Original Ceramic Twееters VS Regular Dome, Piezo or Cone Tweeters - Do I need to Replace Them ?

Reelcassette

New Member
Nov 26, 2019
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Bulgaria
sites.google.com
CIMG2613.JPG
Original wires and Ceramic Tweeters of my RX-CT 900
CIMG2294.JPG
New stylized tweeters installed into original tweeters nests

Many boomboxes of 80's have a Ceramic Twееters.
High impedance , narrow frequency range and very low output
make them useless if we're talking about HQ sound.
Try to disconnect those original ceramic tweeters and you'll find
absolutely no difference in sound quality of your machine.
So why manufacturers installed them in 80's?
It was just a marketing trick.
Manufacturers could legally claim it as a Two-Way Speakers System ,
but all those models had very sensitive low impedance
wide range drivers, and those were good enough to match
promised specs values (up to ~ 14 - 16 kHz)
without any tweeters.
In fact , all those ceramic tweeters were decorative.

I have replaced my original ceramic tweeters with
high output piezo tweeters on my RX-CT900
and after the replacement
it's about 19 kHz /measured/ and it makes cents!
So if you want to discover what your boombox amp
can do for real - i recommend that to you.
Any suitable car tweeters are good as well.
And don't forget about capacitors!

Happy Listening !
And check those
Nice looking Reel Cassette Tapes below
https://sites.google.com/view/reelcassettetapes
View attachment 48099
 

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DPaignall

Member (SA)
Dec 8, 2019
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Thanks for the info Reelcassette, I picked up a RX-CT900 recently and am willing to give it a go. Could you explain how (and where) to include the capacitors and which rating is best please?
 

Reelcassette

New Member
Nov 26, 2019
18
1
3
50
Bulgaria
sites.google.com
You need Electrolytic Non-Polarized Crossover Capacitors PE_BP_12MFD_100V-228x228.jpg
Here's the diagram
8DpuD.png

The values of capacitors may vary /depends of impedance of your tweeters/
4,7 uf 100V would be fine in your case.

Tips are :

- Make sure you check&listen your tweeters
with capacitors before a final assembling of your speaker units.
In case they sound "too low" - try a higher value capacitors.

- Make sure you seal your new tweeters with
some sealant to prevent any air leaks outside of speakers
cabinets and to isolate tweeters inside the cabinets
from woofers sound waves..
Please, check this post as well to see how to install the capacitors
/check the pics/
http://boomboxery.com/forum/index.php/topic/30008-modifying-rx-ct980-has-made-a-portable-hi-fi/

- Pay attention to your original woofers' suspensions
and see if they have any cracks on that thin foam...
That's a very common problem with RX-900..


If you have any other questions , please let me know.
I'll be happy to help you!