Easy Tweeter Mod for PSB Image towers

[am74Gibson]

Okay, before I describe this mod, I am sure there are plenty of you which will cite all sorts of technical reasons why not to do this mod (tonal balance, speaker mismatch, Imepedence, warranty being voided, etc) , BUT, keep in mind that this mod is completely and easily reversed. What prompted me to do this mod, was, while I loved everything about my new PSB Image t55's (Imaging, looks, price, oh and did I say imaging? ;-)... One thing that was just so-so was the tweeter. No matter how I adjusted the tone or eq, It just sounded a little subdued. Maybe with the t45's this is not a problem because of smaller drivers.

Besides, I am one of the type that has to try to customize everything I own

The speakers I replaced with the PSB t55's, were Infinity RS6 Kappa's (20 years old) These speakers have a highly regarded tweeter, called an EMIT tweeter....something like up to 45,000 khz. Maybe that is why the stock PSB's didn't sound quite right to me, because I was used to these...

So, I went internet shopping for options on how to upgrade the PSB. Since I am a long time Infinity fan, and my surrounds remain Infinity, I went to their website, where I found the Infinity Kappa 10.7t 1" MMD Tweeter ...and yes, before you check these out, be aware that the ARE car tweeters!!

Here is the description...

"Infinity Kappa Series loudspeakers embody technological breakthroughs that make them, quite simply best in class. If you are looking for sound quality that rivals the best home audio systems, then Kappa is the ideal choice.Edge-driven MMD dome are not commonly used W-domes, but fully edge driven domes like those found in fine home audio loudspeakers. This much larger voice coil increases power handling and provides better sonic integration with the mid-woofer. "

I found these on the internet for about $63 shipped (MSRP $119) and I figured, if they did not work out for my PSB's I would put them in my truck!

I had planned to drill out the back of the speaker grill socket (unnoticeable) so I could run the wires and "hang" the tweeters out temporarily, to see how it sounded. This was unnecessary.

What I did was assemble the tweeter into the flush mount adapter which came with it. Then took some 1/4 foam rubber and some fishing line to wrap around the threads of the adapter to hold the foam rubber in place....by doing this, I was able to gently push it into the top port of the speaker. It fits perfectly, and stays put! The foam rubber eliminates any rattles. I ran the wire out the port tube into the body of the speaker. THIS MOD LOOKS GREAT TOO!!

Yes this blocks 1 of the 2 ports used for bass reflex, and that may be where some of you have a problem, but it seemed to balance everything better for me.

As far as wiring, I chose to use the PSB crossover instead of the supplied crossover of the new tweeter. In my setup I am Bi-Amping, so the tweeter is separate from the bass drivers. I wrote the question to PSB to ask how separating them affects impedence....they wrote back...

"The Woofer terminals keep the 4-6 Rating but the Tweeter Rating goes up a bit. Best regards, PSB Speakers"

I wired the new tweeter to my existing tweeter in parallel. Depending on your setup, you may want to consider wiring in series. These tweeter are rated at 2 ohms.

Another bonus is...in the flushmount housing, these speaker can be mounted to be either vertically or horizontilly swivelled. (this helps for off axis listening) I will try to attach some pictures to show the installation ( an yes the speaker grilles still fit just fine.)

Like I said, maybe this isn't for everyone, but if you don't like the sound, this Mod can be done with no cutting, drilling, glueing, etc. and if you make your own wiring harnes, can be done without splicing. And if you decide you don't like it, maybe jazz up the wifes car with some top notch tweeters!!

 

[TLS Guy]

Okay, before I describe this mod, I am sure there are plenty of you which will cite all sorts of technical reasons why not to do this mod (tonal balance, speaker mismatch, Imepedence, warranty being voided, etc) , BUT, keep in mind that this mod is completely and easily reversed. What prompted me to do this mod, was, while I loved everything about my new PSB Image t55's (Imaging, looks, price, oh and did I say imaging? ;-)... One thing that was just so-so was the tweeter. No matter how I adjusted the tone or eq, It just sounded a little subdued. Maybe with the t45's this is not a problem because of smaller drivers.

Besides, I am one of the type that has to try to customize everything I own

The speakers I replaced with the PSB t55's, were Infinity RS6 Kappa's (20 years old) These speakers have a highly regarded tweeter, called an EMIT tweeter....something like up to 45,000 khz. Maybe that is why the stock PSB's didn't sound quite right to me, because I was used to these...

So, I went internet shopping for options on how to upgrade the PSB. Since I am a long time Infinity fan, and my surrounds remain Infinity, I went to their website, where I found the Infinity Kappa 10.7t 1" MMD Tweeter ...and yes, before you check these out, be aware that the ARE car tweeters!!

Here is the description...

