall CD deck.

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbullet...l=1#post376314

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbullet...l=1#post376335

Have had good luck using 24/192 DVD decks for music also.

the Arcam is so packed, you can see why heating is a problem.

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Hi wolf,

Glad to see you still have some gear to show, following boss' order that you must divest...

Yeah, its a nice but pretty packed CD. It even has openings on the back panel for ventilation which none of mine has (4). So i assume there's a need for air flow on this particular unit at any time. However, overheating is a definite sign of being defective somewhere.

Never had yet a heat issue from a CD player so its unusual to me.

If i'm not mistaking Arcam is part of the Harman consumer division? Maybe if you e-mail Harman customer service you might learn of a recall (free) on the product regarding the overheating or a free replacement part since this could be a safety issue? Might be an already known problem.

Btw "in managed decline", i like that, sounds still in control and full of hope! My regards to your skeleton friend.

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As indicated before I have purchased the dome kit (# 600058) made by ScanSpeak to try it on the H25 tweeter. Walking the talk. I'm not in need of this dome kit right now for my drivers but still interested to know if its a valid replacement, just in case. For some of the older Vifa drivers the fabric dome kit is considered an upgrade.

Among the dome kit pictures in post # 376 the Madisound picture is the right one. Solen and Meniscus used the same old pic of the Vifa dome kit i have already shown in a small clear plastic box. So their description is ok, but using the wrong Vifa pic. Light reflexions on the dome (Vifa shiny, ScanSpeak fabric less shine) is an easy way to differentiate them.

The dome/horn vertical alignment pin is at one end of the triangle shape dome kit (seen up front on Solen/Meniscus pic) and the slot where the pin goes in is on the base of the horn. Takes guessing out of tweeter assembly. Pretty simple system, few parts, no screws, can't really misplace something.

My fit experiment is for the Vifa H25TG35-06 only. As for the H26TG35-06 Madisound said the kit fits, have not tried that one myself but see no reason why it wouldn't fit. However having also a pair of H26TG06-06 (China) i could try the dome kit on that model too in case someone wants to know.

Btw If one needs to clean the driver metal core (horn and dome off) be careful not to wipe too close to or over the gap since there's Ferrofluid in the gap, for increased power handling, and you risk having some fluid on the rag used, better that the fluid stays where it belongs to.

Not only tried the new fabric dome on the H25 from EBay but also measured DCR again to see if it made any difference. None, the same reading as with the other dome: 4.8 ohm. Then measured the replacement Vifa original dome in stock and it has that same DCR too. So consistent results, a good sign, from made in Denmark.

The H25 drivers bought early 90's still have their original silk domes, won't replace those for sure unless something happens, but i'm eager to do some comparisons between a silk one vs ScanSpeak fabric vs Vifa non-fabric (as on EBay H25 unit) in order to hear how they sound and which seems better. Plan to test and report on this later.

If one had doubts about it, well the fabric dome kit does fit on the H25 horn tweeter as expected, probably also on the H26. Finding either of these older Denmark ones, former is best, latter second best, still my horn tweeter choice.

The pic included here was previously posted, but forgot to indicate at the time the driver gap, circular slit with Magnetic fluid mentioned above. In normal driver handling it doesn't leak out, but if you really try? (see arrow on pic). As for the hole in the middle of driver, looking inside shows something that looks like a felt pad. Maybe to smooth frequency response or damp some resonance? Tweeter has double chamber, it might be related to this. There's a dozen new pics on the way, with comments.

* Please don't repost the pics on other Web site(s).

Richard

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This is how the new fabric dome kit comes.

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Fabric dome has much less light reflections than the other type. When replacing a damaged dome for example you need to keep track of polarity on the kit since you won't see it when the horn is on top of the dome. So put a small piece of tape on the positive connector leg for identification. On a pic further you'll see that there's a "+" sign on the back of the horn, and that "+" as well as the positive connector leg have to be in line with each other when assembling.




