Question Speakers and the 1 ohm resistor tweak

[AJM1981]

Perhaps one of the first useful modern applications for loudspeakers with dual binding posts.

This one comes from an odd review conclusion about the Denton 85th Anniversary.

Getting big kettle drum strikes and cross panned drum kit rolls to sound realistic isn’t something small loudspeakers manage well, but the Denton 85s had no problem. As standard there was too much treble for me, but with a 1 Ohm resistor tweak it all fell into place: clear, full bodied, punchy and exciting beyond what you’d expect at either the price or the size.

https://7review.com/wharfedale-denton-85-review/

Let's start with a big exclamation plus question mark attached to the conclusion of review on its own. The review before the conclusion was ok,though the conclusion is highly uncanny by letting people know what you personally prefer and also suggesting to tweak something to that personal preference... I mean it is ok to mention it somewhere but on a sidenote.

The Denton 85 is a great sounding speaker with a natural sound. Violins sound like crisp and clear. This forward sound is perhaps more the product of how they wanted it to be. It is not that warm as other Wharfedale models, but I like it. Violins sound like that in real and crash cymbals "are" harsh, never really soft and warm.

That all doesnt mean I don't like a warm sound, I have another set which is warmer in signature, but for both realism and hi-fi user preference equal valid arguments can be made.

That all said and done. The resistor trick caught my attention apart from the review and as I am not conservative given safe experiments, I ordered two 1 ohm resistors for the sake of trying

Users online claim they have used this hack to get the 85th sound more like the 80th and have this warm "Wharfedale sound". It seems like it adjusts the expressional / volume output of the tweeter rather than dialing back frequencies as with tone controls.

Since this is a general thing and not only Denton 85th, who has ever applied it?

Disclaimer: found this photo online a while ago, it is not mine.

 

[Gray]

I was going to experiment with a series resistor to the (metal-domed) tweeter of my old B&W CDM1-NT speakers.
But I never did - must have got used to the treble.

 

[abacus]

If your open the speaker up you will find a resister built into the crossover already, like all loudspeakers this is used to balance the levels between the drivers to give a flat (Or whatever the manufacture decides they want) response, by adding a resister to the tweeter circuit externally you are using it as fixed volume control for the tweeter. (Not what the manufacture intended)
Can’t see what the fuss is about as this technique has been used since speakers started using crossovers around a century ago.

Bill

 

[Al ears]

I don't get it either, if I felt the need to do that then I wouldn't have those speakers in the first place....

 

[AJM1981]

I don't get it either, if I felt the need to do that then I wouldn't have those speakers in the first place....

I am totally ok with the sound signature of the 85th.Don't really have a treble signature preference in general. Just care about the balance between the drivers and a lot is arbitrary. The fact that it has a different profile than my Evo 4.2 which I use as primary setup is a plus because I like variation within the margins, otherwise i would go for another pair of 4.2s or 4.1s. The one is better to the other as blue is to yellow.

But.. as mentioned, I wonder about the effect. Resistors are kind of cheap anyway. When I can test something easily to have an opinion about the claim I would give it a go. People online claim the 85th + resistor is Denton 80th in profile. Let's test it.

 

[Al ears]

I am totally ok with the sound signature of the 85th.Don't really have a treble signature preference in general. Just care about the balance between the drivers and a lot is arbitrary. The fact that it has a different profile than my Evo 4.2 which I use as primary setup is a plus because I like variation within the margins, otherwise i would go for another pair of 4.2s or 4.1s. The one is better to the other as blue is to yellow.

But.. as mentioned, I wonder about the effect. Resistors are kind of cheap anyway. When I can test something easily to have an opinion about the claim I would give it a go. People online claim the 85th + resistor is Denton 80th in profile. Let's test it.

go ahead but I an sure Whafedale would have done plenty of their own testing. Don't like it as they decided? Buy something different.....

 

[nopiano]

It’s interesting to read this and reflect on designs of the past. My first speakers, which I think I bought in 1974, were Acoustic Research AR4xa. They were fitted with a switch marked Normal and Flat on the rear, next to the screw speakers terminals. It was a tweeter level control. Normal, iirc, was rolled off to sound pleasant; Flat was brighter, though still nothing like today‘s average speakers for clarity and sparkle.

Other models had rotary tweeter level controls - and some 2022 speakers do, especially if they’re from the USA. That essentially is what you’re doing with your resistor.

 

[AJM1981]

go ahead but I an sure Whafedale would have done plenty of their own testing. Don't like it as they decided? Buy something different.....

I think my comments underline what you wrote quite clearly, but it doesn't mean someone can't try another amp or adjust a small thing within reasonable limits for the purpose of trying.

 

[treesey]

go ahead but I an sure Whafedale would have done plenty of their own testing. Don't like it as they decided? Buy something different.....

Sorry Mr Ears but that's a very closed and IMO simply wrong statement. There are a million items for sale in the world that suit 99% of your requirements, and those are the ones we buy. Tweaking the item so that it makes it better for you is normal practice; you don't 'buy something different' if it isn't Nirvana, especially as most other solutions will deliver less than 99%.

Merry Christmas.

 

[Al ears]

Sorry Mr Ears but that's a very closed and IMO simply wrong statement. There are a million items for sale in the world that suit 99% of your requirements, and those are the ones we buy. Tweaking the item so that it makes it better for you is normal practice; you don't 'buy something different' if it isn't Nirvana, especially as most other solutions will deliver less than 99%.

Merry Christmas.

It's my opinion, it cannot be wrong, you can simply agree or disagree with it whatever you wish......

Merry Christmas

 

[treesey]

If we are being picky, it was 'advice', and that can certainly be poor.

 

[AJM1981]

I am on both your sides. It was neither good or bad advice.

yes, I support the idea that a piece of gear should be used as the manufacturer intended it to be. On the other side, if a reviewer claims something sounds better to him personally I am curious about the claim. Also that it would transform the sound more to the Denton 80th as some said. Wondering what that sound is, I have never used the 80th. A resistor is deadly cheap and easily mountable to the binding posts.

I will be open about the fact that I cannot do test within lab conditions but when something is stated, and something will not harm the speakers in any way, and is relatively easy to do, I might give it a try.

So that is what I did.

I gave it a couple of days with the resistor and as what I wrote before. There is a difference, it is like playing from a turntable when using digital sources before. Less energy in the tweeter (not something achievable with using a remote on treble strength as this basically seems to block higher frequencies). Resulting in more emphasis in the mids because of the simple fact that the high tones are still there but less present.

Now.. I have a reference near the Denton 85 of a slightly warm but also detailed speaker, which is the Evo 4.2. And I have concluded that the resistor effect is not the same as a well configured tweeter with a similar signature.

Why..the Denton 85 is described in many sources as an improved speaker with a natural rather than a warm sound. When I listen to the difference with and without resistor it seems that a bit of crispness in the high tones disappears. The sound becomes subjectively speaking really laid-back, bit lazy if that is it. Yes, no hearing fatigue, but also less exitement. For example. In Radio song by REM there is an interaction between the rhythm guitar and the bassline. With a resistor and slightly warmer color the emphasis is more on the mids as a logical outcome)But the nuances work best out of the box.

Now the evo 4.2 is also slightly warmer on top end due to the way they managed to tame the AMT tweeter to match how they wanted it to be as a team of engineers. Resulting in that what comes from it is still crisp and clear.

In other words, the resistor might deliver the signature the writer preferred. But the outcome is arguably not a better sounding speaker when highlighting what this speaker brings as a plus to the 80th to people who like a natural sounding output instead of a warm signature.