NrT Upgrade instructions with video!

[davef]

Sierra-1 NrT Upgrade Instructions

--> Link to order the NrT Upgrade Kit (http://www.ascendacoustics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=AD&Product_Code=SR1NRTKIT1)

Recommended Tools:

Phillips head screwdriver
1/2" Hex Nut Driver (1/2” socket)
Stubby handled Phillips head screwdriver (short handle)

1 Remove the Tweeter Video Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-AVEx7P1K0)


a) Gently lay the speaker back so the front of the speaker is facing upward.

b) Using the Phillips head screwdriver, carefully remove the (4) screws from around the perimeter of the tweeter and set them aside.

c) Lean the speaker forward and carefully remove the tweeter and gasket from the cabinet.

d) Gently remove each female wire connector from the tweeter’s male terminals. You will need to gently wiggle the connector to remove it from the terminal. Do not apply too much force or you will risk damaging the tweeter and/or the connector itself.

2 Remove the Woofer Video Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvefWt0rLA4)


a) Using the Phillips head screwdriver, carefully remove the (4) screws from around the perimeter of the woofer and set them aside.

b) Lean the speaker forward and carefully remove the woofer from the cabinet.

c) Gently remove each female connector from the woofer’s male terminals. You will need to gently wiggle the connector to remove it from the terminal. Do not apply too much force or you will risk damaging the woofer and/or the connector itself.

3 Remove damping material and disconnect the crossover lead wires Video Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mESvZnXnmgw)


a) Reach inside the cabinet, fold the white Dacron batting material in half and then pull it from the cabinet.

b) Using the 1/2" Hex nut driver, carefully remove the securing nut from each of the two binding posts on the inside of the cabinet and set these aside.

c) Using your fingers, remove the lock washer that is underneath the nut you just removed and set these aside. The crossover lead wires should now be free.

d) Remove the red and black crossover lead wires from the binding post terminals.

4 Remove the old crossover Video Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0p2v1IlTpVw)


a) Examine the crossover board which is secured on the bottom of the speaker cabinet. Locate the (4) securing screws at each corner of the crossover board.

b) Using the stubby handled Phillips head screwdriver, carefully remove each of the (4) screws and set these aside. Please be careful to avoid damaging any of the crossover components.

c) After all (4) screws have been removed, remove the crossover from the speaker cabinet.

5 Install crossover screws Video Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG9pnaIsNbI)


a) Using the same screws that you removed from the crossover, insert these into the (4) screw holes in the NrT crossover.

6 Install NrT crossover into speaker cabinet Video Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2gs2SeUq_I)


a) Look inside the speaker cabinet and find the (4) screw hole inserts on the bottom baffle.

b) Place the NrT crossover inside the cabinet such that each mounting screw is lined up with each corresponding screw insert. Align the crossover such that the two crossover lead wires are in the back of the cabinet and the woofer and tweeter wires are towards the front of the cabinet.

c) Using the stubby handled Phillips head screwdriver, gently tighten down each mounting screw, making sure that each screw is tightening down in the screw insert. The crossover board must not bend so take your time.

7 Attach crossover lead wires to binding posts Video Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdE8wz0dhjU)


a) Place the crossover lead wires back onto the binding post terminals. Please make sure to keep red to red and black to black.

b) Install the lock washers that were removed in step 3, part c.

c) Install the nuts that were removed in step 3, part c.

d) Using the 1/2” Hex nut driver, tighten down the securing nuts. These should be tightened so that the binding posts on the back of the speaker are secure and will not twist or turn.

8 Reinstall the damping material Video Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp3N8oxLunA
)


a) Grab the woofer and tweeter crossover wires and position them so that they hang outside the speaker cabinet.

b) Fold the damping material in half and place it back into the cabinet.

c) Unfold the damping material such that it now covers the internal walls of the cabinet.

9 Install the new tweeter Video Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI1S_DYUVSQ)


a) Grab the red and black crossover wires and insert them through the opening in the shelf brace and then out through the tweeter opening.

b) Place the tweeter gasket into the tweeter cutout and position it such that all (4) screw holes are aligned.

c) Using the red and black crossover wires, gently push the female terminals back onto the corresponding male terminals on the new tweeter.

d) Place the new tweeter back into the speaker cabinet.

10 Reinstall the woofer Video Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ur46Wa8rIZU)


a) Grab the brown and black crossover wires and pull them outside the speaker cabinet through the woofer opening.

b) Using the brown and black wires, gently push the female terminals back onto the corresponding male terminals on the woofer.

c) Place the woofer back into the speaker cabinet.

