# how can i wire this tweeter?



## djloui (Nov 10, 2014)

Hey whats up. I have a samsung Home Theater System 5.1 channel. I really would like to connect a tweeter to one of the front channel which are rated to 167 RMS 3ohms. Could I wire this tweeter in series with on of the front speakers or in parallel?

This is the tweeter.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/Pyramid-Tw44-...ome-Tweeter-300-Watt-/191514983430?nav=SEARCH


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## robbo266317 (Sep 22, 2008)

It is not a simple matter to add an extra tweeter, it would require a crossover redesign which is almost impossible with a set of off-the-shelf speakers.
You need to know sensitivity, frequency response and impedance of the new and existing drivers.


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## Kal Rubinson (Aug 3, 2006)

djloui said:


> Hey whats up. I have a samsung Home Theater System 5.1 channel. I really would like to connect a tweeter to one of the front channel which are rated to 167 RMS 3ohms. Could I wire this tweeter in series with on of the front speakers or in parallel?
> 
> This is the tweeter.
> 
> http://m.ebay.com/itm/Pyramid-Tw44-...ome-Tweeter-300-Watt-/191514983430?nav=SEARCH


I do not understand why anyone would want to do this but.......
In series, it will blow and/or prevent the rest from playing.
In parallel, it will blow unless you have a crossover filter.


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## djloui (Nov 10, 2014)

robbo266317 said:


> It is not a simple matter to add an extra tweeter, it would require a crossover redesign which is almost impossible with a set of off-the-shelf speakers.
> You need to know sensitivity, frequency response and impedance of the new and existing drivers.


It says it comes with a crossover capasitor.


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## djloui (Nov 10, 2014)

Kal Rubinson said:


> I do not understand why anyone would want to do this but.......
> In series, it will blow and/or prevent the rest from playing.
> In parallel, it will blow unless you have a crossover filter.


The tweeter comes with a crossover capasitor. So with a crossover it won't blow the tweeter? Or the home theater speaker?


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## djloui (Nov 10, 2014)

robbo266317 said:


> It is not a simple matter to add an extra tweeter, it would require a crossover redesign which is almost impossible with a set of off-the-shelf speakers.
> You need to know sensitivity, frequency response and impedance of the new and existing drivers.


Could I use this crossover to connect the tweeter to the home theater?

http://m.ebay.com/itm/Audiopipe-Pas...er-and-Tweeter-300-W-/191266400448?nav=SEARCH


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## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

Sure, go ahead. It will be an educational experience. :T

Regards, 
Wayne


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## Kal Rubinson (Aug 3, 2006)

djloui said:


> The tweeter comes with a crossover capasitor. So with a crossover it won't blow the tweeter? Or the home theater speaker?


Yes but wired in parallel.


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## Kal Rubinson (Aug 3, 2006)

djloui said:


> Could I use this crossover to connect the tweeter to the home theater?
> 
> http://m.ebay.com/itm/Audiopipe-Pas...er-and-Tweeter-300-W-/191266400448?nav=SEARCH


Yes but why bother? The series cap will protect tweeter and this off-the-shelf (with its inconsistent info) is more likely to wreck the sound as it is to help it.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Wayne A. Pflughaupt said:


> Sure, go ahead. It will be an educational experience. :T
> 
> Regards,
> Wayne


Education in a bad way, it won't improve the sound of the speaker that is a sure thing.


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## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

I know. But it’s something he needs to experience for himself. Worth the $25.

Regards, 
Wayne


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

I see where your coming from :T


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## robbo266317 (Sep 22, 2008)

As you have probably now figured out this is a bad idea.
Save your money for a better set of speakers.


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## Kal Rubinson (Aug 3, 2006)

robbo266317 said:


> As you have probably now figured out this is a bad idea.
> Save your money for a better set of speakers.


Yes or, for a real education, put the money into building a set. Choose an established design.


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## djloui (Nov 10, 2014)

Thank you guys. I guess I'm going to have to replace the speakers for better ones.


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## robbo266317 (Sep 22, 2008)

Kal Rubinson said:


> Yes or, for a real education, put the money into building a set. Choose an established design.


