Tweeters for my speakers

[DanielT]

No that won't happen as long as there's a capacitor protecting the tweeter and you don't play it too loud for too long - which is what has caused the original tweeter to fail.

Don't over-think it. Get some cheap tweeters and just fit them. Speakers working again, job done. They're a budget generic speaker from an OEM, not Genelec studio monitors. Really not worth the time worrying about a difference in frequency response from fitting the 'wrong' tweeter.

You are right but if it is just a capacitor. Let's say it is easy to access so why not replace it? I mean it costs almost nothing and is done in an instant.

Also, @kevinsonic needs to see if there is a capacitor somewhere now. If not, he needs to put one on the new tweeter so it doesn't break.

 

[dualazmak]

See Mart68's answer above. Without a capacitor on your tweeter, you will burn it out pretty quickly.

Yes, it's important!

Even though I drive all the SP drivers directly by each of the dedicated amplifiers in my multichannel system having DSP crossovers in upstream digital domain, I have been using all the way 68 micro-F protection capacitor for midranges, 10 micro-F protection cap for tweeters, and 10 micro-F protection cap for super-tweeters.

I have several times carefully checked the "transparencies" of these protection capacitors in each of the operating Fq zones by measuring before-cap and after-cap Fq-responses of amplifiers' SP high level output signals as typically shared recently in my post #1,009 Fig.10 on my project thread.

 

[Mart68]

You are right but if it is just a capacitor. Let's say it is easy to access so why not replace it? I mean it costs almost nothing and is done in an instant.

Also, @kevinsonic needs to see if there is a capacitor somewhere now. If not, he needs to put one on the new tweeter so it doesn't break.

I've never encountered a speaker that didn't have a capacitor on the tweeter even if that's the only component in the crossover. Arguably that's not a 'crossover' at all - but in any case some cheap speakers just run the mid bass full range.

Only exception was some speakers I made using Motorola piezo-electric horn tweeters that don't need a capacitor for protection.

 

[Keith Flanker]

why not try to buy it on aliexpress, such small speaker you can find it there,very cheap

 

[DanielT]

I've never encountered a speaker that didn't have a capacitor on the tweeter even if that's the only component in the crossover. Arguably that's not a 'crossover' at all - but in any case some cheap speakers just run the mid bass full range.

Only exception was some speakers I made using Motorola piezo-electric horn tweeters that don't need a capacitor for protection.

Yes, there must be a capacitor somewhere, otherwise both tweeters would have been broken a long time ago. But it doesn't hurt to check, as there are some now. The previous owner may have removed them for some inexplicable reason. Maybe a far-fetched idea, but a tweeter is broken after all. Plus, kevinsonic said he couldn't see any capacitors. I see no capacitors on the tweeters
He'll probably have to rummage around and check the entire speaker box to see if he can find any.

If the speakers have a higher-order crossover, it's most likely overkill to mess with it. Then you're back to DIY fixing again, and that's not something kevinsonic is interested in doing.

 

[audio_tony]

why not try to buy it on aliexpress, such small speaker you can find it there,very cheap

The OP lives in South Africa. It's quite difficult to get stuff by post over there, especially from overseas countries.

 

[Mart68]

Yes, there must be a capacitor somewhere, otherwise both tweeters would have been broken a long time ago. But it doesn't hurt to check, as there are some now. The previous owner may have removed them for some inexplicable reason. Maybe a far-fetched idea, but a tweeter is broken after all. Plus, kevinsonic said he couldn't see any capacitors. I see no capacitors on the tweeters
He'll probably have to rummage around and check the entire speaker box to see if he can find any.

If the speakers have a higher-order crossover, it's most likely overkill to mess with it. Then you're back to DIY fixing again, and that's not something kevinsonic is interested in doing.

I agree it's worth checking the capacitors are there and that everything's right before putting any signal into them.

 

[kevinsonic]

No disrespect intended here, but I feel you are massively over thinking this. The last tweeters you linked to look perfectly fine.

Those speakers are rated at 80 watts peak - meaning they will likely be good for 40 to 50 watts RMS.

A typical 2 way passive crossover network will typically send 10 to 15% (max) of power to the tweeters.

So if you are inputting 50w to the speakers, the tweeters will typically only 'see' 5 watts of that power.

A tweeter than can truly handle 80watts will cost $$$$ (or in your case RRRR).

The best advice I can offer before connecting any new tweeters, is to ensure that the crossover is intact (if it's even present!!).

The crossover will likely either be attached to the input panel at the rear or on a separate board. It may even be something as simple as single capacitor, but until you provide us with pictures it's impossible to speculate.