11 Insert the woofer and tweeter securing screws Video Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLzObLMpygg)


a) Using your hands, manipulate the positioning of the woofer and tweeter such that the screw holes in each component align with the screw holes in the loudspeaker cabinet.

b) Insert the (4) woofer mounting screws and (4) tweeter mounting screws. Note, these use the same screws. Hand tighten each screw.

12 Tighten all screws Video Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O45R8k3dR6U)


a) Using a Phillips head screwdriver, securely tighten down all (8) screws. Do not over tighten!

Congratulations, you are finished :)

[Mag_Neato]

Awesome, Dave! Looks simple enough. Just awaiting the parts to arrive.

Not to be picky, but........

In step 10 you say "new woofer", when in fact the original woofer is being reinstalled. Might want to clear that up to avoid any confusion.:)

[Sherlock]

Nice job on the instructions.

I'm on my way to ACE to pick up a 1/2" nut wrench.....

[davef]

Not to be picky, but........

In step 10 you say "new woofer", when in fact the original woofer is being reinstalled. Might want to clear that up to avoid any confusion.:)

Thanks for catching that!

[Mag_Neato]

My pleasure, Dave! Actually, it is something I've become accustomed to being in a technical position.

If you don't mind my asking, have the NrT kits started to ship?:D

[davef]

My pleasure, Dave! Actually, it is something I've become accustomed to being in a technical position.

If you don't mind my asking, have the NrT kits started to ship?:D

Yep .... It is a bit insane over here today but yes, NrT kits are shipping out today, tomorrow, Thursday etc. We hope to have all kit orders shipped by this Thursday.

Later today I will post a pic of all the crossovers that are waiting to be tested (exclusively by me of course). I am grateful that we took care of all of the billing in advance -- getting all of these out in combination with our current Thanksgiving Sale orders has pushed us to the limits of our capabilities :o

[davef]

Here is a batch of over 100 tested crossovers that will be shipping tomorrow (or at least most of them :o )

[bk_856er]

That's a crazy picture - thanks for sharing :eek:

Really puts into perspective what you are up against!

Can't wait to get mine - but please don't rush things!

BK

[Mag_Neato]

Reality sinks in! It's easy to forget the scope of a project until you are faced with the actual volume of it, and the steps required to expedite it.

Dave, do the new tweeters require hand tweaking of the damping material by you guys? Thought you had mentioned that in a post somewhere.

[davef]

That's a crazy picture - thanks for sharing :eek:

Really puts into perspective what you are up against!

And that is less than half of what we have to ship :o

We are getting through it though :D

[ediblestarfish]

Hope you get a decent holiday bonus out of this deal, because I sure feel I did. :)

Now I have videos to watch instead of refreshing that UPS tracking number every hour.

[Mag_Neato]

I've got my tracking number!

Now I just need to pick up a stubby phillips screwdriver.

[DPlettner]

Hi Dave,

I figured I would post this here in case anyone else has the same issue.

I received five NrT upgrades tonight. Unfortunately, it appears that my Sierra-1's are different from the Sierra-1 shown in your videos.

In the picture below, note that the mounting holes are spaced closer together on the old crossover board on the left. Also, the interior of my cabinet has six crossover mounting holes, although only four are used.

I only disassembled one of my five Sierra-1's since the other four are probably similar. Please advise me how to proceed.

Thanks,
David Plettner

http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=357&stc=1&d=1291691572

http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=358&stc=1&d=1291691572

[bk_856er]

Smooth upgrade here - exactly according to plan.

My only advice for others is to say a little prayer to the speaker gods beforehand so you don't poke a hole through the woofer with the screwdriver. Partway through the job I switched to a stubby for peace of mind.

BK

[davef]

Hi Dave,

I figured I would post this here in case anyone else has the same issue.

I received five NrT upgrades tonight. Unfortunately, it appears that my Sierra-1's are different from the Sierra-1 shown in your videos.

In the picture below, note that the mounting holes are spaced closer together on the old crossover board on the left. Also, the interior of my cabinet has six crossover mounting holes, although only four are used.

I only disassembled one of my five Sierra-1's since the other four are probably similar. Please advise me how to proceed.

Thanks,
David Plettner

Hi David,

Thanks so much for posting this info and including the pictures. I was hoping that somebody would as we don't have any of the first generation Sierra-1 cabinets available...

Your Sierra-1 cabinets were from the first batch (our first vendor). Upgrading this requires a bit more work but should not be a problem.

