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Upgrade Your Realistic Minimus 7 Speakers (PZ Mod)
Рет қаралды 5,965
Күн бұрынIn this video I complete the Pete & Zilch mods (PZ 2.1 mod) on a set of Realistic Minimus 7 speakers. This is my third pair and I’m no expert but I am pretty happy with the design that I made. Towards the end of the video there is a listening test to hear the difference between a pair that doesn’t have the mod completed and a pair that does have the mod completed.
I also opted to keep the tweeter a bit more bright than the base mod by changing the 2ohm resistor that’s in line with the tweeter to a 1 ohm resistor which gives the tweeter a boost. It’s way better than the stock version and I just prefer the extra treble.
You can read all about the mod and see the diagrams and schematics that I followed for this build on AudioKarma here: audiokarma.org...
There are a couple of changes that I plan to make to my version of the crossover but I’m happy with it for now.
If you have any interest in purchasing a set of crossovers or upgraded speakers, leave a comment or shoot me an email and let me know. (Shuksanaudio@gmail.com)
Parts list 🪛
Binding posts:
www.parts-expr...
40 ohm wirewound resistor:
www.parts-expr...
3 ohm wirewound resistor:
www.parts-expr...
1 ohm (2 ohm for less treble) wirewound resistor
www.parts-expr...
.40mh inductor (or use the one from the stock xover)
www.parts-expr...
1.0mh inductor (Iron core is cheapest and smallest)
www.parts-expr...
4.7uF film capacitor:
www.parts-expr...
2.0uF Film capacitor:
www.parts-expr...
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My name is Matt. I live in Washington State and create content around vintage stereos and other audio equipment. I approach the hobby from the standpoint of appreciating the aesthetic as well as having a system that is enjoyable to listen to my favorite music on. I'm not generally spending time worrying about having the right cables or how good the speakers sound beyond a certain point. So long as the music sounds good enough to dance to, I'm happy. If you have a receiver that you would like serviced, drop a comment and we could talk about service costs.
IG and Tik Tok are @TheDealyDeal
@Shuksanaudio 8 ай бұрын
Thanks for watching! I've now created a drop-in crossover and have it for sale here: www.ebay.com/itm/387271394170 As time allows, I will also make a kit with all of the parts that will be cheaper.
@mikeiver Ай бұрын
Did the Zilch mod to my pair of Optimus 7 speakers i boughtnew in the early 90s. Same drivers and crap Xover as the Minimus 7 with the addition of a port on the back to add in that wonderful "chuffing" sound no one needs! Stuffed it with dacron fibre and problem solved. The Zilch mod is so worth the effort and the difference is night and day! Magical combo, drive them with a NAD 3020. A couple of notes. Use Kester 63/37 solder with the 44 rosin core. It does not cause corrosion and is still the best solder ever! I know this because I have been soldering for 50 plus years now. I assembled my cross over in a tight compact cluster with all components epoxied together to minimize the volume reduction of the enclosure and make mounting easier. I hot glued the crossover to the enclosure inside between the woofer and tweeter to make it easy to wire. Still using the stock spring terminals right now but working on something different using Wago blocks instead.
@Shuksanaudio Ай бұрын
Nice! Yea those ports can be so annoying if they weren't designed right. I use Kester 60/40 right now but when I run out I plan to pick up the 63/37. I've heard so many good things about it so thank you for adding to the pile haha.
@jimmilroy693 Ай бұрын
Working on Min 7's is like therapy for non-bench guys. I did the Zilch and used zip ties and wire connectors. Maybe some black tape. Not good at soldering..but I'm going to try to clean up my next crossover. I just lined it with Dynamat too. Sound is a bit more solid. Every little thing you can do to these helps. You did a wonderful job on the board from start to finish. I also hope to make over my Min 77's and 3.5's.
@Shuksanaudio Ай бұрын
HAha yes! They're so fun to tinker with and very low pressure. I read about someone making a small line array out of 24 of them and I kinda want to try that eventually haha. The Dynamat is a good idea! I'm glad you liked the board! I'm working on a new iteration that's even cleaner to sell as a drop in replacement for the old Xover. Pretty stoked about it. Thanks for watching!