You need to ensure that none of the capacitors are short circuit, as based on the pictures of your actual tweeter, it looks as though those speakers have seen a lot more power than they are rated for.

If you press (gently) on the woofers around the center (don't press on the cover) do they move nice and freely - are there no scraping sounds?

I spent several years repairing HiFi gear in SA, and I know first hand how badly speakers in particular can be abused.

What amp are you using with these speakers?

I did press the woofers in before i bought them, apart from them being in pristine shape there is no scraping, testing them went well, they sound great.

As for the link you mentioned that i last posted.
those tweeters are 4 ohms, i require 8 ohms, the crossover is obviously adjusted to drive 8 ohm tweeters so everything will be out of balance if i use 4 ohm tweeters:

IE: (not my knowledge but here it is): (sorry for the bold words i cant de-bold it)

Most speaker systems include a passive crossover, which is designed based on the impedance of the drivers (woofer, midrange, tweeter).

• If the original tweeter was 8 ohms and you replace it with a 4-ohm tweeter, the crossover point will shift.
• This means the 4-ohm tweeter will receive more power and play lower frequencies than intended, possibly causing:
  
  • Harsh sound
  • Distortion
  • Tweeter damage

Replacing an 8-ohm tweeter with a 4-ohm version can drop the total impedance of the speaker, which affects your amplifier:​

If the full speaker was rated 4 ohms overall, it might now be even lower.
This can stress or damage amps not designed to handle low-impedance loads.

---

A 4-ohm tweeter will draw more current, making it louder than the woofer/mid unless you compensate:

This results in a harsh, unbalanced sound with too much treble.

if you must use a 4-ohm tweeter:

1. Add a resistor in series (e.g., a 4-ohm 10W resistor) to bring total impedance back to 8 ohms.
2. Redesign or adjust the crossover to match the new tweeter impedance and frequency response.
3. Use a 4-ohm L-pad (a resistor network) to both maintain impedance and pad volume.
4. Match the sensitivity (dB rating) of the new tweeter with the old one for balanced sound.

Replace with an 8-ohm tweeter that has similar:

Power handling
Frequency range
Sensitivity (dB SPL)
Mounting size

 

[kevinsonic]

You just can't put any replacement components in a speaker unfortunately and expect it to sound anything near balanced. Unless you find a tweeter as near as possible to what's in there....

Yes so far DanielT provided that near perfect match:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?attachments/screenshot_2025-08-04_164733-jpg.467696/

i am considering getting it from ebay just stressed about all going smoothly...but at this stage i think i will be doing it.

 

[kevinsonic]

You just can't put any replacement components in a speaker unfortunately and expect it to sound anything near balanced. Unless you find a tweeter as near as possible to what's in there. Other than that you might not be able to hear it, and at its worst it'll be completely diffuse or draw attention to itself.

Unless you can modify and design crossovers which you can't obviously otherwise you wouldn't be asking this question, then you're stuck with an anomaly.

one way and perhaps the cheapest (free sometimes) depending on your source is eq it hard and make the speaker sound as balanced as you can with that, or to your liking. If the tweeters too loud cut the hf etc. You could buy a cheap eq or if you run from android, ios, pc whatever use a software eq.

You can blend in and shape some of the most radical sounding drivers using eq. Horns included.

I really like the sound of horns and when used right think are hard to match for that live sound. Different tweeter designs and materials all have different effects but you can tame or extenuat that with eq. And you can always cut bigger holes to fit them or make a simple wood panel to mount it on and fix it to the speaker that way. Making it look pretty will be in the eye of the beholder

Don't fall into the trap of overspending on tweeters most are decent enpugh these days. Avoid piezo though, unless you want the treble sounding like a bad doorbell from the 70s.

bad doorbell from the 70s... lol.... i'm just picturing and hearing this in my mind.... thanks i most definately will use an eq had a sonics one back in the day and what a difference it made to any music ! i will be using a software EQ this time and am thinking about pulling the ebay trigger.

 

[kevinsonic]

If the crossover in your speakers is built/based on an 8 Ohm tweeter and you mount a 4 Ohm tweeter in it you get a different crossover point. It ruins the FR.

For example, I found a table. Say it's a simple crossover filter with only one capacitor on the tweeter. That tweeter is at 8 Ohm and the crossover point is 2.7 kHz. If you then mount a 4 Ohm tweeter and use the same crossover/capacitor you move the crossover point to 5.4 kHz. Not good.
View attachment 467807View attachment 467808
But you can solve that by putting in the appropriate capacitor, with the right value, if you see what value the one you have now has, that is. If it is a first order crossover (a capacitor plus an coil) that is. If it is higher order crossover than that, it can be fixed, but it will be a more extensive operation.

exactly the concerns i had.... eventually i will open up the box and will post pics if i need to fiddle with the crossover because i will need help, but first i just want to get the tweeters so i can tackle everything at once. thank you for this.