To install your crossover, simply use some standard 1/2" length wood screws and screw the crossover down directly into the cabinet itself creating 4 new holes at the bottom of the cabinet. Do not be concerned about making the new holes as these will have absolutely no affect on performance or cabinet rigidity. As I am sure you have realized after peaking inside, the build quality of these cabinets is outstanding and bamboo is tough!

Note: I recommend a thin shank wood/drywall screw such as a #4 which will make it much easier to screw into the bamboo. #4 x 1/2" is ideal. While the cabinet material is 3/4" in thickness, I do not recommend using a wood screw that is longer than 1/2".

Hope this helps!

[DPlettner]

Thanks David. I will stop by Home Depot tomorrow and pick up the right screws.

Based on the picture below, I think I can use one of the existing mounting holes, and then create three new holes for the wood screws.

I agree that the build quality is great and the cabinets are very solid.

I have a few other comments for people with first generation cabinets. The batting material is not Dacron as shown in the video. Instead the batting material is fiberglass inserted into a 3-segment black mesh bag. The 3-segments of the bag are glued to the interior of cabinet. It is not too hard to separate the bad from the cabinet, but doing so does release particles of fiberglass through the mesh, so you may want to wear gloves while working with the bag to avoid touching the fiberglass. Also, there will be fiberglass particles in the cabinet interior after removing the bag, so it helps to have a vacuum cleaner with a narrow hose to remove the fiberglass particles.

Finally, the crossover wire terminals are held to the binding posts using nuts, as shown in the videos. However, a very durable glue has been applied to the nuts and binding posts. While disassembling the first speaker, I did manage to remove the nuts and terminals from the binding posts. However, it certainly seems possible that the binding posts could be damaged by the removal process. For the remaining four speakers, I think I will leave the binding posts alone, and splice the new crossover wires to the old crossover wires by soldering the wires together.

If anyone is on the fence about having Ascend do the upgrade or doing it themselves, you may want to remove the woofer and see if you have a first generation cabinet, since the upgrade will be a bit more work and you may want Ascend to do the upgrade.

-Dave


http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=359&stc=1&d=1291711619

[Mag_Neato]

Interesting. Thanks for the heads up, Dave. Since I most likely have the same cabinets this is invaluable info.

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!

[curtis]

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!
Why would you want to do that? The purposes/properties of are different.

[Mag_Neato]

Why would you want to do that? The purposes/properties of are different.

The video for the upgrade shows dacron batting in the later cabinets. Unless something was changed in the tuning/crossover I'd think there would be no difference? If the fiberglass stuff needs to be re-glued to the inside of the cabinet then going with Dacron could eliminate that step.

[DPlettner]

I don't think you need to glue the fiberglass batting back in. It seems to position itself at least as securely as the Dacron in the video without reapplying any glue.

The fit is quite nice, since the three segments of the mesh bag that contain the fiberglass match the dimensions of the back and side walls.

My guess is that the glue is an extra precaution to ensure that nothing moves during shipping, and is really not needed for an "in-home" upgrade.

-Dave

[Mag_Neato]

Ok, thanks!

I should remove a woofer tonight and see if i have the same cabinet, then I can make sure I have the proper screws on hand.

[yakimiiis]

Smooth upgrade here - exactly according to plan.

My only advice for others is to say a little prayer to the speaker gods beforehand so you don't poke a hole through the woofer with the screwdriver. Partway through the job I switched to a stubby for peace of mind.

BK

Upgraded two last night -- not as smoothly as I would have liked, but done nonetheless. Ditto on the screwdriver warnings (or a loose drill bit, which was my worry). I would add to this:

1) Watch out for a "stuck" woofer -- I had to push mine out from the inside and then proceeded to nearly miss the catch.

2) The smaller (black) connects to both tweeter and woofer I had to pry open before they would slot in.

But now I have them and they appear to sound great. (I did one at a time and tried to compare but fat chance.) The only problem here is that the original Sierras sound so damn good.

Any tips for getting the most out of my upgrade??

[DPlettner]

Ok, thanks!

I should remove a woofer tonight and see if i have the same cabinet, then I can make sure I have the proper screws on hand.That's a good plan so that you can do the upgrade when the packages arrive. Hopefully I will be able to perform the upgrade tonight.

