TWEAKS

Ribbon Loudspeakers by Newform Research.

The R645, and to a lesser extent, the R630 have been the focus of a huge amount of audio enthusiast attention in terms of modification and upgrading.

At least three companies, Sonic Craft, Madisound and North Creek offer crossover upgrades and Sonic Craft offers BlackHole acoustic damping kits as well.

For the most part these speaker tweaks are going in the right direction. Newform cannot justify the cost of these modifications in a production loudspeaker where 10 to 15% of owners are motivated to make the upgrades. However, the use of higher quality capacitors, whether Hovland, Theta or Sonic Craft and foil inductors can only improve the sound quality. Improved damping along the lines of Blackhole or Blachford on the cabinet walls again, can only be an improvement.

Our only strong recommendation is that the tweakers keep the upgraded crossovers outside the enclosure. There are two reasons for this. One is to keep the large caps and inductors from restricting airflow inside the cabinet. The second is to facilitate easy changes to the values of the crossover components and to allow the "inevitable DSP crossover /biamp" upgrade to be installed easily.

To this end, Newform has developed an external terminal plate for mounting the crossover and allowing easy direct hookup of the "inevitable full digital chain". Plug and play!

The upgrades discussed on the web in numerous forums range from simple (the upgrade cap simply bypasses the internal unit so there is no need to go inside the cabinet) to almost a complete rebuild of the speaker. When you undertake the modification project, be sure you have the background to see it through.

We have yet to have a disaster but some people have gotten in over their heads for a short period. In looking at the modifications you might be considering, always keep in your mind the "inevitable digital onslaught". DSP crossover and digital amps are here now. Some of them are relatively cheap. Some are very expensive but being digital, the price can only go one way: down. And the performance can only go one way: up.

Where you choose to jump in on these curves is your decision but choices are available now from Tact and Behringer. Call us for an update as this is a rapidly developing area.

In terms of ultimate tweaks, we have the No Holds Barred (NHB) models which address all of the upgrade issues and go several steps beyond in terms of advances in enclosure technology. As well, you can browse through the "Owners Projects" page to see som really well done individual approaches to solving the acoustic imperfections inherent in any loudspeaker design.

Text Size

Email: ribbons@newformresearch.com Tel: 705.835.0081