Well my latest project is now completed.

I came into possession of some rather nice (rare white) Beovox MC120.2's which needed the usual foam surrounds replacing. Did all that and I was very impressed with the initial results. An excellent all round speaker I thought with more than enough oomph.

The next thought that ran through my noggin was to replace the capacitors in the crossovers. I'd heard it would make a noticable difference so I ordered a set from our esteemed member and all round technical mastermind Dillen. His usual excellent service meant the kit was in my possession within a couple of days and complete with full instructions. The markings on the original caps were somewhat difficult to read but the instructions and the fact that all the caps supplied were bi-polar made the job an absolute doddle

I cannot believe the difference after doing this, absolutely crystal clear and fantastically detailed reproduction - chuffed? Not half. I think I may just keep these babies

Chris.

So replacing the capacitors in the crossovers does make a difference then. Worth thinking about for any future speaker restorations I do. So do we get any pics Chris?

 

Craig

Nice one Chris, but where are all the photographs?
Next time I'm on the wrong side of the Pennines, you'll have to give me a crash course on soldering

Andy T.

Sorry guys.

Andy has already done a photo series on speaker refoaming which I really couldn't add anything to. I didn't think anyone would be particularly interested in seeing some capacitors on a crossover, I mean it's not exactly entertainment is it?

I'll certainly post some photo's of the finished article if you want?

Andy, no prob's just make sure you bring the beer

Chris.

I'm looking for a pair in white.

Would you like sell them or do you want a white 6000 system without speakers fixed by Dillen?

 

Friedmett:

I'm looking for a pair in white.

Would you like sell them or do you want a white 6000 system without speakers fixed by Dillen?

 

I wondered who would be the first Beoworlder to want these

I haven't fully decided yet if I am going to keep them or not Friedmett. At present I have some flat panel Beovox 3000's which I am planning on replacing with these. A lot will depend on which SWMBO decides she prefers. For me there is no contest - the MC120.2's get the nod by a distance.

If I do decide to sell them I will let you know Friedmett.

Chris.

Chris - if you decide to part with the Beovox 3000s, then let me know!

Will do John

Chris.

Cool - thanks Chris!

Well as seeing as I was asked I have a couple of pictures of the crossovers before & after recapping. Just thought I ought to add that these need gluing to the PCB as well as soldering (obviously), I imagine it is to stop metal fatigue due to vibration during playing so they don't fall off half way through Guns N' Roses rendition of Vivaldis Four Seasons........

The easiest way of removing the old capacitors is to snip the wires and remove the capacitor body first, this stops the old capacitor body acting as a heat sink and makes removing the wire ends very easy. I actually used a solder sucker for this which I wouldn't normally use on a delicate PCB but the solder points on these are very robust so it didn't concern me at all.

Here's a before picture.

And after.

See - told you it was boring BTW John - you have a PM.

I didn't find that at all boring Chris.
I brought both pictures up, side by side and compared them, you have done a very neat job.
It has given me renewed zeal to start doing some of my own jobs.
Do you apply the iron to this side of the board, or t'uther? (try not to laugh)

T'uther mate - you really do need to come up and see me sometime Andy.

 

Chris.

Well I thought it was t'uther, but how can you see the cap, hold it with pliers, hold the solder, hold the board and hold the iron and know which blob you're on, all at the same time?? Beats me1 You must have to be an octopus and have eyes that come out on stalks.
Yes, I will have to come over one weekend. Can Jan make shepherds pie?

Andy T.

Craig:

So replacing the capacitors in the crossovers does make a difference then. Worth thinking about for any future speaker restorations I do. 

 It indeed makes a difference! When I bought my Beovox S75 speakers they sounded quite well. During some cleaning I noted the caps and had a quick search on this forum and found an interesting thread about crossover cap replacings (with S45s). Then I contacted -of cource- Dillen and ordered the capacitor kit. It had around 7-10 caps per speaker. After I replaced them the sound became even better and to the best. It became more sharp and deep and the bass got a nice boost.