-Dave

[davef]

I have a few other comments for people with first generation cabinets. The batting material is not Dacron as shown in the video. Instead the batting material is fiberglass inserted into a 3-segment black mesh bag. The 3-segments of the bag are glued to the interior of cabinet. It is not too hard to separate the bad from the cabinet, but doing so does release particles of fiberglass through the mesh, so you may want to wear gloves while working with the bag to avoid touching the fiberglass. Also, there will be fiberglass particles in the cabinet interior after removing the bag, so it helps to have a vacuum cleaner with a narrow hose to remove the fiberglass particles.

Excellent tips! Yes, the original Sierra-1 used fiberglass batting as damping material. When we switched to a new vendor, we also switched to the heavy Dacron batting in order to fully comply with various OSHA regulations and to meet ROHS standards. The new vendor is fully compliant which is a good thing :)


Finally, the crossover wire terminals are held to the binding posts using nuts, as shown in the videos. However, a very durable glue has been applied to the nuts and binding posts. While disassembling the first speaker, I did manage to remove the nuts and terminals from the binding posts. However, it certainly seems possible that the binding posts could be damaged by the removal process. For the remaining four speakers, I think I will leave the binding posts alone, and splice the new crossover wires to the old crossover wires by soldering the wires together.

100% correct, and this is where the upgrade might become more difficult. Cutting the crossover lead wires and then resoldering is a good choice. 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.

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.


If anyone is on the fence about having Ascend do the upgrade or doing it themselves, you may want to remove the woofer and see if you have a first generation cabinet, since the upgrade will be a bit more work and you may want Ascend to do the upgrade.

We are happy to do the upgrade for anyone and remember, if we do it -- your 7 year warranty resets and begins anew and we will also include the new measurements.

[davef]

1) Watch out for a "stuck" woofer -- I had to push mine out from the inside and then proceeded to nearly miss the catch.

Another option is to lean the speaker forward against your chest and position your left hand in front of the woofer to catch it. With the palm of your right hand, give a good quick whack to the back of the speaker. The woofer should pop free and safely fall into your hand.


2) The smaller (black) connects to both tweeter and woofer I had to pry open before they would slot in.

That should not be necessary. When inserting the female connectors, be sure to insert them onto the male terminals on an angle such that only one edge of the male terminal goes into the female terminal first and then move left and right to fully slide the connector onto the terminal. It is a tight fit but this is necessary. It takes a bit of practice ;)

[davef]

Why would you want to do that? The purposes/properties of are different.

Not really -- when we switched from the fiberglass to the heavy Dacron, I fully tested both and they were indistinguishable from one another when used in the Sierra-1 cabinet.

[Mag_Neato]

Well, I took one of the woofers out when I got home. I see the black-net covered fiberglass. Guess I'll need to pick up some #4 x 1/2" long drywall screws. I have a big bottle of Goo Gone already, so I will try that on the binding post nuts. Just need the kits to show up tomorrow!

P.S. One thing I noticed when I pulled the woofer out: The video of the upgrade shows what looks like the internal brace of the cabinet to be made of bamboo like the cabinet. In my cabinet the brace looks like it's made from particle board. Am I seeing things that are not there in the vid?

[Mag_Neato]

Ok, I went to Home Depot to find some 1/2" long drywall screws. No luck. Shortest is 1". There were some #6, 1/2" and 5/8" Spax construction screws. Would those be ok?

[DPlettner]

Ok, I went to Home Depot to find some 1/2" long drywall screws. No luck. Shortest is 1". There were some #6, 1/2" and 5/8" Spax construction screws. Would those be ok?I finished one upgrade. I don't think that soldering is a great option because the crossover wires on the old crossover are only about half the depth of the cabinet, so I would need to be soldering inside the cabinet. I am off to Home Depot to get some Goo Gone for the last four upgrades.

I used #4 5/8" flathead Phillips screws with a washer. The new crossover (including the attachment pads) is pretty thick, so the 5/8" screw did not seem to be much of a problem, and the washer keep part of the tapered screw head above the washer surface.

One warning. The bamboo is very hard, and I was unable to start the #4 screws using only a screw driver. It is certainly not like starting a screw into plywood. Therefore, I snugged down the new crossover using the front left mounting screw, and then took a Dremel tool with a drill bit and drilled small pilot holes for the other three holes. There is not a lot of room to work inside the cabinet, and my Dremel tool barely fit. A screw hole starter might work, but the ones I have seen are too big. I think a #6 screw will probably be OK with a pilot hole, but the #4 screw I used seemed to work well.

Finally, the internal brace in my speaker is particle board, and I agree, it looks like bamboo in the video.