@P0licywonk Ай бұрын
I did this project three years ago. I ended up cutting a piece of hardboard the size of the bottom of the cabinet. Built the crossover on that and hot glued it inside.
@Shuksanaudio Ай бұрын
Amazing! Hardboard works really well.
@adampoll4977 Ай бұрын
I can tell you, even over KZfaq (I'm listening with usb output to a Cambridge Audio StreamMagic through Cambridge Azur AVR and home-built full-range transmission-line speakers) your modded speakers sound INFINITELY better than the standard 😀
@Shuksanaudio Ай бұрын
I'm glad you can hear the difference! It is quite drastic. Much smoother. Thanks for watching!
@wiggyjones 6 ай бұрын
I worked at Radio Shack in high school. I bought these when they'd go on sale once a year. Still have them. They're great, although in honesty, I really prefer the Minimus 11 speakers and Boston Acoustic HD5 speakers I bought in the 1990s.
@Shuksanaudio 6 ай бұрын
Nice! There's definitely better speakers out there that are similar size. Thanks for watching!
@user-fz2ul7wl2d 4 ай бұрын
I loved these speakers growing up. These were out in the early 80s.
@Shuksanaudio 4 ай бұрын
Yea! They have quite a cult following. I love the way they sound for their size! Thanks for watching :)
@watdanuqta-mf5ms 6 ай бұрын
Very nice. I happened to modify a pair also. I accidentally blew one of the bass drivers and they sat for a year and I figured why not. Replaced the woofer with a better one with a longer throw and a smaller but powerful neodymium magnet. MKP Metalized Polypropylene Foil Crossover Capacitors from Audyn(Germany) and Jantzen Cross Caps from Denmark pus 16g polyethylene coated wire, etc. I ordered quality air core inductors but the ones there already were good enough. And of course good, not great binding posts. We are talking about Minimus 7s. Amazing midrange and highs with much better power handling. I tried putting a couple of photos up but my reply kept being taken down.
@Shuksanaudio 6 ай бұрын
Wow! That's quite a set of upgrades. I bet they sound awesome. Thanks for sharing. -Matt
@LarryMarsh 28 күн бұрын
Just picked up an aluminum pair in Goodwill for $4. I was surprised they sounded pretty good on the STA-112 that I got with them for $20.
@Shuksanaudio 15 күн бұрын
Nice! That's a sweet deal on both!
@carlosmacmartin4205 6 ай бұрын
I bought a pair off eBay and hooked them up yesterday. They're okay. The bass is almost non-existent, so I'll be pairing them up with a subwoofer. I currently own: JBL Stage A120, Jamo S 803, Sony SSCS5, Dayton B652 Air, & Fostex P800E. Out of all these bookshelf speakers, the Jamo sound the best out of the box. I gave the pair to my son and ended up purchasing another. Might try the smaller Jamo S 801 at some point. Jamo are hard to beat, especially if you can buy a pair 2nd hand. Thanks for sharing!
@Shuksanaudio 5 ай бұрын
Good to know about the Jamo speakers! I'll have to check them out. You're right about the bass on these M7s. They definitely need a sub with them. Thanks for watching!
@carlosmacmartin4205 5 ай бұрын
@MattDealy I bought 2 active, slim subwoofers this weekend. Dayton Audio 100 Watts and Theater Solutions 250 watts. They both add much needed bass! Check them out.
@madmad8582 Ай бұрын
Most of my speakers I run them what I call full range and I just use caps on the tweeter for protection the woofer Runs in full range so it has more midrange plus bas , to me it works very well and sounds awesome except for my EV 12 TRXB it has its own crossover built into the speaker , most full range speakers don't need a crossover . My coolest Speaker is a ALTEC University Mustang it does not require a crossover I let them run in full range in a pair of Aristocrat enclosures crafted bye Paul Klipsch , I built mine from plans from Electrovoice , and the enclosure is built to run in the corners of a room they really do enhance the sound that comes out of them just like being in a theater , The Aristocrat can give any speaker a increase of 10 Watts . I am The Speaker Doctor I have bin building speakers since high school , to me Electrovoice is one of the best theater speakers made and for live performances plus they make awesome guitar speakers . sorry i love to gab about my speaker builds .
