Vifa tweeter replacement

[DarylS]

Hi this is my very first post.
I am restoring a 30 year old pair of Mirage M760 towers. They sound a bit dull after all this time and wondered if any ideas how to bring back life into these speakers.
They have a Vifa tweeter 6 ohm label is D25TG-65. Any suggestions for a replacement..just under 3" cutout and just over 4" overall diameter.
I have also removed the crossover and tested the capacitors....they test ok on a multimeter. But I ordered new Mundorf caps of same uf's..thinking over this long may be not working optimally.
Any other suggestions??

[rpb]

Hi this is my very first post.
I am restoring a 30 year old pair of Mirage M760 towers. They sound a bit dull after all this time and wondered if any ideas how to bring back life into these speakers.
They have a Vifa tweeter 6 ohm label is D25TG-65. Any suggestions for a replacement..just under 3" cutout and just over 4" overall diameter.
I have also removed the crossover and tested the capacitors....they test ok on a multimeter. But I ordered new Mundorf caps of same uf's..thinking over this long may be not working optimally.
Any other suggestions??

What about the padding resistor(s)? The tweeters might be OK. My current speakers use a 40 year old pair of Morel tweeters, and I still like them.
Other x-over changes could alter the sound too. Location in the room plays a role here.

[DarylS]

There are 2 ceramic resistors....10W 1 ohm and 10W 1.4 ohm.

[DarylS]

Here is the crossover i removed from the Mirage M760.

[AEIOU]

That sure is a cheap azz crossover!

[djg]

It wouldn't hurt to replace 30 yo NPE caps. The resistors are cheap. Mundorf would be overkill for me, but that's me.

Curious, how did you check the caps with a multimeter?

Are these speakers new to you or have you owned them for some time?

What do you power these with? What's your listening environment? How are your ears?

[DarylS]

I bought an inexpensive digital multifunction multimeter....there is a capacitance setting. I removed the capacitors from the board....held the leads on the resistor to discharge them. They tested within the uf's stated rating on the cap's.
i have owned these speakers since 1990. Remember them sounding crisper years ago.
I have some recently purchased Dayton Audio speakers with AMT tweeters, and they sound crisp.
Running the Mirage with a Denon AVR X3500H.
.7.2 channel 215W.

[AEIOU]

With old tweeters, the ferrofluid dries up, same thing too with electrolytic capacitors. Electrolytic capacitors have a finite lifespan, should be replaced regardless.

[fpitas]

I'll be "that guy" and note the elephant in the room. You'll probably want to measure the speakers, especially if you replace the tweeters. Often the crossover needs changing unless you're lucky enough to find some driver identical to the originals.

[DarylS]

The listening room area is 9 x 12..hard floors...there is an area rug and upholstered couch in room.
i have the speakers about 5 ft apart and 6 inches from wall.
Thank you for your replies and questions.

[djg]

Carry on then. A thread on Audiokarma described these as very nice speakers. I'd replace the caps and resistors and see what happens. A different tweeter could give you unpredictable results. Measuring the speaker's output would be very helpful.

[DarylS]

I have located a few tweeters of same 6 ohm rating and diameter measurements to fit the existing openings in cabinet....run between $30 to $60, depend on brand names.
Once the new Mundorf cap's arrive and I wire all back together, I will be curious to hear if sound changes.
My last resort was to purchase new tweeters..
I have read the ferro fluid may gum up or dry up inside the tweeter over many years.

[DarylS]

They were designed in Canada by a well known, at the time, designer.....they were roughly a $1,000/pair 30 years ago.
They are beasts, weighing in at 75 lbs each!!

[fpitas]

I have located a few tweeters of same 6 ohm rating and diameter measurements to fit the existing openings in cabinet....run between $30 to $60, depend on brand names.
Once the new Mundorf cap's arrive and I wire all back together, I will be curious to hear if sound changes.
My last resort was to purchase new tweeters..
I have read the ferro fluid may gum up or dry up inside the tweeter over many years.

The 8 ohm rating is nearly meaningless as far as working with the existing crossover. A driver is seldom resistive; instead its impedance varies with frequency and each driver has its own curve.

[rpb]

I bought an inexpensive digital multifunction multimeter....there is a capacitance setting. I removed the capacitors from the board....held the leads on the resistor to discharge them. They tested within the uf's stated rating on the cap's.
i have owned these speakers since 1990. Remember them sounding crisper years ago.
I have some recently purchased Dayton Audio speakers with AMT tweeters, and they sound crisp.
Running the Mirage with a Denon AVR X3500H.
.7.2 channel 215W.

Have you changed the room they are in, or the distance from the walls? My speakers are 3' and 4' from the side, and rear wall. If I place them close to the wall, the tonal balance changes dramatically. I think the ferro fluid could be replaced if necessary. I'd try to measure them before going down that road

Did you verify that the tweeters are functional?

[djg]

You might want to check out that little black component, upper right with the cap across the terminals, might be a thermal switch or some overload protection.

[johnnyrichards]

How old are you, Daryl?