Before I wrote this, I used the upgraded NrT with an un-upgraded Sierra-1 to listen to some 2-channel music. They both sounded great. The first song I listened to sounded pretty similar from each speaker, but the second song had an acoustic guitar, and the slight squeaky sound of the guitarist positioning his fingers over the strings sounded so much more realistic with the NrT.

Anyway, I have four more to go.

-Dave

[curtis]

Not really -- when we switched from the fiberglass to the heavy Dacron, I fully tested both and they were indistinguishable from one another when used in the Sierra-1 cabinet.
Ahh...got it. Thanks Dave.

[Mag_Neato]

Ok, Dave, this is for you!
I started to disassemble one speaker to prepare for the upgrade. I pulled the batting out and was going to take the crossover out with my stubby Phillips head screwdriver. 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?
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?

[DPlettner]

Sorry I forgot to mention that the crossover screws are Torx screws. I am using a T15 Torx bit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torx

I have not been using lock washers. The nut seems pretty snug without one, an I don't think it is likely to come loose.

I am just finishing my third upgrade. It is taking about an hour per upgrade. One of the cabinets had so much glue that the glue actually seeped through the mesh and bonded to the fiberglass. It was not possible to remove the batting without ripping the mesh. You might want to consider using your Dacron instead of replacing the fiberglass.

-Dave

[Mag_Neato]

Thanks, Dave. Actually, I was directing the question to Dave F. but thanks for the response!

I actually have a bit driver set that does include some Torx and Hex drivers, so I think I'm good. It also includes a flexible gooseneck extension which I will have to use since the bits all attach to a large screwdriver-type handle.

Yes, I ripped the black mesh netting trying to remove the batting. I will probably cut some of the Dacron and install that in it's place.

I also notice 1 other difference in the videos, which has absolutely no bearing on performance. The 1/4"-20 insert on the back of the cabinet is a threaded stud with a nut that is visible inside my cabinet, where the one in the videos has a block of wood covering that area on the inside.

Interesting little differences. To be expected since my pair was one of the first ordered when the Sierra-1 was launched.

[z0rn0rch]

Question for Dave F.:
Is it okay to use magnetic screw/hex drivers for the upgrade, or would that be bad?

On the one hand, the crossover doesn't look like the kind of thing you should be putting magnets around. On the other hand, the large magnet on the woofer is hanging out in there all the time.

[davef]

Question for Dave F.:
Is it okay to use magnetic screw/hex drivers for the upgrade, or would that be bad?

Absolutely not a problem at all :)

[DPlettner]

I have finished all five upgrades. It was definitely a project! I must say that I am a bit envious to read in the other thread how easy the upgrade was for owners of the newer Sierra-1's.

-Dave

[Mag_Neato]

An update: One Sierra-1 upgraded to the NrT.

It would have been nice if the process went as smoothly as the videos, but they only addressed the newer production version with a different cabinet. the following is a list of the things I did to address these differences.

1. The older cabinets used a crossover board which has a smaller footprint
than the newer models. This means the mounting hole pattern is different
and the new NrT crossover is not a direct drop-in. Also, the old crossover
used Torx screws rather than Phillips head.

Solution: Using a T15 Torx bit in a stubby, ratcheting screwdriver
handle, I removed all four (4) screws AFTER removing the crossover lead
wires from the binding posts. I placed the new crossover inside and secu-
red the front-right corner of the board down in a threaded insert with an
original Torx screw. I then switched the Torx T15 bit in the handle to a
#2 Phillips bit. Using #6 X 5/8" LG. Spax brand, flat head construction scr-
ews, I secured the other three (3) mounting holes. The Spax self tap with
no problem.

2. The older damping material is fiberglass encased in black mesh netting, and
glued to the inside of the cabinet. This netting ripped in some spots during
removal. I had some 1" Dacron batting on hand, so I cut a piece and used
That so it looks like the video!

3. The older binding posts have some sort of glue on them, rather than a lock
washer. I simply unscrewed them without using Goo Gone as Dave F. sug-
gested. It is a bit snug, but I got them off with no issues. I installed the
new leads by simply tightening the nuts down. !!CAUTION!! I noticed after
the fact, that by tightening the nuts I had caused the binding posts to
rotate and thereby turned the speaker wire holes on the outside out of
position. Not a big deal, but I may open the speaker up and try to adjust
that.

4. The woofer cutout is machined extremely close to the diameter of the
woofer basket mounting ring, and if you do not put the woofer in as
straight as possible it may become jammed cockeye, and will need to
be pryed loose. I pryed it loose and held it just above the cutout while
manually threading the screws in to help align it. This helped!

