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Thread: NrT Upgrade instructions with video!

  1. #41
    Join Date
    May 2007
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    30

    Default Re: NrT Upgrade instructions with video!

    Quote Originally Posted by GirgleMirt View Post
    Woa so that upgrade for the older Sierras are a bit more touchy I see... Hmmm... :\ Oh well, doesn't seem too insurmountable, some weird things though, glued mesh, binding posts...

    Can you still manage to switch the binding post cables without destroying the mesh? Or since it's glued you'll pretty much have no choice but somehow ripping it off?

    And I'm guessing the goo gone dilutes the glue and then it's easy to just tighten back the posts once the crossovers have been switched?

    Those clips on the tweeters/drivers are very practical! Didn't know those things existed, looks much easier than soldering the wires!
    Responding to your edit, if might be possible to leave most of the fiberglass in place and just pull back enough to get to the binding posts. However, it is really nasty working around the fiberglass, and room inside the cabinet is already limited.

    If you are planning ahead, I would just get the Dacron and completely remove all the fiberglass.

    -Dave

  2. #42
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
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    SouthWest of Cleveland
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    1,924

    Default Re: NrT Upgrade instructions with video!

    I was fortunate to have the Dacron handy only because I was swapping amps on my Rythmik sub last year and asked Brian about the polyfil I had originally used when I put the sub together(before Ascend partnered up with Rythmik). Brian suggested using the Dacron on the walls of the sub to replace the loose polyfil, and he was kind enough to send me the Dacron with the new PEQ amp free of charge!

    BTW, I finished the 2nd speaker much quicker than the first one! I have to say, WOW! The clarity, imaging and punch these NrT's have is incredible! I was simply drawn in to the performance much more so than the standard Sierra-1's ever could, and those were(are) awesome themselves.

    Kudos to Dave F. and Ascend for a truly spectacular speaker!
    Ed

    * Sierra-2EX's W/V2 crossover upgrade
    * (2) Rythmik F12's
    * Parasound Halo P6
    * Audio by Van Alstine DVA-M225 Monoblock Amps
    * MiniDSP 2x4HD For Sub calibration
    *World's Best Cables Canare 4S11 speaker cables

  3. #43
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
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    501

    Default Re: NrT Upgrade instructions with video!

    Thx! Btw, is there anything special about 'Dacron' as opposed to regular polyfill? Probably have some poly left somewhere but if I can just manage to leave the mesh/fiber as is it would be less trouble I think... Anyhow, guess I'll see when I open them up!

  4. #44
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    Mar 2004
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    SouthWest of Cleveland
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    1,924

    Default Re: NrT Upgrade instructions with video!

    The Dacron is in the form of batting, like in the videos, and polyfil is loose and fluffy like what you'd pull out of a bottle of aspirin when you open it up.

    You need to be able to access the binding post nuts on the rear of the cabinet, as well as the 4 screws holding the crossover down. If you can find a way to do that without removing the fiberglass batting more power to you!

    I think you can find the Dacron at a fabric store since it is used in quilts I believe. I just cut a piece to the proper size and stuffed it in like the video showed.
    Ed

    * Sierra-2EX's W/V2 crossover upgrade
    * (2) Rythmik F12's
    * Parasound Halo P6
    * Audio by Van Alstine DVA-M225 Monoblock Amps
    * MiniDSP 2x4HD For Sub calibration
    *World's Best Cables Canare 4S11 speaker cables

  5. #45
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Fontana, CA
    Posts
    129

    Default Re: NrT Upgrade instructions with video!

    Well two down and one center to go! With no change in settings I can hear the difference especially with acoustics and voices. I hooked the first one up and compared to the other and I could clearly tell the difference when I put my ear next to the tweeters. Also, my speakers are pretty far apart to ensure WAF with her furniture and I can tell a difference for stereo in that it sounds like my center is playing (imaging?) but its off. It always sounded good but wasn't that clear to me before due to the distance between L/R. Not sure why that would be and it certainly could be me.

    I bought my Sierra's in Feb 2008 so an easy upgrade. A small tip on installation, be careful with the insulators on the binding post terminals as they have a tendency to come off and you might not notice and end up with an extra part at the end...

    Now for that center!

  6. #46
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Posts
    4

    Default Re: NrT Upgrade instructions with video!

    I finally had time to upgrade my front three speakers this weekend, and had a few minor issues. and a few questions:

    Speaker 1: When removing the leads to the binding posts, I notice that one of the lock washers had split apart. It wasn't very tight (in fact, none of the binding posts were very tight), so I'm not sure how it had broken. I looked to see if there was a comparably-sized washer in my tool box, but no luck. My wife makes chain mail jewelry as a hobby, so she volunteered one of her brass jump rings as a substitute. It seemed to work, but will this be a problem (corrosion)?

    One thing I learned about the leads from the new crossover to the binding posts, is that the flat pare of the connector should go to the back of the cabinet. That probably just sounds like common sense, but I didn't notice it on the first lead, and when I tightened down the nut, it deformed the connector. I took it back apart and gently straightened it out, so it should be fine.

    The next problem was with the small-sized leads from the new crossover to the woofer and NrT tweeter. I could not push either of them on, and had to open them up a little with the tip of a screwdriver. The large ones slipped on just fine. The same was true for the other two upgrades.

    Speakers 2 and 3: These both went pretty much the same. Everything was fine until it was time to install the new crossover. On speaker two, I could not get the back left screw to go down all the way; there was a gap of about 1/8" between the bottom of the screw and the board. I unscrewed the other screws and pulled out the crossover, and tested all the screws in the holes. All of them went down fine, but when I replaced the board, the back screw just would go down all the way.

