Humble Homemade Hifi - Loudspeaker Upgrades (2024)

Humble Homemade Hifi

Loudspeaker Upgrades

Like many things, the loudspeaker world hasn't stood still. Due to increasingly better measuring techniques and insight, new materials and applications, more refined products appear on the market. Humble Homemade Hifi continuously follows these developments and offers you the possibility to make use of them in your existing loudspeakers. An upgrade or modification can consist of the strategic and careful replacement of electrical components such as resistors, inductors or capacitors. But also alterations to the dampingplan and the mechanical properties of the loudspeaker cabinet can result in less colouration and better integration with the room acoustics. The end result is better definition, a more spacious image, more fine detail and a calmer presentation of the musical content. You also have the possibilty to fine-tune an existing loudspeaker to the rest of the hifi-system and to your own personal taste. So, if you're not completely satisfied with your current loudspeakers but you find it a pity to get rid of them or the purchase of a set of new loudspeakers is too costly, consider a loudspeaker upgrade. After a professional treatment by Humble Homemade Hifi, your speakers will give you enjoyment for years to come!

What customers say:

"It is always difficult to describe sound, but it is a very successful revision / upgrade. The bass is completely back and is even more subtle compared to when I bought it new. The highs, lows and mids are now more balanced. You can place instruments even better in terms of spatiality, sometimes it seems that an instrument is in front of the speaker in terms of sound, or behind it. Mids and highs are better defined compared to before the revision. The biggest compliment, however, is that my wife took the time to listen for a long time, she had never done that in our 25 years of marriage." (Wolf, Arnhem, The Netherlands - revision and upgrade Link M22)

"I have installed the filters today and I just have to say that it is a fantastic success. I have over time had different horn systems but this is so far the best and I can only say thanks for your help! This is just so great! I was worried that the change could be disappointing, but this is better than I could have hoped for. The TAD elements are unbelievable with your filters." (Gunnar, Norway - new crossovers for TAD 2402)

"I'm extremely pleased with the result. The highs are very extended, perfect for my liking, vocals and instruments sound real and the bass, it's there. A local technician said was he was very impressed with the bass from bookshelf speakers of this size. The overall sound exceeds my expectations and it helped reach my goal, which is a tube sound, not slow and thick, but with high contrast like how you described the Jantzen Alumen Z-Cap. I feel I'm listening to the music, live, forgetting about my audio setup. The original Nola Boxer sounded good for the money, but with custom crossovers they sound live and real. I feel my audio journey has come to an end, almost. I still want to remod my tube amp and upgrade my balanced power conditioner. I see nothing beyond that. I can't thank you enough for your crossover, which is my biggest upgrade and the last missing part of the puzzle to get to audio nirvana." (Lieng, Canada - crossover upgrade Nola Boxer)

"The speakers have now been run in nicely. Sitting in the sweet spot enjoying them with a nice beer and a big grin. Once again you have delivered fantastic work, bizarre how these, now quarter century old speakers, sound. Nicely hom*ogeneous, coherent, it's just right. Bass is super balanced, which was a concern before the overhaul. It's unbelievable what good filter components, new cabling and new damping material can do with relatively simple drivers. This is really great! ..... An admirer!!" (Kobus, Rotterdam, The Netherlands - Impulse 54 complete revision and upgrade)

"First of all, I would like to thank you again for all your time, effort and dedication on this wonderful upgrade, you are The Man! Considering the quality of the loudspeaker cabinets and of the speaker drivers, I had big expectations that a good crossover upgrade would have a large impact and would be a better option to achieve the sound quality I aimed, instead of buying new expensive speakers. The result exceeded my initial expectations, the difference is bigger than I expected, it´s like I have totally different, much better speakers. In the bass area I can finally hear the Krell FPB 300CX's power, driving the woofers with authority and control as never before. The bass is now more pleasant, dynamic, extended and present without distortion, even when I play at a higher than comfortable sound level. Even if lack of good bass was my speakers biggest fault (and I really appreciated the huge improvement), it was on the mid-range and treble areas that behavior was raised to an unexpected level. The noise-floor dropped a lot and all small details are now much more evident, sound improved in terms of fulness and timbre, more natural voices and instruments are more real. More “meat on the bone” …… nice! Good attack and dynamics are now characteristics that these speakers did not have before and together with the added detail, allow musical instruments and voices to show there full soul with no signs of unwanted sharpness or edge. As a summary: a lot more natural, pleasant and controlled sound - more music! The soundstage also improved, especially due to the reduced noise floor and better overall timbre, the instruments are now more “spread” along the sound stage and positioning is more solid." (José, Maia, Portugal - filter upgrade Pioneer S1-EX)