 I would really recommend to replace the caps in the crossovers of any B&O speaker: it will make a difference! 

 

Ok Chris.

My white 6000 system is a sort of spare system that just needs a pair. Do you have the stands for them too? Just send me a pm if you want to sell.

I wonder if the crossovers in my pair of Beovox M150 should be upgraded. The speakers sound great though so I'm not sure.

 

Jandyt:

Well I thought it was t'uther, but how can you see the cap, hold it with pliers, hold the solder, hold the board and hold the iron and know which blob you're on, all at the same time?? Beats me1 You must have to be an octopus and have eyes that come out on stalks.
Yes, I will have to come over one weekend. Can Jan make shepherds pie?

Andy T.

That is why it is easiest to just snip through the wire connectors of the old cap's & pull them off the board before you start. Apply the iron and the bits of wire that remain will just push through and fall off. A solder sucker or solder wick really does help to clear out the old solder to make this job a lot easier.

Jan is gonna smack yer daft for casting aspersions on her culinary expertise, how do you think I honed my figure into the fine example it is now?

Chris.

lausvi:

It indeed makes a difference! When I bought my Beovox S75 speakers they sounded quite well.  I would really recommend to replace the caps in the crossovers of any B&O speaker: it will make a difference! 

 

This exactly echo's my point. My 120.2's sounded very good indeed but not quite as good as I'd first hoped even after refoaming the bass drivers considering their reputation (I own some Penta's too so they have quite a standard to live up to). The recapping certainly blew away my doubts about the performance of these speakers - really worth the time, effort and every cent of the kit.

As an aside the guy I got them from was using them with his tamaguchisungichui (or whatever) system and thought they were absolutely brilliant and far better than the speakers he had, even though they were obviously dying in front of him - I think he was just impressed with the depth of Bass to be honest. Just goes to show the quality of this series of speaker. Very underrated & undervalued and definately worth investing some time and effort into, there is nothing out there to compare in terms of build quality, materials used and sheer presence.

Chris.

Medogsfat:

The recapping certainly blew away my doubts about the performance of these speakers - really worth the time, effort and every cent of the kit.

Yes. It doens't take too much time or effort depending on your soldering skills. When I replaced the caps to my S75s (which are four-way speakers) I took the huge woofer unit off (desoldered the two cables) but decided not to take the crossover board out (as it would have needed at least 6 desolders more) so I operated the cap replacement thrue the woofer hole! Thinking it afterwards it wasn't too clever thing to do! :D

 In my case the speakers were kept in some cold storage and they had some other problems too (white stuff like oxide on speaker's rear metal parts) and the stands were rusty. Most likely the caps had not enjoyed that either. . . 

Also recapping is in some circumstances recommended to the amplifier. I replaced all electrolytics into the Beomaster 901 of mine and it made it sound a bit better, too.

 

Friedmett:

Ok Chris.

My white 6000 system is a sort of spare system that just needs a pair. Do you have the stands for them too? Just send me a pm if you want to sell.

I wonder if the crossovers in my pair of Beovox M150 should be upgraded. The speakers sound great though so I'm not sure.

 

Hi Friedmett,

                   it is looking likely that I am going to keep these speakers so they won't be for sale.

I would certainly recap your M150's though, I thought these were sounding very good until I did the same, the difference is definately noticable.

Chris.

I am the proud owner of a pair of white MC120.2.

Now I am going to have them refoamed, at Dillens, but I was wondering if I should try to do the recapping of the crossover myself.

I have never done that before and are a little concerned that i will mess it up.

What would you recommend?

Razz

Razz,

          if you can solder and use a screwdriver then simply buy a cap' kit from Dillen and have it returned with your drivers. Just PM me when you get it for dismantling instructions & further tips.

 

Chris.

Will do Chris.

Thanks a bunch.

Razz

Not a problem Razz - you're just going to love the final results - I promise you.

Chris.

Loving it already.

Got a great deal.

BM 6000, Beocord 6000, Beogram 6002, with extra pickup in original casing, Mc 120.2 and remote......50£.

One owner.