@Shuksanaudio Ай бұрын
Nice! Yes, some woofers work fine without a low pass filter which is how a lot of lower end vintage speakers were run with nothing on the woofer. It keeps the damping factor of the speaker lower for older amps with low damping factors such as tube amps and early solid state. I used to have a set of the 15" Electrovoice wolverine full range speakers and they sounded pretyy solid in an open baffle setup. Sounds like you've been doing this a long time! I love to hear about peoples builds! Thanks for sharing and watching my video!
@adaboy4z 5 ай бұрын
These are excellent near field speakers. I have them beside my monitor and the bass is good.
@Shuksanaudio 5 ай бұрын
Agreed! They work wonderfully for near field. Thanks for watching!
@LVeAV 7 ай бұрын
The hardest part about showing speaker upgrades is recording. It's why on my tests I try to get closer to the speakers, to negate room reflections, this is even more important when dealing with smaller speakers as their dispersion is so much wider room effects leak into the typical phone and recorder omnidirectional microphones. The best way to get a good representation of the sound would be to go old school and use a dynamic microphone placed close to the speaker, you gotta experiment with positioning between woofer and tweeter to get a realistic phase alignment depending on crossover design and driver placement.
@Shuksanaudio 7 ай бұрын
Ahhh! This is such a great tip! I will try using a mic closer to the speakers in future comparisons! It would be fun to run two mics in mono and get a stereo sound so that you could listen to it on KZfaq with earbuds or headphones and get the stereo image. Thanks for watching!
@lwh7301 6 ай бұрын
I bought the original pairs in 1980 for my dorm room, and still have them after 40 plus years. Coupled with the legendary NAD 3020, these speakers will blow you away. Everyone in the dorm were amazed. I have hooked them up to lesser electronics, and their shine disappears. So don't believe the notion that they don't have any bass. A few years ago, I hooked them again and found the highs to be harsh. Swapped the electrolytic cap and still sounded harsh. Don't know if my ears changed or that I no longer have the NAD 3020 run them.
@Shuksanaudio 6 ай бұрын
Interesting! Maybe it's a perfect match. You should get another 3020 and see if that shine comes back. Thanks for sharing!
@lwh7301 6 ай бұрын
@@Shuksanaudio I sold the 3020 to a friend of mine back in the early 90's, and he still has it. Traded it with him for his microwave. Grrrrr... But he doesn't want to sell. Good thing is I still have the microwave and use it everyday. The 3020 on Ebay are way overpriced now.
@Shuksanaudio 6 ай бұрын
Oh man! That's wild. Glad that the microwave is still working haha. They don't seem overpriced to me at 200-300 for a solid amp with shipping. But maybe I'm just used to different receivers. I'd love to try a Nad 3020 someday. @@lwh7301
@lwh7301 6 ай бұрын
@@Shuksanaudio I paid $199 for the 3020 brand new in 1980, so I find it hard to believe that they are going for $300 these days. And they tend to be beat up, having gone through many hands. I had to replace a large capacitor ($5) in the microwave once, but it's been great. It's a Panasonic, made in Japan.
@olbucky9413 5 ай бұрын
Hi there I’m in the process of getting some m7’s and still have a 3020…I’ll let a comment about how they work out. FYI I was thinking of using a Fosi v3 in my bedroom with them as it has a rather polite top end…if you’re looking for something “economical” to try with yours.
@davidhannalpc7169 2 ай бұрын
Great video!
@TheAgeOfAnalog 7 ай бұрын
Nice! Put some bass blockers on them and pair with a Dayton Sub-80 and you'll have a killer 2.1 system.
@Shuksanaudio 7 ай бұрын
Love the recommendation! They do sound really good with a sub!