"I want to express my gratitude and thanks for the phenomenally done work. Thanks for the courtesy and responsiveness, you are a real master!" (Mikhail, Moscow, Russia - filter upgrade Klipsch Cornwall III)

"Good morning Tony, I have installed the crossovers you sent, and they are so good! They improve my little JBL speakers into sporty giants. I would say, my Jubals turn into beauty. I will enjoy my weekend listening my to Jubals. Thank you." (Irfan, Inodnesia - filter upgrade JBL L65 Jubal)

"The JBL's have been playing with your improved filters since 2 weeks. First I let them play continuously for a few days and then the real testing started. First on the 47-Labs Shigaraki (2x20w) this is a very fast, direct sounding amplifier so I had high expectations regarding the treble of the JBL's in combination with the new filters. Those expectations were more than met. The treble during the song "Just a little lovin'" by Shelby Lynne sounded so increadibly free, open and direct that I immediately fell in love with the JBL's again. The placement of the instruments is really cool and I've never had that with these speakers before. Also the bass is reasonably under control this amplifier despite the fact that the speakers do need some power. The speaker sounds more detailed, much nicer and especially opener. I am amazed by the upgrade and am very satisfied during the listening session with the 47-labs amplifier.
And then the Musical Fidelity (with tube pre-stage) is hooked-up again, this is the set that I mainly play on the JBL's. An amplifier with a bulk of power and warmth through the tube pre-amplifier. When I play "Get lucky" by Daft Punk (terrible song, but fun to test) I am completely bowled over, the bass has so much more control, it's so tight and full, I've never heard it like this on these speakers. The mid and high is also extremely nice to listen to. Even the Musical Fidelity paints a very big picture and can place everything perfectly. All in all, my impression is very positive and I want to thank you for the beautiful work you have delivered! I also appreciate the service of fast delivery." (Olaf, Velp, The Netherlands - filter upgrade JBL XE-6)

"The set: DIY streamer with battery power supply, pre-pamp: Pathos In Control, power amp: Krell FPB600 modified, speaker cables: Phantom Gold LS, interlinks: DIY ultra pure multiple copper wires in Teflon and cotton with WBT Nextgen connectors, power cords: Furutech Alpha. We are listening to recordings of John Cage (flac) - "Music for Merce Cunningham". It is eight o'clock in the evening, it's dark outside and the set has been switched on for 48 hours. The song "Five Stone Wind" is playing via the streamer. Instantly a glow of energy is created around the speakers. An energy that merges with it the rest of the room and directly transports you into another situation. The feeling comes over you as if you go into a different environment through a wormhole. There is tranquility, a very nice warm, open, almost surrealitic fairy tale peace. The sense of presence is particularly high. Goosebumps run over the body. It is possible!
The following music file (flac) is Wende Snijders with the song "Adem Uit." As if she is in the room! How real and spatial everything is displayed. The quiet moments between her voice and the start of the musical instruments is done with a lot of conviction and emotion in the set. The instruments and her voice sound natural. nothing is overdone. Now it's time for Leonard Cohen with the song "It Seemed the Better Way" from the album "You Want it Darker" in 24-Bits/44kHz. The male voice is displayed fantasticly. The articulation is very natural. The calmness is great and the emotion and definition in his voice are conveyed crystal clear.
When we listen to a piano concert (24-Bits/96kHz) from Johan Sebastian Bach by Thomas Günther (D Steinway Piano), we imagine ourselves being in the concert hall. The timbre is beautiful, true tones of the Steinway piano fill the living room. The decay of the reverberation of the keys is very detailed and realistic. It sounds warm and engaging and again it is obvious that Tony's filter design is of exceptionally good quality. Of course, the sophisticated components and structure of the set as a whole contribute to this experience. The Japanese Taiko drums are also realistic. The cymabls on the album "Discover World Percussion" with the song "Ojo To Wa Ninu Ose" sound live. When the cymbals are rotated during clashing them together you can even hear the weight and inertia of the cymbals during turning. Spooky realistic. We are sitting at home listening with amazement how realistic it appears to be. We know how cymbals sound in real-life. The song "Uncross" by "Dean Peer". The crescendo of the strings is well defined and powerful, fast, open and dynamic. The violins are portrayed very convincingly.
Now, after 30 years of being busy with this hobby I can finally say that it is completed. Only the speakers have cost more than a 1000 hours to build, tune, experiment and customize. The filter design is ingenious. It is clear that the choice of the filter components on their own specific position is done well. I have heard a lot of speakers in my life, heard them on shows, in stores and in people's homes, some very musical and impressive sounding but still lacking the magic. My speakers can now give a large sound-stage where natural coherence, articulation, timbre and harmonic structure are key items. The speakers can portray voices and acoustic instruments exquisitly with a sound-stage very close to reality with an unprecedented fairytale-like warm atmosphere, where living-room and music playback are fused into one hom*ogeneous whole. Tony Gee, thanks for your input on this truly is formidable filter design." (Marcel, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands - filter revision DIY loudspeakers)

