Is it worth "trying" to upgrade this crossover?!

[PewterTA]

I'm just wondering if it's worth changing any of the parts on this crossover?! This is for one of my pairs of B&W 602s3. I'm just wondering if I can upgrade the components and get even better sound out of them?!?!

I also have the 604s3 crossover that I was thinking of trying to change as well...?!

I'm starting work on the Modula MTMs, but it's going to take a while with the speaker cabinet since I'm using the Magico Mini design with it in a somewhere around ~ 45L. So that's a lot more routing and putting together.

So I thought that in the mean time I could figure out a simple component change on the B&W's crossovers.

Thanks for your help/advice!

-Dan

[Rick Craig]

I'm just wondering if it's worth changing any of the parts on this crossover?! This is for one of my pairs of B&W 602s3. I'm just wondering if I can upgrade the components and get even better sound out of them?!?!

I also have the 604s3 crossover that I was thinking of trying to change as well...?!

I'm starting work on the Modula MTMs, but it's going to take a while with the speaker cabinet since I'm using the Magico Mini design with it in a somewhere around ~ 45L. So that's a lot more routing and putting together.

So I thought that in the mean time I could figure out a simple component change on the B&W's crossovers.

Thanks for your help/advice!

-Dan

You can swap out parts but with an inductor that can change the transfer function of the crossover. The small electrolytic caps also tend to have high ESR so that can be a problem as well. Replacement parts will tend to take up more space so plan on building new boards and finding a way to mount them.

I would first measure the response on and off axis then decide what you want to change. Measuring the drivers individually with the crossover in place will help determine areas that could be improved.

[fjhuerta]

Nice crossover... I owned that speaker, and I never took the filter out. Those are poly caps where it counts (I suppose), air-core inductors and sandcast resistors.

I doubt upgrading them will bring any improvement. They actually sound pretty nice OTB (my pair had tons of loose screws, though - fixing that improved the speakers immensely).

[servicetech]

The crossovers actually look GREAT for a factory produced unit, I doubt you will hear any improvement by swapping components. Some manufactures will adjust component values to keep parts count to a minimum if it doesn't make a significant change in sound quality.

B&W makes very good speakers IMHO.