Resistors

Bruce B

WBF Founding Member, Pro Audio Production Member
Apr 25, 2010
7,007
515
1,740
Snohomish, WA
www.pugetsoundstudios.com
Read something interesting yesterday. Wilson puts in different resistors on the mid/tweeter depending on where speaker is headed? Europe gets a different resistor than shipments in the U.S.?

Is that because there are different listening preferences?
 

treitz3

Super Moderator
Staff member
Dec 25, 2011
5,480
1,008
1,320
The tube lair in beautiful Rock Hill, SC
Hello, Bruce. I take it that you read this from a reliable source?

Tom
 

microstrip

VIP/Donor
May 30, 2010
20,807
4,702
2,790
Portugal
Read something interesting yesterday. Wilson puts in different resistors on the mid/tweeter depending on where speaker is headed? Europe gets a different resistor than shipments in the U.S.?

Is that because there are different listening preferences?

As far as I know they put different values in the bass damping resistor anticipating different room sizes and type of building in Europe than USA - the solid walls and smaller rooms in Europe need lower damping resistors. It was acknowledged in their manuals.
But I have never read anything about mid/tweeter differences until now.
 

AMP

Member
Feb 27, 2011
299
2
16
I believe that this came up on AA and there's some confusion.

The mid and tweeter resistors are changeable (primarily as an overload protection device), but the values can be tailored to raise or lower the levels of those drivers slightly. This is a common practice as part of the setup on the larger Wilsons and is an option for fine-tuning on the smaller ones. I remember receiving different tweeter resistors on my old W/P 6 as my setup benefitted from about a 1db drop in the tweeter level.

There's a parallel damping resistor on the woofer and this is different for different markets. IIRC the European version is setup for greater damping based on typically smaller room sizes and more solid construction.

The AA thread was a bit of a train wreck as it went in 4 different directions at once.
 

LL21

Well-Known Member
Dec 26, 2010
14,430
2,518
1,448
I believe this is correct...and witnessed Wilson's Distributor change the resistors on the tweeters of a second-hand pair of Wilson's which originated from New York. In fact, they changed it twice to accommodate the local room environment which was very different than the one in NYC, and also to accommodate the ears/preferences of the listener.
 

Bruce B

WBF Founding Member, Pro Audio Production Member
Apr 25, 2010
7,007
515
1,740
Snohomish, WA
www.pugetsoundstudios.com
I knew you could change them easily, but didn't know why other parts of the world got different values.
 

mep

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
9,481
17
0
I read somewhere a long time ago in an interview with David Wilson in one of the audio rags that Wilson voices their speakers different for Asian markets.
 

JackD201

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
12,319
1,429
1,820
Manila, Philippines
If I'm not mistaken JBL jp mad JBL USA are voiced slightly differently. Sister companies have adjustable tweets in some models. We're starting to see more and more companies providing level controls these days.
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing