FThumb 10 Posted July 5 Posted July 5 Hi All, My Carver journey started in the early 80s when a friend picked up a C-1 and one of the original Cube amps. I was blown away. I still run vintage Carver around my place and shop, a few M1-01s, a C-1, and a TFM45 in the shop. I'm here now because I have a home theater (Denon x3800h) powering a Sunfire 300x2 I bought new and recently had rebuilt by Greg Nelion, running a pair of AL-III I also bought new 30+ years ago. After all this time the one woofer has started farting on LFEs - probably due to the improved low frequency of the new x3800. So I'm hoping people here can help steer me to how I can best restore my AL-IIIs. New woofers, or just a foam surround replacement? Crossover upgrades while I'm in there? I have a full shop, and so a fair amount of electronics work there, so DYI shouldn't be an issue. Dan 8
Sk1Bum 11,404 Posted July 5 Posted July 5 Hello FThumb and welcome to thecarversite.com. Glad you found us. My first Carver experience was also with the cube. I bought an M400t new in the early '80s, and it soon multiplied into 2, 4, then 5. Followed by a few M1.0t's, a C1, 4000t, M200t, and well, I guess you get the point. I am not one to give electronic advice, but 30 year old crossovers are likely in need of some TLC, and new woofer surrounds sure won't hurt. Again, welcome aboard, and hopefully someone with far greater knowledge than me will chime in. 1
3M_Audio 2,023 Posted July 5 Posted July 5 Welcome @FThumb! If it were me, I'd replace the surrounds if they are at all suspect, but I wouldn't try to outright replace the woofers. Finding replacement drivers with the same or close T/S parameters would be challenging and you don't want to change the performance of the originals. And regarding the crossovers, if these were my speakers I'd replace any aged components while I had it pulled apart. If you dig into them, post some pictures in a new thread as we all enjoy watching work-in-progress.
FThumb 10 Posted July 5 Author Posted July 5 2 minutes ago, 3M_Audio said: And regarding the crossovers, if these were my speakers I'd replace any aged components while I had it pulled apart. Where do I start to understand my options on crossover upgrades? 2
3M_Audio 2,023 Posted July 5 Posted July 5 1 minute ago, FThumb said: Where do I start to understand my options on crossover upgrades? I'd start out by downloading the service manual for your ALIIIs - click on the 'Manuals and Specsheets' link at the top of any page and scroll down into the speaker section and you'll find it. Then try a search here and you should find some info about service/restoration work other owners have down with their Amazings. That may give you some good ideas. Looking at the schematic, I'd suggest focusing on age-sensitive items like capacitors and pots. I'd also take a close look at the fuses and their holders as those can build up oxidation over the years and may need cleaning or replacements. Large power resistors rarely go bad, but it wouldn't hurt to check them to make sure they are within spec. Same goes for the chokes. It would also be worth looking at the binding posts to see what kind of shape those are in. Again, over 30+ years they can develop some oxidation that should receive attention. I'm not sure of mounting space, but those might be a candidate for replacement with some Speakon jacks. I personally dislike binding posts for audio equipment. 1
Kurt 2,903 Posted July 5 Posted July 5 Welcome to the Carver Site! Good luck on your AL-III's. Post pics/progress reports as you go. We love to see that kind of stuff, here :).
Half Life 611 Posted July 6 Posted July 6 Welcome from VA! Enjoy your stay! I'll echo @3M_Audio and also suggest re-doing the surrounds first. As he said, finding good replacements may prove to be harder than it seems. He's spot on for replacing the aged components in the crossovers; resistors and chokes rarely age out but caps definitely do. Lastly, definitely consider posting progress pics of your project on here. It's a great way to expand the knowledge base!
FThumb 10 Posted July 6 Author Posted July 6 Where would I source the caps and pots to rebuild the crossovers?
Sk1Bum 11,404 Posted July 6 Posted July 6 @Circuits & Concepts, a member here may have them. He has an ebay store too. https://www.ebay.com/str/circuitsandconcepts Mouser and Digikey are both popular sources here, and there are probably others that I'm forgetting. https://www.mouser.com/ https://www.digikey.com/ 1
Community Admin AndrewJohn 10,451 Posted July 6 Community Admin Posted July 6 Welcome! Don’t forget to use the SEARCH feature on this TCS forum here. There are a good number of threads on these speakers, here on TCS from members that restored and/or upgraded their AL-III’s. There are threads on crossovers. There are threads on woofer refoams, and also woofer replacement parts potions from Infinity and other makers…, You asked where to start…, I’d start by reviewing others’ archived projects here on TCS. The manuals library has the original docs, of course…, lots more wisdom and learning in the historical/archive threads! You’ll likely find upgrade arts and source references in the archives, too. This site was s a gold mine. 1
Receiver2000 4,015 Posted July 6 Posted July 6 Welcome to the CS, great to have you. Hope that you get those speakers squared away soon.
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