That's it! No big issues that could not be corrected. After listening very briefly
to the NrT Sierra and the un-modified Sierra-1 hooked up in stereo, I could
pick out clearer, sharper highs right away with the NrT. I need to get the 2nd
speaker done and do some serious listening! So far so good!

[DPlettner]

4. The woofer cutout is machined extremely close to the diameter of the woofer basket mounting ring . . .One of my woofers was stuck and was very difficult to remove. When I finally got it loose, a small chip of the piano black finish broke off. I was able to glue the chip back in, and it does not look too bad. Also, I use this speaker as a rear speaker, so it is not a big deal. However, people that have not done this upgrade yet should keep this in mind as they are removing the woofers.

-Dave

[GirgleMirt]

Woa so that upgrade for the older Sierras are a bit more touchy I see... Hmmm... :\ Oh well, doesn't seem too insurmountable...

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! :)

[DPlettner]

Yes, I would set aside 60-90 minutes a speaker to do it right, but it may go faster.

Mag_Neato had luck with self-taping #6 screws, but I had a tough time getting my #4 screws to self-tap so I drilled pilot holes, which took more time.

I also think it would be nice to see if Ascend would sell you Dacron to replace the fiberglass bags. Some of my bags were in pretty bad shape, and a day later I can still tell that there are bits of fiberglass embedded in me :). It would have been a lot better if I could have just tossed the fiberglass and replaced it with Dacron.

-Dave

[DPlettner]

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

[Mag_Neato]

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!

[GirgleMirt]

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!

[Mag_Neato]

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.

[MichaelG]

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 :rolleyes: 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!

[SRW1000]

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

[davef]

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!

[davef]

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.


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: http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQg8YOzRZTFEmSYXoMjFJTLFN61u0-EzoSrWYmG5YrwEOSKnPI806Iq_ZOtrw

[GirgleMirt]

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 (http://www.sz-wholesale.com/uploadFiles/Product_68/T-Handle-Racheting-Screwdriver-SZ161068.jpg)... 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:
http://www.plumbersurplus.com/images/prod/5/DeWALT-DW2615B-rw-78724-136647.jpghttp://shop.advanceautoparts.com/wcsstore/CVWEB/staticproductimage//N3405/full/25984215_gea_80534_pri_detl.jpg
It pretty much comes standard in those screwdrivers with interchangeable bits, so most probably already have it at home.

[GirgleMirt]

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/product/4c6f91c2-f920-446f-932e-821063ffa1a9.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...

[GirgleMirt]

Happy new year! :)



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/product/4c6f91c2-f920-446f-932e-821063ffa1a9.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...

Alright so something like 40 hours later, after a 2nd Goo gone application, seems to have worked! It did dissolve the glue, it isn't entirely gone, but it's definitely weaker, almost the consistency of chewed gum, which made the removal of the 1st binding post screw possible! One down, three to go! :cool: Working inside the cabinet makes things quite harder, if the screw was outside, would have been done in 2 minutes, but in the restricted space, just unscrewing a screw isn't that easy... Well, getting the hand of it now :)

Edit: So one speaker is done! Sounds great! The woofer and tweeter still need some burn in, but compared to another speaker I had on hand, not even close ;) Can't wait to get the 2nd done! But the thing is, since it seemed like the Goo Gone wasn't doing much, I didn't apply it to the 2nd speaker, and so I just gave the 2nd a 2nd spurt of Goo and will have to wait a couple of hours until it does it job... :(

[davef]

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)?

This will not be a problem. There is nothing special about the washers that were used. In fact, a standard external tooth washer is a great replacement.


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.

These should be installed on an angle, such that one corner of the connector is installed onto the tab first.


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.

This is the first report of this type of problem and without having us examine the issue directly, there is not much I can offer as to the cause of the problem. That being said, if the crossover board is tight and not vibrating, all is fine :) If you are concerned, you might try installing a washer in between the top of the screw and the crossover board to make up for the gap you are describing.

Please contact me directly if I can be of any additional assistance.

[hearing specialist]

...all those crossovers...I honestly think I just shed a small tear...(sniff)

[kamaboko]

I'm late to the game on the nrt upgrade for the Sierra 1's. Is this still available?

Thanks,
K

[davef]

I'm late to the game on the nrt upgrade for the Sierra 1's. Is this still available?

Thanks,
K

Yes -- absolutely still available. In fact, our next shipment of NrT domes are scheduled to be delivered tomorrow :)

Please give us a call if you would like to order the kits.

Thanks!