The kit comes with a gasket and screws. Gasket goes on the back side of dome kit. As for the three screws provided, well there are no screws on the H25 horn tweeter. These are supplied because this dome kit can also be used with other tweeters that do have screws. Like the Vifa D25TG55-06 shown before (the workhorse) which has three screws on the faceplate in order to get access to the dome for replacement. Might be useful for such driver. Nice that older driver domes can be replaced easily, in a world of throw away stuff or parts no longer available...



More on the way...

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* Due to file size issues with the pics have to split them into more posts than initially intended...


The underside of the dome kit where the gasket is installed. Increasing pic size shows the fabric's tight knit. When placing the dome kit on the driver the metal former goes slightly in the gap (circular slit with magnetic fluid). This is the delicate part of installation or removal. Voice coil is copper wire on Alu former.




Not shown before, at right the back side of the horn. Left is the old dome kit on the EBay H25. The alignment pin rests on the side of the driver (arrow). The narrower slot at the base of the horn (arrow) is where the pin will end up being after assembly, confirms mounting is correct. Further, another pic shows the pin/slot final result.




More to come.

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Holding the older dome kit in left hand for a clear view of the alignment pin shape, small camera in the right hand, while the fabric dome kit is installed on the driver, plus another view of the horn's back side.

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The end result for the pin in the slot thing, confirmation of correct mounting.
If it doesn't look like this with the dome and horn on, OH then i guess "Houston, we have a problem..."




Few more pics to go.

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The small screwdrivers shown i use to remove the three "U" shape brackets holding the horn to the driver. There's a good reason why they're small, need a small blade to go under the brackets to take them out.

One has to be careful not to pry the tool on the horn's plastic base, its tempting, i tried it slowly and a tiny plastic chip took off, stopped, no consequence in that case. With a more adventurous user the horn's base might crack...

The brackets are thight fit initially, but things get easier as they start coming out. The move is to get the small blade under the bracket (not that easy when fully pushed in) then lifting slowly, instead of pushing down with a lever, closest one being the horn's plastic base... If you're in driver testing mode push the brackets in say 90% of the way only, leaving a tiny space to get the small screwdriver blade under the brackets for an easy lift out on the next dismantling. When all is tested and ok you simply push them in all the way with your thumb.

Pic shows small flat blade screwdriver in a slot with a "U" bracket. In that scenario to lift bracket out the blade has to go down backwards. THIS IS THE WRONG WAY since behind the blade its the plastic horn base being used to pry, there's risk of plastic damage.

You may want to try the following instead. While the blade rests on metal, try turning the screwdriver a bit left and right so the blade catches the bracket's side and loosens it. Alternatively, with screwdriver at an angle prying a little using the magnet. When it starts moving its much easier after.

Have tried long nose pliers (small & very small ones) to pull the brackets out, not enough space to get plier in on the magnet side of the bracket (smaller space than it seems on pic), can't get any grip on it.




On pic, the fabric dome installed looks a little larger than the one next to it, but this is simply because the fabric dome is closer to the camera, they're the same size and the new one looks better. The old dome has mileage but works and meets DCR spec.

Madisound says that ScanSpeak increased the wire size on the dome kit (for higher power handling), it can be seen near the + and - signs on the kit. Comparing wire to the kit on the left it seems true. Having pulled out the spare Vifa kit i have in stock to check its wire size, Madisound's claim appears genuine, making the wire another improvement, in addition to the fabric dome.

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Here's the pic with positive polarity indicated on the horn. The positive leg connector of dome kit meets with the "+" indication on the horn, as they should.




Two more pics to go.

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Pics show the H25 driver with the old dome kit, and the other with the new fabric kit installed. I've noted no variances in their mounting, plus fit is the same, can't really distinguish them in this regard, other than their dome material.

The number of pics, showing pretty much every angle, could imply for some this may be complicated, not the case though. There's nothing rocket science here. Only a few things to keep in mind or to watch for.

First, polarity markings on the dome kit and horn. Second, the alignment pin and the recipient slot. Third, dome kit installation carefulness so the voice coil is properly in the gap.

As for the rest its fairly intuitive dismantling and mounting with very few parts and no screws. Amen.