I have a Nemesis nc212 combo and the tweeter sounds kind of harsh to me. There is no L-pad or switch for the tweeter Will it hurt to just unhook the neg lead from the tweeter and tape it off, or will change the impedance of the cabinet?
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unhooking tweeter
- Thread starter bkim
- Start date
Rick Auricchio
Registered Bass Offender
You should ask this at the Eden forum at http://www.eden-electronics.com where you'll get a better answer.
I know you can do this with the Eden David cabinets.
I know you can do this with the Eden David cabinets.
billfitzmaurice
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It depends on the crossover. If it's a 2nd order highpass disconnecting the tweeter can present a short circuit to the amp at the crossover frequency, potentially damaging the amp.
Rick Auricchio
Registered Bass Offender
Now that I see Bill's comment, I may be wrong about my advice. It could be that one can disconnect the entire crossover from the input jacks. Not simply the tweeter.
Ask at the Eden forum...don't trust my answer when there's the possibility of amp damage.
Ask at the Eden forum...don't trust my answer when there's the possibility of amp damage.
billfitzmaurice
Commercial User
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Don't trust an answer from anyone who doesn't have specific knowledge as to the crossover used.
I'm not quite sure I understand this... a second order highpass crossover has a capacitor in series with the parallel connection of an inductor and a tweeter. Opening the tweeter creates a series resonant circuit with a minimum impedance (at resonance (aka the crossover frequency)) of the DC resistance of the inductor. However, that's the same thing that happens when a tweeter burns out.
What am I neglecting to consider?
I just looked on the Eden website and found this
Q: I love your cabinets, but would prefer to not run the high-frequency driver. Can I shut it off?
A: Shutting the tweeter off is OK but under some extreme conditions could possibly do some damage to the L pad over an extended period of time. Normally this is not an issue, but you should be aware of it nonetheless. If you can still get the sound you want, it may be better to set the crossover control so that horn is getting just a touch of signal. If you really do not want the tweeter to work at all, you can disable the crossover by cutting the lead of the first capacitor. This ensures the horn is completely out of the mix and is easily fixed if you ever want to use the horn in the future.
Q: I love your cabinets, but would prefer to not run the high-frequency driver. Can I shut it off?
A: Shutting the tweeter off is OK but under some extreme conditions could possibly do some damage to the L pad over an extended period of time. Normally this is not an issue, but you should be aware of it nonetheless. If you can still get the sound you want, it may be better to set the crossover control so that horn is getting just a touch of signal. If you really do not want the tweeter to work at all, you can disable the crossover by cutting the lead of the first capacitor. This ensures the horn is completely out of the mix and is easily fixed if you ever want to use the horn in the future.
One other thing to consider is if the crossover is a "proper" two-way crossover, meaning that it has the appropriate low pass section for the woofers. If so, you might want to disconnect that as well and wire the jack(s) directly to the woofers to run them full range to see if you like the sound of it that way. If it doesn't have the low pass section, you're already there.
billfitzmaurice
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Nothing. The DCR of the inductor is probably less than 1/2 ohm, and that can result in a blown output stage. Avoiding this potential problem is reason #3 as to why tweeters should have at least 3rd order filtering, improved performance and protection being the first two. But many manufacturers opt to save a few bucks and go with 2nd order, if not even 1st order.
Nothing. The DCR of the inductor is probably less than 1/2 ohm, and that can result in a blown output stage. Avoiding this potential problem is reason #3 as to why tweeters should have at least 3rd order filtering, improved performance and protection being the first two. But many manufacturers opt to save a few bucks and go with 2nd order, if not even 1st order.
Thanks...but won't a open tweeter in a 3rd order highpass filter still present the amp with a very low impedance load at the crossover frequency? It's still a series LC circuit.
billfitzmaurice
Commercial User
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The risk isn't as severe with higher orders, but you're correct, it still exists and just disconnecting the tweeter isn't a good idea, breaking the connection pre-crossover would be the better way to go.
You could go low tech and just hang something in front of the tweeter. A piece of felt or whatever. Easier to reverse if you end up not liking it.
billfitzmaurice
Commercial User
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- Owner, Bill Fitzmaurice Loudspeaker Design
Or investigate what's being used for a crossover/filter. When tweeters sound harsh it's usually due to inadequate filter slope, which results in sending to the tweeter frequencies too low for it to handle without distorting. That almost never happens with 4th order filtering. Adding an LPad to tame the tweeter is also a fairly easy mod.
