crazykn Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 I'm writing this article, because I still believe in squeezing as much out of the stock system for as little as possible, provided you want to DIY. The modification I performed on the stock dash tweeters would apply for the other speakers in the Volvo that have a tweeter with a (electrolytic) capacitor as a high-pass filter. This is also very commonly found on coaxial speakers (such as my old Infinity 5012i set), and this modification would also apply to those as well. This modifcation results in better treble response as well as improved clarity from the tweeters. The method of performing this modifcation is removing the dash tweeter, cutting out the old capacitor and replacing it with a film-based capactior which is by far a lot better (more linear) than the Bi-Polar capacitor that was used on the tweeter. The parts you'll need: Soldering iron and solder - you will need to do some very simple soldering. Tin Snippers - to cut off the old capactior 3.3uF (microfarad) WIMA film capacitor - this is the replacement part that you will be soldering in. ^ Sold at mouser.com for $1.63 each without shipping. Part number is 505-MKS23.3/50/10 This is how the stock tweeter looks like from the underside. This is from my S70 dash. The grey cylindrical component is the Bi-Polar capacitor that we want to remove. Snip it out and leave some of the legs of the capacitor on so that we can solder on the replacement film capacitor. Now place the new capacitor in place, lining up one of the capacitor's legs to the lead on the tweeter: Now solder the leg of the capacitor and lead together. If needed take the old capactior's legs or leads and snip some of it off to attach to the new capacitor so that it touches the tweeter's contacts. If you don't quite understand what I mean, refer to the next picture: After soldering the other leg on, you should be done! Now do the other tweeter: This doesn't just apply to the Volvo tweeter, it would apply to many aftermarket coaxial speakers that don't have seperate crossovers. Now saying that, there are probably other speakers in the Volvo that could also benefit from this simple mod, such as the rear door speakers, the rear deck speakers in the sedan or the D-Pillar speakers in the wagon. If you do attempt to do this for other speakers, try to match the capacitance rating on the capacitor on the tweeter/speaker. A good site to find quality parts is www.partsexpress.com and look for cross over capacitors. Try to keep the capacitor leads as short as possible to prevent it from picking interference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdlimy Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 awesome man! im all for cheap mods like this! definetly +1 for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volvoskiah Posted March 3, 2010 Report Share Posted March 3, 2010 will definitely try this, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazykn Posted March 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2010 Well the treble has really been improved, things do sound crisp and clearer. I'm surprised how much these dash tweeters contribute to the overall sound (I listened to the stereo without them and what a difference!). Cheap mod for better sound. Doesn't get better than this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob850 Posted March 3, 2010 Report Share Posted March 3, 2010 Cool! Does anyone happen to know what the cap values are on the 96 and 97 850 wagon front and rear tweeters? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef JPD Posted March 3, 2010 Report Share Posted March 3, 2010 Just as an FYI, Mouser is out of stock and backordered for 11 weeks I found the comparable part at digikey.com part # 495-1129-ND can't wait to try this and hear the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echo5625 Posted March 3, 2010 Report Share Posted March 3, 2010 me too getting some capacitors from a buddy of mine..from his work ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazykn Posted March 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2010 I guess I probably contributed to that backorder at mouser... I ordered a whole bunch to do my car and other home projects. I would've suspected Volvo used the 3.3uF for all their tweeter applications. I've seen that value for the S70 and the 850. I could be wrong, so please check before replacing. Remember to use film based capacitors, do not replace it with another bipolar electrolytic capacitor. The best meterial for the film capacitor goes in this order: Metalized Polyester, Polyester, Metalized Polypropylene, Polypropylene and finally Polystyrene. The problem with using the really high quality capacitors is that you may not be able to hear the difference and also they are physically larger for the same values, making it difficult to to fit. Plus too large of a capacitor is a drawback since in theory it would have leads that extend so long that they could pick up interference like a antenna! Also, choosing too large of a capacitor may make it too hard to reinstall (clearance space). Don't use ceramic film caps, those aren't too good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the commissar! Posted March 29, 2010 Report Share Posted March 29, 2010 I did this this weekend using the digikey.com part # 495-1129-ND suggested above. This part is much larger than the one pictured but with some careful exacto knife work on the plastic bracket holding the current bipolar resistor, it fit nice and flat. Installation was easy enough and the sound is much improved , clearer and brighter but not tinny. Definitely worth the $5 and time if you don't want to do serious upgrades to the stock system. Note that the legs on this part number are very short so you will want to leave as much as possible from the old one till you figure out how you will join them...you can always trim excess later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef JPD Posted March 30, 2010 Report Share Posted March 30, 2010 +1 on the digikey part Unfortunately (?!?) when I removed the tweeter from my C70, it was a different type. No magnet and no cap. It is a piezo dome tweeter I believe. I guess the Dynaudio speakers are a different breed. Just a heads up for anyone going to try this with the surround sound HU901. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ihatespeedbumps Posted March 31, 2010 Report Share Posted March 31, 2010 This is awesome I think I'll try it on the 97. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler T5R Posted April 9, 2010 Report Share Posted April 9, 2010 +1 on the digikey part Unfortunately (?!?) when I removed the tweeter from my C70, it was a different type. No magnet and no cap. It is a piezo dome tweeter I believe. I guess the Dynaudio speakers are a different breed. Just a heads up for anyone going to try this with the surround sound HU901. Yes, Dynaudio speakers are a VERY different (awesome) breed. Please don't modify them! They don't need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazykn Posted April 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2010 I just replaced the capacitor in my center channel speaker. I haven't installed it back in the car yet, but running it on my desk with a small amplifier, it just sounds beautiful, smooth! My next goal is to do all the rear speakers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob850 Posted April 23, 2010 Report Share Posted April 23, 2010 Just as another data point, I checked my '96 850 Turbo wagon caps. The values are: front dash tweeter: 3.3 uF rear door tweeter (on coaxial speaker): 3.3 uF rear D-pillar tweeter: 4.7 uF Was surprised that the rear tweeter had a bigger cap, but that was the marked value on it. Hope to do this mod in the near future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keep Calm Chive On Posted April 23, 2010 Report Share Posted April 23, 2010 so would those values apply for the S70? im interested in doing this. also, is it literally remove & replace like your pictures show because im electrically "special" :ph34r: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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