Modest Midwest Audiophile

Capacitors are like small batteries, they hold an amount of charge in the dielectric material they are made of. Much like a battery, they are not forever and electrolytic capacitors in particular dry up over time requiring replacement. There are a plethora of other types of capacitors, such as film that don’t need replacing unless they test poorly. The QLS has both types in its crossover, film caps separating the upper frequency and the large “can” electrolytic capacitors make up the circuit for the woofer. The film capacitors still test fine so I chose to leave them alone for now, as I had enough to work on.  The crossovers in the QLS are located in the lowermost cavity of the speaker, in the bases. Taking the woofers out will expose the bolts holding the two parts of the tower together. I unhooked and marked all of the leads going from the circuit up to the drivers and proceeded to separate the cabinet. After removing the bolts and laying the speaker on its side, a quick knock wi...

       Getting into the audiophile hobby and setting up a serious listening rig can be a daunting task, especially for those with limited budgets that can’t afford the more often than not multi-thousand dollar investments that a new system entails. I fall into that category but luckily I discovered my audio passion from exploring vintage gear from the golden age of hifi. Technology has come a long way since, but that came from years of research and a lot of legendary equipment that set the standard at which modern sound is compared to. With a bit of luck a few of these legends find their way to the marketplace or local garage sale at fair price offering a discounted entry to audio bliss. Sometimes there won’t be an issue to be found, but usually over years of storage there will be necessary repairs and maintenance required to bring the equipment back to life. Vintage Speakers      There is some real value still to be had in buying vintage speakers, som...