On/Off mod for Epifani tweeters?

[Nightlyraider]

Anyone put a total kill switch on their tweeters? I have a NYC t210 and a UL 212 and am hesitant to rely totally on the attenuator.

I figure doing the mod itself would be pretty simple wiring, but I want to hear about your experience.

[will33]

If the tweeter is a piezo or if, like most bass cabs, it only has a highpass filter on it, a simple on/off switch will be fine. If it actually has a true crossover, a simple switch may still be ok but I'd let someone with more knowledge chime in.

Is there an L-pad on it and dialing it down is still too much treble for you?

[BassmanPaul]

Every time you modify equipment it kills your resale value. Use the Lpad - it's what its for. Just don't turn it all the way down.

[will33]

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

Every time you modify equipment it kills your resale value. Use the Lpad - it's what its for. Just don't turn it all the way down.

In some cases, yes but here, I'd consider it an enhancement or at least keeping it even.

So I take it there's an Lpad (attenuator) and dialing it down is still too trebly?

[Nightlyraider]

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

Every time you modify equipment it kills your resale value. Use the Lpad - it's what its for. Just don't turn it all the way down.

As a huge proponent of the resale value factor, I appreciate this comment. However I don't ever plan on selling these cabs; and I definitely don't have to worry too much about what I paid for them either.

I LOVE the sound my cabs give me, and have the tweeters at maybe 25% right now, BUT I want to use some effects that I'm fairly sure will eventually kill the tweeters.
The sound of the big drivers alone (ceramic 10s and neo 12s) just works great, and I want to keep that going.

I am already dialing down the treble alot, both with the roll-off on my bass and the EQ on my amp (mb 400+, with treble on 2-3 and the graphic eq cutting the top end)

[Nightlyraider]

Or else for anyone with experience in the field, will the attenuator / crossover in Epifani cabs tolerate a 400+ driving two cabs at 4 ohms each?

I have used and like (even more) the cabs with the tweeter at 0, but don't want to burn up anything. I know Epifani uses high end components and I am purposefully avoiding the high end signal already; but still I am wary of using the complete cut on the attenuator.

[will33]

A pic of the circuit card or whatever is behind the jacks would help a lot. It'd be pretty easy to run straight wires to the woofers (full range) and put a switch between the input and the tweeter highpass. At most it'd involve removing an inductor but most likely only mean putting in a simple switch as the woofers are likely already fullrange.

[will33]

Originally Posted by Nightlyraider

Or else for anyone with experience in the field, will the attenuator / crossover in Epifani cabs tolerate a 400+ driving two cabs at 4 ohms each?

I have used and like (even more) the cabs with the tweeter at 0, but don't want to burn up anything. I know Epifani uses high end components and I am purposefully avoiding the high end signal already; but still I am wary of using the complete cut on the attenuator.

When you turn down an attenuator (L-pad, sort of), it absorbs the power that would have gone to the tweeter and burns it off as heat. Too much power = too much heat = burnt parts, thus the advise to not turn it completely off, let a little juice pass through to avoid burning anything. Things like quality/beefy parts, good engineering/implementation make the difference there. You may be able to turn them down some more as long as you're not blasting loud. Or there's always the cheaper (and if you're selling enmasse to the public) maybe better option....put in a false stop on the dial so when you think it's off it's not completely off, just quiet.

You can always pull all that stuff out, put regular jacks in there wired directly to the big speakers, let 'er rip and see how you like it. That's something you can try and still reverse/put it back like it was. Leave the tweeter in there even though it's not hooked up just to plug the hole so it doesn't mess up the cabinet tuning (become another port hole).

[Nightlyraider]

Delayed picture update:




There are 2 matching Speakon and 1/4" inputs wired underneath the board.

The tweeter attenuator is the black and silver object on the left in the third picture, and would be to the right of the board in the first picture if it were a bigger frame.

Thanks for the input!

[KJung]

Nick made a big point of being able to turn the attenuator off and get full range driver performance when his cabs were introduced. I don't think the crossover is a simple lo pass, but the tweeter is crossed over WAY higher than the upper range of the driver. If you are worried about the attenuator burning out, just turn it down 95%.

Zero issue, and again, one of the things that was a 'selling point' of the Epi cabs when they first came out is the ability to do this.

[Nightlyraider]

Good deal.

Thanks for the insight.