AR 303 xover parts upgrade

[thiptoman]

I forget where I read this but is it possible to buy a new crossover network for these speakers that will allow for improved sonics? If so who sells such a network, I'am very interested?

[Guest]

AR had available for purchase AR 303a crossovers for $80 (I think) each, The boards are different size and mount differently than the stock 303 crossovers. They come mounted on terminal cups that are wider but shorter than the 303 stock crossover. The cups don't fit in the stock hole. They have dual input wiring and binding posts for bi-amping or bi-wiring. However, with a little imagination (very little) you can make it work using the old terminal cup. The 303a crossover uses heavier gauge wire in the coils and film capacitors in place of some electrolytics. The woofer shunt capacitor is still electrolytic. Does it sound better? I guess it must but I'm hard put to hear the difference.

[Guest]

Just upgrade the components in your stock crossover. The woofer coil in the 303/302 is a joke, cheap 19 or 20ga wire on a iron bar core former. Switch this for a good 14ga steel laminate or copper foil inductor any you'll drop about .8 ohm of resistance from the woofer circuit, this makes a big difference. Doesn't hurt to move the woofer circuit off the main board and mount it down in the bottom of the box. This provides some isolation between it and the coils in the HF circuits.

Caps in the tweeter circuit are mylar, better than electro's but a good high voltage poly is even better. Mid caps are usually all electro, yank em' and install poly's.

Rest of the crossover is more or less fine, but you could switch the series resistors in the mid/tweeter circuits with quality non-inductive types. The factory resistors I've measured have varied as much as +/- .5 ohm from their rated value, and you at least want matching values from side to side.