Re-capping hi-fi speaker crossovers?

[dmartn149]

I've had a pair of hi-fi speakers for about 30 years. They still sound great to me, but I'm wondering if maybe they sounded better when the caps in the crossovers were new.
So my question is, do you guys think it's worthwhile to re-cap hi-fi speaker crossovers?
I don't want to ask in an "audiophile" forum.

[eschertron]

Are the caps film? Then no problem. Part of the issue with ecaps is the relentless high voltage they take. Crossovers? Not so much. But ecaps will still rot with time.

[dmartn149]

I'm pretty sure there are a couple of e caps in there.

[Helmholtz]

I'm pretty sure there are a couple of e caps in there.

They would be non-polarized (NP) types. Measuring C and ESR values with an LCR meter would show if they need replacement. Higher grade crossovers avoid E-caps and use more expensive and bigger film types.

[J M Fahey]

Try these if you want to improve blackness,granularity, stereo image positioning and hemorrhoidal pain:

Beeswax HT Cryo Capacitors – Round | Jupiter Condenser
Description
Tolerance .001uf – .047uf +/-10%, .1uf – 4.7uf +/- 5%
Operating Temperature: 70°C <--- beeswax melting point
Voltage: 600VDC – Tested at 1200VDC
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Silver 4N Wire Leads 20awg

Controlled Deep Cryogenic Treatment

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[dmartn149]

They should look like this

[J M Fahey]

All of them are definitely Electrolytics.
That said, what matters is actual measured parameters.

So please do as helmholtz suggested.

They *might* have lost capacitance, shifting crossover frequency away from what designer expected, but more important might show high ESR, which would mean attenuation of the "good" signals and poor attenuation of the "bad" ones, but I guess anything below 0.2 or 0.3 ohm should be very acceptable if we are talking 8 ohm speakers.

If within reason, no real need to replace them.

Besides, you like them as-is , so ....

PS: just checked and saw a '76 code on the resistor, so probably capacitors are same vintage.
You might replace caps with same type and rating, obviously fresh and from a good brand, nothing exotic or overhyped but standard commercial product such as found at Mouser and similar.

We are blessed at having very high quality reasonable priced commercial products from the big guys (Vishay, Nichicon, Panasonic, Epcos/TDK, etc.) , no need at all to go exotic.

And trust way more robotic automated made product than anything made on the kitchen table by candlelight.

[dmartn149]

Try these if you want to improve blackness,granularity, stereo image positioning and hemorrhoidal pain:

Right, that's why I didn't ask an "audiophile"

[dmartn149]

PS: just checked and saw a '76 code on the resistor, so probably capacitors are same vintage.
You might replace caps with same type and rating, obviously fresh and from a good brand, nothing exotic or overhyped but standard commercial product such as found at Mouser and similar.

We are blessed at having very high quality reasonable priced commercial products from the big guys (Vishay, Nichicon, Panasonic, Epcos/TDK, etc.) , no need at all to go exotic.

And trust way more robotic automated made product than anything made on the kitchen table by candlelight.

Thanks Juan. That's what I was thinking, I didn't know they were that old though. I bought them new, but they were the floor models.