Is There a need to change the resistors in one's speakers even if room sounds good

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
This has often produced a dichotomy of answers. There are those who change the resistors on a regular basis using the theory that resistors degrade with time to those who believe "if it aint broken, don't fix it".

My question therefore is ......"if we are given to believe the sonic differences using uber expensive fuses, are there any sonic benefits from changing resistors (but using the same value resistor) if truly the resistor will degrade with time?" Heck we change our tubes on a regular basis because they degrade with time, why not our resistors?
 

mep

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Modern film resistors don't degrade and change value with time like the old carbon comp resistors. Now, a case can be made that you can upgrade to better sounding resistors like naked Vishay resistors or something along those lines.
 

Peter Breuninger

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Jul 20, 2010
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Different brands and quality levels make a profound difference, you should experiment for the final dial in before inviting us all over when we visit T.H.E. Show in sunny southern California in several weeks :) :) :) We'll all bring room warming gifts.
 

still-one

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I really have no expertise on this subject other than checking and replacing resistors is part of the process when Wilson factory re-certifies a pair of speakers. They must feel that there is some benefit of performing the task.

Jim
 

TBone

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Nov 15, 2012
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Is There a need to change the resistors in one's speakers even if room sounds good

Not in my experience!

Many designers incorporate a specific type of resistor (or cap/inductor) to attain a specific "voice". As an example, some people who've owned my particular brand of speakers in the past figured that if they changed the stock x-over parts to something "better" (or worse yet, change the slopes), they'll attain a better sound. Although many claimed they "improved" the speakers, they never remained static, IOW they consistently kept changing parts in order to "perfect" it, but the search continued ...

Some would soon realize that the original x-overs parts were in fact the best sounding parts, irrespective of cost or quality, simply because they were originally designed and voiced that way. They managed to change the sound, not particularly for the better.

tb1
 

zztop7

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Dec 12, 2012
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Ecc903s

Hello Steve Williams,
Let me know when you change out your tubes. Instead of throwing your >>> ECC903S tubes <<< in the trash; I will buy them at a used price.
Best to you,
zz
 

zztop7

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Ecc803s

Let me edit my post:
Hello Steve Williams,
You wrote: "Heck we change our tubes on a regular basis because they degrade with time, why not our resistors?"
Let me know when you change out your tubes. Instead of throwing your >>> ECC803S tubes <<< in the trash; I will buy them at a used price.
Best to you,
zz
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
That tube will KwYs stZy in my stash as will in all likelihood my amp and preamp

FWIW Peter Im not so sure I'd be doing resistor rolling :) for fear of not so much for worse sound but rather damaging a driver. I agree that mfrs voice their speakers in such a fashion but my owners manual specifically warns against it
 

treitz3

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Dec 25, 2011
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Good afternoon, Steve. It was my understanding that your Wilson's already had a set of three resistors that you could swap out on the tweeter network. Have I been misinformed or are you talking about the other resistors within the various circuits of the speakers?

Tom
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
You're correct on that Tom. I am asking should I swap out a perfectly normal resistor with one that is exactly the same as there are many extras in the owners kit. You're referring to changing to a different included resistor for tubes vs one for SS
 

treitz3

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Eh, I'd be hesitant to doing that unless you know what you are doing and how each resistor changes things. Even with a close tolerance resistor with the same values, the sonic differences can change the end result from slight to disastrous....or there lays the possibility that you might improve the sound. With that said, any improvements on the sound may sound great when installed but your are messing with the voicing of the speakers and what may initially seem like an improvement may prove to be futile or worse than originally thought. Of the limited amount of Wilson's I have personally heard, I'd leave well enough alone if I were in your shoes. They seem to be a well rounded speaker as is.

Slightly off topic but along the same lines...I'm going balls to the wall with mine only because I have heard how different components have sonically reacted to the drivers I am using. There is still no guarantee that the end result will promise what we expect but I'm relying on experience to guide us on what to do if things don't work out the way we planned and that's another reason we are installing the completely original crossover back into the external unit [along with other proprietary adaptations] . One, for a reference and two? If we succeed in what we are planning [after tweaking and burn in], we will have something unique with the ability to swap within a matter of seconds, the original crossover with the upgraded one.

With the same value and tolerance, the sonic difference IMO between a Mills resistor and a Deuland resistor have the possibility to really change the sonic signature depending on where in the circuit they are utilized.

Tom
 

zztop7

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Specifications

Feel free to correct me if I am wrong:
Resistors degrade from exposure to excessive heat beyond their specifications.
Resistors degrade from excessive load at their limit or beyond.
Therefore, if you are not "rocking out" your speakers, and they sound great; I vote for >>> "if it aint broken, don't fix it".
zz
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
I think you might still be missing the point. The owners kit that came with my speakers have several sets of identical resistors. So should I take the one(s) off my speaker and replace them with identical new ones. So at the very least the sound should theoretically be better if one says that resistors degrade with time
 

treitz3

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Sounds like I did, Steve. My apologies. Why would Dave include some extra resistors? That's a first for me. Is there any explanation as to why extras were included? If they are the same brand, value, tolerance and placed in the same respective locations, no issues [sonic or otherwise] would be encountered that I can think of, so long as they are properly installed.

Tom
 

rockitman

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I think you might still be missing the point. The owners kit that came with my speakers have several sets of identical resistors. So should I take the one(s) off my speaker and replace them with identical new ones. So at the very least the sound should theoretically be better if one says that resistors degrade with time

It is probably a good question to ask Wilson. I was not aware that they degrade.
 

treitz3

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Oh, they'll degrade and go out of specifications if abused or with a catastrophic electronic failure elsewhere in the system/circuit but with normal use under normal conditions with the proper amount of ventilation and power engineered/supplied to them, I don't recall ever measuring or hearing of a resistor going out of spec just because of old age. You guys have my curiosity up now as to why this extra set was included.

Tom
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
It is probably a good question to ask Wilson. I was not aware that they degrade.

I never said that they do degrade BUT I have seen arguments on the net to the contrary. FWIW, I did speak to Trent today at Wilson and he said the same thing, ...."leave it alone" and yes there are 2 complete sets of resistors in the owners kit
 

microstrip

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Oh, they'll degrade and go out of specifications if abused or with a catastrophic electronic failure elsewhere in the system/circuit but with normal use under normal conditions with the proper amount of ventilation and power engineered/supplied to them, I don't recall ever measuring or hearing of a resistor going out of spec just because of old age. You guys have my curiosity up now as to why this extra set was included.
Tom

Most manufacturers over-specify the power in resistors to have better power dissipation and achieve a lower temperature. Using this trick they can use cheaper resistors with higher temperature coefficients in their crossovers. Wilson uses external resistors in series with the speakers to tame FR but also having fuse functions in order to protect drivers for short bursts. For this purpose they need to have high precision very expensive resistors with a very low coefficient temperature, otherwise you would risk some compression when power increases. Submitting these resistors to systematic abuse can change their properties, even if does not damage them. It is why they wisely always change them when a repair is performed or recondition a speaker for a new user.

Considering Steve Lamm ML3's have only 30W I would happily accept the generous donation of his pair of X2 even with the original resistors, and would not change them. But if no extra resistors were available, I would also request the ML3's. :)
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Great info Francisco, thanks

I agree as I said before. I would not change resistors if I am pleased with the sound and I am (although my pair of Fathom subs arrive hopefully by mid April and I spiked the speakers today)

BTW, the ML3's are 32 wpc Pure Class A
 

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