That is an excellent idea, a bit of hands on is always good. :T


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## Synthsayer (Dec 19, 2007)

If you use the capacitor that comes with the tweeter - the value will likely be about 3 uf - it shouldn't fry unless you turn your amp up really loud.
The tweeter should be 4 or 8 ohms. 8 ohms is better. Check your existing spkrs to be sure they are 8 ohms. When you put the new tweeter in parallel with the existing speaker, the overall impedance load on the amp will be cut to half of the value of the combined impedance of the tweeter and speaker for an impedance load of between 3 to 4 ohms if both are 8 ohms.
Impedance is much more complex than that but for your purposes, the concern is that too low an impedance load is not on the amp. 3 ohms is low - 2 can be dangerous to the amp because it is close to an absolute short circuit to the amp/AVR.
You can learn a little about crossovers if you want by looking at a chart for 1st order passive crossovers here if the link is not blocked .http://www.diyaudioandvideo.com/Tables/ButterworthCrossover/1stOrder/
A 3 uf capacitor will filter out the bass below about 6kHz for an 8 ohm tweeter. That will keep the tweeter from frying.
It can be a good learning experience to try adding the tweeter. It's output likely won't be balanced well with your other speakers but it might be okay; there is just one way to find out and that is by hooking them up.
To level the tweeter output with your speakers you can use a simple L-Pad variable attenuator that will reduce and adjust the level of the tweeter. They come with directions for hooking up and are low cost.
L-Pad Attenuator: http://www.parts-express.com/parts-...attenuator-100w-mono-3-8-shaft-8-ohm--260-262
Good luck


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## djloui (Nov 10, 2014)

Thank you so much for your response! Very helpfull! I have a question, could I wire the tweeter and the speaker in series in order to rise the inpendance since they will be very low if I wire them in parallel? or should I add another speaker in series then connect the tweeter in parallel?

Thanks again!


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## robbo266317 (Sep 22, 2008)

Simple answer, No, it will not work! (But hey, try it, the results will speak for them-self)

As stated, crossover design is not simple or easy. There are too many factors that have to be considered including the amplifiers capabilities.
Also this unit is a 4Ω tweeter and integrating it into an existing system requires a lot more information than you have at hand.
Feel free to experiment, However we take no responsibility for the consequences! :no:


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## DqMcClain (Sep 16, 2015)

"work" is a dubious choice of wording here... 

You'll get signal. It will make sound. Technically, it will "work". As everyone else has stated, you're very unlikely to get any kind of improvement from this approach. You may or may not damage the new tweeter, but you're not likely to cause any harm to the existing speaker. Wiring in series will increase the load the amplifier sees, and that will effectively prevent you from causing any lasting harm there as well. Worst case, you blow a new tweeter and learn something the hard way. 

The absolute simplest thing you can do in the world of building your own speakers is to pull apart your existing speakers, find out what the power/impedance of the current drivers are, and replace them with similar power/impedance/size drivers. 

This may or may not give you any readable improvement, but what it WILL do is get you into the practice of looking up driver specs and trying to build a system that functions as a whole... and it saves you the trouble of building a box. Again, you may not experience an increase in sound quality (since driver performance and box design are inextricably linked, and throwing new drivers into an old box almost guarantees the box won't be the right design), but as Wayne pointed out this is a learning experience. 

OR, if you definitely want an improvement and you're not super interested in the process, go buy better speakers. 

Remember this: Success comes from wisdom, wisdom comes from experience, experience comes from failure, and failure comes from effort. If you never try it, you'll never learn. Have fun, and don't set yourself on fire.


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## Synthsayer (Dec 19, 2007)

Too bad the tweeter is 4 ohm. 8 ohm would be better and I am sure you could find a low cost one at Parts Epxress or elsewhere.
Do not wire in series. This will double the impedance load on the amp/AVR and effectively cut the amps power in half. You can try it with one speaker and tweeter to see what happens but I advise against it. You won't use it that way so don't risk hurting your amp with experiments.
You want to improve the sound to your liking, not a science experiment 

Looking for replacement tweeters and woofers is the best way to start if you want to modify or rebuild your speakers.

Are you using a surround system w 5 - 7 spkrs or just 2 channel/speaker stereo?

For the best cost to performance look in local ads for Christmas Specials, I saw Kilpsch Quintet that normally sells for $549 on sale from Klipsch online for $275 with free shipping. I actually bought a pair to see what they sound like and they aren't bad. especially with a big holiday discount.

Amazon has tons of speakers for good prices. They seem to have lots of 'Last year's models' at good discounts.

Check these JBL 3 Way Bookshelf ES 10BK out for $139 per pair with Amazon Prime free 2 day shipping.
They have lots of deals right now.

I have no financial interest in Amazon or JBL  I came across that deal when browsing Amazon home theater section.

Good luck:bigsmile:


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## djloui (Nov 10, 2014)

Yup, I would try to replace the speakers since I don't want to damage the receiver.

Thanks everyone!


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