@dogcowrph 6 ай бұрын
I had a white pair that were apparent speakers that I repurposed for my game room’s rear surround system. I have hearing damage but I like @B” better. Yes, it is more shrill but that’s why you don’t buy speakers sign unheard.
@Shuksanaudio 6 ай бұрын
Nice! These make great surrounds. I think audio is great because different people prefer different things. It allows us to build a system that we like for our tastes which feels more personal. Thanks for chiming in! -Matt
@k-sell4065 8 ай бұрын
Great video
@Shuksanaudio 8 ай бұрын
Thank you! I appreciate you watching ❤️
@ScottGrammer Ай бұрын
5:46 Vintage audio tech with 47 years experience here. I saw this video months ago, but just now noticed that you "don't use solder with flux in it." How do you get it to stick? And why would you do such a thing? What's wrong with rosin-core solder? (Remember, you're arguing with literally EVERYONE who has ever soldered an electrical connection.)
@Shuksanaudio Ай бұрын
I use flux free solder because it helps keep the phase alignment of my prognosticator and transmogrifier at a perfect 180°...Just kidding, I have no idea why I said that in the video haha. I must have been very tired that day. I will add a card to that time stamp to clarify. I use Kester 60/40 rosin core solder. You're always finding my mistakes and helping to educate the people and me, Scott. I appreciate it!
@ScottGrammer Ай бұрын
@@Shuksanaudio People have been finding my mistakes for 60 years, my friend! But that's how we learn. Thanks!
@jameslaidler2152 7 ай бұрын
Those were cute little buggers, and genuinely good tweeters. Are they silk domes?
@Shuksanaudio 6 ай бұрын
They sure were haha. Yea! Silk domes. The tweeters sound great. I really like the way these sound after the crossover mod. Perfect for a small room with a sub. Thanks for watching!
@mr.selfdestruct2917 9 күн бұрын
A. all day
@hhvictor2462 6 ай бұрын
imo the vocals on speaker B sounded more real or live. but yeah, the shrill factor is a negative.
@Shuksanaudio 6 ай бұрын
Totally! That extra bit of brightness does keep them sounding more alive at lower volumes. Its ear piercing once you turn it up haha. Thanks for chiming in ❤️ -Matt
@olbucky9413 5 ай бұрын
Hi Matt nice job! Have you considered an external crossover for ease? There may even be some benefit from getting it away from internal vibration. Cheers!
@Shuksanaudio 5 ай бұрын
Thank you! I have thought about it as it would free up some internal volume which could help with bass a little. It would require a bit more planning and prep and would leave the speakers more easily damaged. Would be a fun little project though...Thanks for watching!
@alanrogs3990 2 ай бұрын
My unmodified Minimus 7's sound better (to me) than my John Blue JB3 speakers. That seems crazy but they are a lot more pleasant.
@Shuksanaudio 2 ай бұрын
Nice! I'm glad you enjoy them so much! They do sound nice for their size even stock. Thanks for watching!
@k-sell4065 8 ай бұрын
I have the wooden oak finish one. On an old realistic receiver
@Shuksanaudio 8 ай бұрын
Nice! Those are beautiful little speakers. Realistic made some solid receivers as well.
@jemsmay2167 7 ай бұрын
Hey Matt, nice work. How much for a pair of crossovers?
@Shuksanaudio 7 ай бұрын
Thanks James! I’m scheming up a new crossover design and trying to keep it cheap ish. I think a pair of them would cost around $80-90 with shipping. Is that something you’d be interested in?
@Dave-if5qj Ай бұрын
Those minimus 7 Were sold by the thousands
@user-fz2ul7wl2d 4 ай бұрын
JBL makes speakers like this but are on a whole another plane of quality and sound.
@Shuksanaudio 4 ай бұрын
I bet! JBL makes really great stuff!
@alanrogs3990 2 ай бұрын
What are they called?
@danc2014 7 ай бұрын
Bid you glue the parts down also? They will always vibrate if only solder in.
@Shuksanaudio 7 ай бұрын
I did not glue the parts on this version because they are held in place by the leads going through the hard board. They're relatively small and they never rattled because the hard board is textured and soft enough. You are right though, it's usually a good idea to glue the components down and I'd probably glue them for good measure if I make more xovers using this schematic. Thanks for watching!