"The initial set of values you sent worked out to be the best. When I say that this was a good thing that you did is an absolute understatement!! The speakers are so natural, transparent, detailed without edge, and the sound stage is staggering: depth, width and height. The depth in a large choir or orchestra is sensational. I have recently purchased an SE 845 amp and the synergy is quite simply ... Breathtaking. Thanks you for giving me this experience, one which I have never had in my listening room." (Brian, East Greenbush, United States of America - filter upgrade Swans Speaker Systems Allure)

"Through this way, I want to thank you again for your time and effort. It was an informative day for me and I find it very nice to see someone working with so much passion and hear them tell about it. I can say that the upgrade is 100% successful, more dynamics and more transparency. It's definitely a positive effect!" (Chris, Almere, The Netherlands - upgrade Avalon Avatar)

"The upgrade of the crossovers can clearly be heard. They have become totally different speakers, in a positive sense! On some recordings certain instruments, to which I previously did not pay attention, are now noticable. It's like when you put on glasses for farsightedness: suddenly you can see details in the distance that you suspected were there but just couldn't see very well. But the most important is the improvement in the midrange. Certain rock-music was previously just not fun to listen to (even with other speakers), a specific frequency was shrill and caused pressure on the ears ...... now everything is much more balanced with more hom*ogeneity. I am amazed every day when I hear details that were previously not noticable. Cymbals and hi-hats now have much more definition and detail while before they were not even recognizable on recordings as such. The bass also has a lot more definition, Marcus Miller is simply playing in the living room! All in all I am very happy with the upgrade. Thanks again for that." (Paul, Amersfoort, The Netherlands - upgrade Usher BE10)

"The results are impressive! A great improvement in all areas, the difference is much larger than I expected. What stands out is the treble where all sharp edges are gone, much more detail and greater imaging. The whole sound is nicely open and not as 'nasal' like before. The bass is much tighter and more detailed. And most importantly, it just makes a lot more music! A hit. Therefore, thanks for your advice on mixing and matching of components, it turned out perfect!" (Hans, Amsterdam, The Netherlands - filter upgrade Scanspeak Reference Monitor)

"Some time ago I thought that it should be possible to obtain some more (naturalness) from my Scan Speak Reference monitors by means of a crossover upgrade. The original crossovers were already made with very decent Tritec coils, MKP (low), Audyn Cap Plus capacitors (high) and Mundorf MResist Supreme resistors. After much research and wise consideration, taking into account the original filter design and especially thanks to the sound advice of the experienced Tony Gee, the results are impressive. What a difference: more calmth and sparkle at the same time, combined with layering and transparency, while placing both in depth and breadth are unprecedented with a deep, inky black background. Remarkably, the intelligibility and articulation of singers has once become much better. Really everything is an up-and-top improvement that is worth every penny. Tony, thank you!" (Bert, Groningen, The Netherlands - filter upgrade Scanspeak Reference Monitor)

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Last updated 28.3.2023