Hi….Did you refit the weights on the original tweeters to the new Scanspeed ones.
If so what glue did you use the stick them on?
Chris
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I did refit them. I cut them free by going through the rubber layer as close to the card backing of the tweeter as possible. I used superglue.
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I purchased a set of tweeters that arrived this week and wondered how easy it was to change.
I was worried too but I read all the threads I could find here first.
To remove the tweeters I took out the screws then put one back in a couple of turns and used it as a lever with pliers, bending towards the centre. Popped out quite easily. If one hole doesn’t work try another.
I copied the hot glue application on the new tweeters from looking at the old ones. Naim add an extra bead of glue all round the cardboard backing of the tweeters.
I cut and stripped the wires. I used 40% lead solder to keep the heat as low as possible and put the iron to the terminals for only the briefest time possible.
I cut the brass weights off through their rubber interface layer and superglued them on to the new units.
I applied a thin bead of Hylomar Blue around the wooden openings before placing the tweeters in position.
I think the critical thing is avoiding overheating the terminals.
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Thanks for that info I’ll have a go myself in the near future
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When preparing the wires, heat and apply solder to them (before putting them any where near the terminals)
Tin the terminals then offer up the soldered wire, remelt the solder and you should be golden.
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So I wonder what Naim would officially say about using this ‘new’ tweeter as a replacement for the old one in SBLs? Does it physically fit? Looking at the rear of the new tweeter the cable soldering connections are on the sides not on the top as in the original. Also as important does it fit sound wise?
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If it hasn’t gone through the full R&D processes then likely not something they can officially recommend. Of course, it could just be that it’s the only option for anyone needing to keep their SBLs going in the long term. Odd though that the connectors should move to such an inconvenient position, unless the design meant that was the only option open to them. It would probably mean some woodwork was necessary…
Can I ask those of you who have changed out your tweeters, did you do it as a matter of routine given the age of your speakers or were there sound issues that made you change them?
Thanks for your help.
I’ve changed the tweeters in my ibls to try to get a more natural sound. They sounded thin. After replacement they sounded right indeed.
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My SL2 tweeters were showing their age and degrading slightly so needed to be swapped out but the improvement in SQ was quite marked. Interestingly the bass response was most noticeable.
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My original 1991 SBL tweeters sounded harsh and unnatural, also made distorted chirps especially during piano music, but generally became unpleasant to listen to.
Apparently worn-out scanspeak tweeters can produce all manner of weird sounds as they demise.
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So I’ve just listened to my SBLs again and they don’t sound terrible…they just sound like…well my SBLs. So I have no datum on which to judge……they are very old mk1 circa 1992 or so.
They did have quite a long holiday while I was working abroad from 2000 to 2021.
In short I’m wondering if I should proceed with changing out the tweeters purely because they are old….?
I do have some scanspeak tweeters arriving in the post fairly soon and was a bit of a knee jerk action finding out that they have been discontinued.
Should I change them?
If you can enjoy the music without noticing any distortional interference then there is absolutely no need to change them.
It’s good to have a couple in hand spare though, if the SBL tweeters do begin to malfunction you will notice it, and the ongoing audio degrade will worsen.
I expect the longevity of SBL tweeters is dependent upon a number of factors; how much playtime, how they’ve been used - any abuse history, type and power of application, if stored how and where, etc…
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Did you fit the weights to the new tweeters?
I would have to disagree with your first paragraph there. There is nothing wrong with the tweeters in my NBLs that I replaced. However they are 20 years old.
As soon as the new ones went in the difference was night and day, simply stunning infact. I would recommend anyone on this vintage to swap them out regardless of if they have distortion.
I have put my old ones away safe, my logic does dictate if you are going to plumb for some now, may as well enjoy them while you are still alive.
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I have removed the original weights as you can see in my photo, and will be adding them onto the new tweeters.
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