Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Replacing crossovers for warmer sound

I've read that some people have replaced the crossovers in their M22 speakers to reduce some of the sibilance they have heard when listening to higher frequency audio.

Let me first say that I'm using M3 speakers and don't have much a problem with shrill sound from these speakers that I've noticed. Then again, I haven't had a lot of experience with different sorts of speakers so I have no idea weather or not they sound harsh to others.

The reason that I ask is because I'm using a purely digital receiver (panasonic XR-55) which has a very cold sound to it. I've read that this is rather a bad pairing for speakers like the Axioms. My thought was to change the internals of the axiom speakers to make them sound a bit warmer. Has anyone gone about doing this and can advise on how to proceed? I'm quite technical minded and have experience with electronics though I don't have any experience with speaker electronics.

Hi,

How long have you been listening to Axiom speakers? The reason I ask is because when you first hear them, they may sound overly bright or clear or whatever you want to call it. Within very little time, they sound absolutely natural.

If you still feel they are overly bright, you may want to try putting layers of silk in front of the tweeter to see if this helps. A friend of mine did that with his Klipsches and it helped a lot.

I've had them a little over a year and a half now. I really have to say I don't have any harsh criticisms about these speakers and think they sound fine as they are. I'd just like to experiment a bit to see if I can get a little more balance between my cold digital amp and these clinically sharp (detailed rather) speakers.

After reading this thread, I'm strongly considering replacing the tweeter http://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=77056&page=0&fpart=4&vc=1

This is a bit embarrassing to ask, but does anyone know of a guide or basic principles behind replacing a speaker tweeter?

Hanz, there's no lack of "warmth" in Axioms if the program material being played has it; likewise if the program material is sibilant it'll be heard. Disregard what you read about "shrill" Axiom speakers or "cold" amplifiers; it's nonsense. Someone who wants a less accurate tonal balance should consider speakers which provide that if they can't get satisfactory results from their tone control adjustments on particular material.

Appreciate the response JohnK. The truth of it is though that I feel my receiver and the axiom speakers would be better paired (creating a sound more pleasing to me) if I could warm the highs a bit. Instead of getting different speakers though, I would like to try and modify my preexisting axioms because I enjoy the speakers otherwise.

I'm doing this more because I'm bored/being overly critical than anything else.

Why not just turn the treble down on the receiver? I know you are experimenting but it seems a lot of trouble just to play around for a different sound. I would think a more fun way would be to audition different speakers, but each to his own.

or possibly room treatments to reduce the ringing, etc..

Tinkering with the cross-over in the M3 does not seem to me to be a worthwhile use of your time, even for just to see what would happen. It is hard for people to believe Axiom owners commenting in an Axiom forum that the perceived brightness is not a function of these speakers but rather a function mostly of the original source media. There is no denial, cover up, ignorance, or high-frequency hearing loss with regard to owners who make this claim . Remember that most commercial CDs are tweaked with EQ and compression, and Axioms tend to reveal this because of their brutal honesty. I have heard imperfections and vast differences in quality of recordings with the Axioms. Some recordings sound shrill and some so life-like as to send chills through my spine. I like this revealing honesty about my Axioms and would not dare to tinker and corrupt their personality.

John

Yeah, I've finally come to my senses and have decided against tinkering with my M3's electronics. I'm going to add another 2 to the back soon and would rather not bother testing different crossover components. Upon further reading I discovered that the M3 woofer doesn't use the crossover, simple tends to be better when it comes to that sort of thing I gather. I discovered something interesting while tinkering around with the speakers though. If I add more padding behind the woofer drivers I seem to get better mid response from the driver. I'm going to try adding some felt to the tweaker and something to dampen the woofer a bit to see if I can bring out even more character from the speakers. Does this sound like a good idea or do you think it would do more harm than good?

The so-called "shrillness" that you experience isn't coming from the mid-range. You can try felt but also try some silk in front of the tweeter.

BTW, where did you find out that the M3s have a mechanical cross-over? I've often wondered how the Axiom cross-overs are designed. I wouldn't be surprised if Axiom makes use of mechanical cross-overs in all of their lines. Hence the relatively high efficiency and power handling.