--- In speakeasyvintage@yahoogroups.com, Ryan Stroup <hammondman85@...> wrote:
>
> Hey guys!
>
> I have installed a new crossover in my Leslie 22H and wanted to share my
> thoughts on it. Speakeasy Vintage Music recently contacted me about
> testing a new crossover for them and I was more than happy to oblige.
> After spending several hours going back and forth between the original
> Leslie crossover and this new crossover I have come to the conclusion
> that this new crossover has filled gaps in the tone that the original
> crossover left wide open. The main focus behind the new crossover was to
> make the lower rotor more prominent without affecting the highs on the
> tweeter horn section. I can genuinely say that Speakeasy Vintage Music
> did their homework when they designed this new crossover.
>
> Right at first, not knowing what to expect, I wasn't really sure if what
> I was hearing was any different. So I spent some more time doing a
> "bass speaker only" test, that way I could clearly hear the new
> crossover without the high end interfering. When I did that, the change
> between crossovers was so blatantly obvious, you'd have to be deaf not
> to hear the change. Once I plugged in the horn again, it was like a
> light bulb clicked on. I could tell the lower rotor was more upfront and
> punchy. You can actually hear the ramping up and down. The awesome thing
> is even though something has changed, it stays true to the classic
> Hammond/Leslie tone - just better.
>
> A really good example that just happened last night. I had a couple of
> guys over at the house last night. One of them is a monster Hammond
> player. He can tear it up. As he was playing last night, he mentioned
> more than once that the Leslie sounded especially good. I actually had
> just met this guy last night so he had never played my Hammond/Leslie
> combo before. I didn't mention to him that I had installed a new crossover.
>
> To be fair with everyone here, the results may vary depending how old
> the capacitor in your crossover is. Most everyone who reads this is most
> likely using the original crossover with the original capacitor. As most
> of you know, capacitors drift over time and in the crossover, that
> changes the frequency. I suspect those who will hear the most
> significant change will be those using a recapped crossover or a brand
> new crossover where the frequency is genuinely 800hz. I personally was
> using an original Leslie crossover with the original paper wax capacitor
> so I would imagine the actual frequency wasn't 800hz.
>
> Now for those who feel that "Don Leslie decided on 800hz as the
> crossover point for a reason so leave well enough alone", this product
> is probably not for you. However, I would encourage you at least try it
> out before you prejudge it. You might surprise yourself.
>
> I am not a Hammond/Leslie tech. I know very little about electronics and
> I honestly don't have the time nor the desire to learn anything more
> than what I know. I can change out a capacitor here, a resistor there,
> change a couple of tubes, but beyond that, I am pretty much clueless.
> That being said, any questions regarding the technical aspect of the new
> crossover need to be addressed to Steve Hayes or Ted Thompson. They
> understand far more about the workings than I do.
>
> Lastly, I wanted to mention that the construction of this crossover is
> impressive. The coils are huge on this thing! But overall the build
> quality is very solid. All mounting hardware and wire nuts are included
> with the crossover so you won't have to worry about finding the right
> screws and wire nuts to get this installed. Also for those who own
> Leslies with the field coil woofer (31H, 21H, 44W, 46W, etc.), you are
> in luck. The new crossover can be adapted to operate with the field coil.
>
> Before I end this long post, I do want to make sure to say that I am NOT
> an endorser for Speakeasy Vintage Music nor will I receive any royalties
> for the number of crossovers they sell. Speakeasy Vintage Music
> contacted me out of the blue, I never went to them. I volunteered my
> free time (which I have very little of these days) to do extensive tests
> on this new product. And as I noted before, I don't understand the
> technical side of things so all my extensive testing was done with the
> ear, not a multimeter.
>
> So to wrap this up, Speakeasy Vintage Music has won my vote and I hope
> all of you will find this review informative and convincing enough to
> try it out for yourself. I'll leave you with a couple of clips from the
> Bass Speaker only test.
>
>
> Original Crossover
> http://tinyurl.com/originalcrossover-mp3
>
> New Speakeasy Crossover
> http://tinyurl.com/speakeasycrossover-mp3
>
> --
> Ryan
>Hi Ryan, I have a question, i just received speakeasy's new crossover and on
mine i have 1 black cap on the left and 2 big yellow caps on the right. in the
picture of it on speakeasy's web sight there are 1 yellow caps on the left and 2
big black caps on the right. does this matter? mine is for 16ohms. this may
sound like a stupid question but when it comes to electronics i know nothing.
but the crossover does sound really nice. Thank You, Greg