    One speaker number 3, I had the same problem, except the front two screws would not go down all the way. I'm not sure if the holes are slightly out of alignment, or what might be causing the problem. I even made sure that I noted where each position each screw came from, and replaced them with the same exact ones.

    These speakers are only a little over six months old, so it's not related to the problems other were experiencing with the early-generation models.

    Both boards feel solid in the bottom of the speaker. Even if they're not screwed down all the way, they are tight enough to prevent any side-to-side movement, but not any up-and-down motion. Will this be a problem? Should I open them up and try to reseat them? I'm not sure what else I could try, I spent about 20 minutes on each one.

    Other than those issues, the rest of the upgrade went fine. It was really kind of neat to see the inside of the speakers. I had never actually opened up any speakers to see what's inside before. These really are some finely-made and solid pieces, even on the inside.

    Scott

  7. #47
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
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    USA
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    5,538

    Default Re: NrT Upgrade instructions with video!

    Quote Originally Posted by Mag_Neato View Post
    Question for Dave F.: I have some 1" Dacron batting leftover from my Rythmik sub project. Can I cut a piece of that to replace the fiberglass stuff that may be in my speakers? If so, what are the dimensions to make the piece? Thanks!
    Yes -- most definitely.

    The Dacron sheet should be approximately 1" thick x 7" wide x 20" long.

    Hope this helps!
    .
    .
    .
    Good Sound To You!

    David Fabrikant
    www.ascendacoustics.com

  8. #48
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    Aug 2003
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    USA
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    Default Re: NrT Upgrade instructions with video!

    Quote Originally Posted by Mag_Neato View Post
    Wouldn't you know it; there's Allen head screws holding it down. Since I now have to purchase one of those can you tell me what size I will need, and if it's SAE or Metric?
    As DPlettner mentioned, a T15 Torx bit is required.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mag_Neato View Post
    Also, I managed to unscrew one lead from one binding post. There is no lockwasher as it had glue holding it tight. Is it ok to screw it back on without a washer after the upgraded board is in place?
    I do recommend that a lock washer be placed between the securing nut of the binding post and the crossover lead wire terminal. An external tooth lock washer is best:
    .
    .
    .
    Good Sound To You!

    David Fabrikant
    www.ascendacoustics.com

  9. #49
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
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    501

    Default Re: NrT Upgrade instructions with video!

    Well first of all, Merry Christmas to all!

    For the original Sierra upgrade:
    An even simpler option, if you have a soldering iron, is to desolder the two crossover lead wires on the original crossover. Simply apply the hot tip of the soldering iron to the corresponding solder pad on the underside of the crossover network and while the solder has liquefied, pull the wire out from the PCB. You will then reinsert and resolder these same crossover lead wires into the NrT crossover. Using this method, it is not necessary to cut and splice any wires and it makes for a cleaner installation.
    I just tried this method, and ran into a peculiar problem... Does the crossover use a special sort of solder? My (crappy) soldering gun seems to be absolutely ineffectual in melting the solder on the bottom of the crossover/wire... In 10s of applying it, it barely did a dent! (And it definitely was at temperature, 'regular' solder melted instantly...) So given that the wires lengths are quite short and force you to work in the restricted space of the cabinet, going through 4 de-solders and 4 solders, just seems much more tedious than going the goo gone way and just unscrewing the binding terminals...

    And actually, given the position of the wire behind an inductor on the crossover, which ends up in the rear of the cabinet, I think trying to solder the wire to the new crossover would make unscrewing the crossover with the filling still inside the cabinet look like child play! Actually, it wasn't so bad the 2nd crossover got unscrewed in maybe 5 mins, having a T shaped screwdriver didn't really help... And it is absolutely possible to do the work without destroying the mesh, the glue was applied only about 1/2 of the top of the cabinet, so you can definitely lift it to give yourself enough room to work without destroying everything, and you can definitely raise it to give you access to the binding posts.

    Splicing wires inside the cabinet also wouldn't be quite as easy as simply unscrewing binding post and re-screwing them imho...

    About that Torx T15 bit, it's the star shaped one:

    It pretty much comes standard in those screwdrivers with interchangeable bits, so most probably already have it at home.
    Last edited by GirgleMirt; 12-25-2010 at 06:53 AM.

  10. #50
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Posts
    501

    Default Re: NrT Upgrade instructions with video!

    Happy new year!

    Another option, which we have done here, is to drip a few drops of "Goo Gone" or a similar solvent onto the posts which breaks up the glue and makes removing the nuts much easier.
    Did anyone manage to get the Goo gone to work on the glue of the binding posts?

    I've tried to apply it with Q-Tips but it just didn't work very well, Q-Tips just fall apart... And you can't really apply it directly because the bottle won't fit into the speaker... So I just put the speaker facing up and dripped the goo gone on top of the posts, bit messy, but a good layer of goo gone on it.

    I applied a layer yesterday, let it sit all night, and this morning checked it, and it seemed to make absolutely no difference Did you need a special Goo Gone? http://www.magicamerican.com/googone/products.aspx They had the Gel one: http://www.magicamerican.com/googone...063ffa1a9.aspx

    There was a gunk of glue on top of one binding post, and it wasn't dissolved or anything... Which makes it look to me like this isn't working...
    Last edited by GirgleMirt; 01-01-2011 at 06:16 AM.

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