"Infinity Kappa Series loudspeakers embody technological breakthroughs that make them, quite simply best in class. If you are looking for sound quality that rivals the best home audio systems, then Kappa is the ideal choice.Edge-driven MMD dome are not commonly used W-domes, but fully edge driven domes like those found in fine home audio loudspeakers. This much larger voice coil increases power handling and provides better sonic integration with the mid-woofer. "

I found these on the internet for about $63 shipped (MSRP $119) and I figured, if they did not work out for my PSB's I would put them in my truck!

I had planned to drill out the back of the speaker grill socket (unnoticeable) so I could run the wires and "hang" the tweeters out temporarily, to see how it sounded. This was unnecessary.

What I did was assemble the tweeter into the flush mount adapter which came with it. Then took some 1/4 foam rubber and some fishing line to wrap around the threads of the adapter to hold the foam rubber in place....by doing this, I was able to gently push it into the top port of the speaker. It fits perfectly, and stays put! The foam rubber eliminates any rattles. I ran the wire out the port tube into the body of the speaker. THIS MOD LOOKS GREAT TOO!!

Yes this blocks 1 of the 2 ports used for bass reflex, and that may be where some of you have a problem, but it seemed to balance everything better for me.

As far as wiring, I chose to use the PSB crossover instead of the supplied crossover of the new tweeter. In my setup I am Bi-Amping, so the tweeter is separate from the bass drivers. I wrote the question to PSB to ask how separating them affects impedence....they wrote back...

"The Woofer terminals keep the 4-6 Rating but the Tweeter Rating goes up a bit. Best regards, PSB Speakers"

I wired the new tweeter to my existing tweeter in parallel. Depending on your setup, you may want to consider wiring in series. These tweeter are rated at 2 ohms.

Another bonus is...in the flushmount housing, these speaker can be mounted to be either vertically or horizontilly swivelled. (this helps for off axis listening) I will try to attach some pictures to show the installation ( an yes the speaker grilles still fit just fine.)

Like I said, maybe this isn't for everyone, but if you don't like the sound, this Mod can be done with no cutting, drilling, glueing, etc. and if you make your own wiring harnes, can be done without splicing. And if you decide you don't like it, maybe jazz up the wifes car with some top notch tweeters!!

I would call it mucking up everything you own. You have now miss tuned your speaker by closing a port. You have added a 2 ohm tweeter, so you have dropped the impedance below two ohms. So you have now raised the crossover to both of your tweeters drastically, but not the mid/woofer. So you now have created a chasm between your tweeters and your bass mid. You have also have set your self up for interference between the tweeters, however that is minor compared to the huge frequency response gap you have created.

If you lower the impedance a crossover sees, you have to increase the caps and reduce the inductors accordingly, to maintain the same crossover frequency.

It has become clear to me you don't have the first clue about what you are doing, or how to customize anything.

My advice get some good literature, educate yourself and then have fun doing intelligent mods, when indicated. You could learn enough to build a speaker from the ground up.

If you spent time leaning how to make a good crossover and actually designed one, you would not do that awful cobble to it.

If anybody is persuaded to attempt that mod you have posted, they are just plain dappy and will believe anything.

 

[am74Gibson]

Like I said...

I would call it mucking up everything you own. You have now miss tuned your speaker by closing a port. You have added a 2 ohm tweeter, so you have dropped the impedance below two ohms. So you have now raised the crossover to both of your tweeters drastically, but not the mid/woofer. So you now have created a chasm between your tweeters and your bass mid. You have also have set your self up for interference between the tweeters, however that is minor compared to the huge frequency response gap you have created.

If you lower the impedance a crossover sees, you have to increase the caps and reduce the inductors accordingly, to maintain the same crossover frequency.

It has become clear to me you don't have the first clue about what you are doing, or how to customize anything.

My advice get some good literature, educate yourself and then have fun doing intelligent mods, when indicated. You could learn enough to build a speaker from the ground up.

If you spent time leaning how to make a good crossover and actually designed one, you would not do that awful cobble to it.

If anybody is persuaded to attempt that mod you have posted, they are just plain dappy and will believe anything.

There will be those who cry out technical flaws...but it sounds better to me and I am quite happy now. And isn't sounding better to the owner what counts ?

 

[TLS Guy]

There will be those who cry out technical flaws...but it sounds better to me and I am quite happy now. And isn't sounding better to the owner what counts ?

I assume you are a young man.

The problem is your are destroying your auditory point of reference. Those speakers can no longer be close to accurate. You have raised the bass tuning, and grossly altered the response in the crossover zone. Continuing to listen to those speakers will severely impair your correct auditory bench marks, and lead you away from developing a discriminating ear.

It also does not bode well for you future at anything, if you glorify and advertise your ignorance. These are not technical flaws you have made, but ill informed meddling, on the basis of gross ignorance. You don't seem to have acquired the knowledge yet to make a technical floor, since I don't see any technique at work.

I'm much more concerned for your lifetime development and your education, than the sound of your speakers.