 

[kevinsonic]

See Mart68's answer above. Without a capacitor on your tweeter, you will burn it out pretty quickly.

but if this a problem why do the manufacturers not add caps on them, i know pioneer is probably not on the top when it it comes to speaker manufacturers, but they sure have been around for a long time and brought out some good sounding speakers throughout their existence.

 

[kevinsonic]

You are right but if it is just a capacitor. Let's say it is easy to access so why not replace it? I mean it costs almost nothing and is done in an instant.

Also, @kevinsonic needs to see if there is a capacitor somewhere now. If not, he needs to put one on the new tweeter so it doesn't break.

I think i should get the one in your link, will the cap not change the sound. who knows what the previous guy did, it even looks cut or something, i wont be mishandling my new tweeters but if a capacitor will do no harm i will add it.

 

[kevinsonic]

I've never encountered a speaker that didn't have a capacitor on the tweeter even if that's the only component in the crossover. Arguably that's not a 'crossover' at all - but in any case some cheap speakers just run the mid bass full range.

Only exception was some speakers I made using Motorola piezo-electric horn tweeters that don't need a capacitor for protection.

Well they sound great, i will open the box eventually then we will see i will post pics

 

[kevinsonic]

why not try to buy it on aliexpress, such small speaker you can find it there,very cheap

worried about it arriving... but i'll probably do this or ebay thx.

 

[kevinsonic]

Yes, there must be a capacitor somewhere, otherwise both tweeters would have been broken a long time ago. But it doesn't hurt to check, as there are some now. The previous owner may have removed them for some inexplicable reason. Maybe a far-fetched idea, but a tweeter is broken after all. Plus, kevinsonic said he couldn't see any capacitors. I see no capacitors on the tweeters
He'll probably have to rummage around and check the entire speaker box to see if he can find any.

If the speakers have a higher-order crossover, it's most likely overkill to mess with it. Then you're back to DIY fixing again, and that's not something kevinsonic is interested in doing.

yes soon as i have tweeters i'll open the box thx

 

[kevinsonic]

The OP lives in South Africa. It's quite difficult to get stuff by post over there, especially from overseas countries.

thats the concern and a cheap speaker becomes expensive with our poor currency, but will probably be my only option, i think i will do ebay tomorrow and hope for the best.

 

[kevinsonic]

I agree it's worth checking the capacitors are there and that everything's right before putting any signal into them.

the main woofers works great and you ca distinctly hear the mid frequencies playing through the upper woofer and the lower bass through the lower woofer

 

[DanielT]

I think i should get the one in your link, will the cap not change the sound. who knows what the previous guy did, it even looks cut or something, i wont be mishandling my new tweeters but if a capacitor will do no harm i will add it.

Without at least one capacitor on your new tweeter, it will break down fairly quickly and you will need to buy new tweeters when that happens. Note: When that happens, not if that happens. So you must have a capacitor for your new tweeters. That's how all tweeters work. Exceptions, as Mart mentioned,
piezo-electric based tweeters but that's not the kind you're thinking of for your speakers.

If you don't see a cap in your speakers, let's say that Dynavox Mylar Dome Tweeter 8 Ohm 80W (Frequency Response: 3 - 20 Khz.) For that tweeter choose a bipolar capacitor with a value of let say between 5.5-6 uF. Others are welcome to comment on that, the value of the capacitor that is. A 5.6 uF capacitor on Parts Express costs $1 but you can find such ones for about the same price in South Africa.

5.6uF 100V Electrolytic Non-Polarized Crossover Capacitor

5.6uF 100V Electrolytic Non-Polarized Crossover CapacitorElectrolytic non-polarized (bi-polar) capacitors are perfect low-cost solutions for use in passive speaker crossovers. These capacitors feature axial leads, a 5% dissipation factor, and are rated at a 100 VDC working voltage which equates...

www.parts-express.com

You put the capacitor on one of the cables you mount on the tweeter.

 

[Vladimir Filevski]

I see no capacitors on the tweeters (i've seen caps on car audio 2/3way speakers) but not on these floorstanders. I haven't taken out the woofers but i would expect pioneer to at least have a crossover in there.

There must be capacitor on the tweeter! Look again carefully, follow both wires from tweeter up to the loudspeaker terminal.