@thelowprofile9767 7 ай бұрын
Hi Matt. I watch your video and would like to know how you removed the grills. That part of your video was too fast so I couldn't make out how you did it. I have a pair of those white speakers and one of them is a little dented. I want to fix it but I don't know how to remove the grill. Please let me know how. Also, I have another pair but with the wooden baffle with cloth grill. Do you know how to remove those grills? I can't find any video on how it is done. The reason I want to remove the grill is because one of them seem to have a defective woofer or twitter. I want to check which one is defective. Please let me know when you get the chance. Thanks.
@Shuksanaudio 7 ай бұрын
Thanks for tuning in! Sorry that the video was so fast in that part. I used a pair of fine curved tweezers. I stick the end of them (or a small screwdriver or toothpick or something) into one of the holes on the side of the grill then lift it up. The grills are only held in place with some blue tak sort of goo and should lift easily on one corner with that trick, then you can lift the rest by hand. I hope that helps! -Matt
@MarkWilliams-ix1qf 4 ай бұрын
The grill is held in by 4 glue blobs/strips near corners. I used a knife blade through one of the tiny holes near a corner in the grill to lever up one corner, then another corner. That gets one side up, and you can just use your hands to lift the grill out. It's fiddley, but not too bad. If you are lucky, you can use the same glue strips to hold it in when you are done. Otherside a bead of hot glue might serve?
@hhvictor2462 6 ай бұрын
Models with the walnut face are rare compared to the others.
@Shuksanaudio 6 ай бұрын
They sure are! I've never found a walnut pair at a thrift but I hope to one day! Thanks for watching!
@randysaylor700 3 ай бұрын
I just bought a pair from an antique/thrift store for $20! They are in excellent shape and will just require a quick sand and new finish. I was going to build this crossover, but let me know what you are going to sell them for and I may just get them through you!
@Shuksanaudio 3 ай бұрын
Amazing! that's a great deal for the wooden ones! I'll be working on the crossover kit soon, shoot me an email if you're interested and I'll let you know when I have them ready Shuksanaudio@gmail.com @@randysaylor700
@kevinchew2594 7 ай бұрын
how many inch this mini speaker driver ? tq
@Shuksanaudio 6 ай бұрын
It's a 4 inch woofer on these little guys. Thanks for watching!
@mitchmurrell753 7 ай бұрын
Matt, who can I get to work on my walnut pr. They are original. I want to ship them and get them back restored.
@Shuksanaudio 7 ай бұрын
Thanks for stopping in. I am working on a simpler crossover design that is more drop in but I could also drop it into your walnut pair if you wanted to mail them. It would just cost a bit extra. Shoot me an email if you're serious about this and we can chat more. It might be a couple of months before I can get to them. Shuksanaudio@gmail.com
@k-sell4065 8 ай бұрын
New sub here
@Shuksanaudio 8 ай бұрын
Ayye thank you!
@ScottGrammer 8 ай бұрын
Try taking a stock minimus seven and simply reversing the tweeter leads. The tweeters were intentionally wired out-of-phase to make the speaker seem to have more bass. This mod costs nothing and is reversible.
@Shuksanaudio 8 ай бұрын
Thanks for the tip, Scott! I’ve heard of this mod but haven’t tested it myself. What improvements did you notice? Does it flatten out the tweeter level? Coming in with the great tips as always 🙏
@ScottGrammer 8 ай бұрын
@@Shuksanaudio It makes the midrange much less phasey and more - if you'll pardon the pun - realistic. It's just more musical, especially with strings and vocals.
@Shuksanaudio 8 ай бұрын
@@ScottGrammer haha pun pardoned lol. I'll have to try that if I come acrosso another pair. Nice simple mod.
@Omegga26 6 ай бұрын
Would this mod work for the Minimus 77 as well?
@ScottGrammer 6 ай бұрын
@@Omegga26 I don't know, as I have not tried it. But, give it a shot, It can't hurt anything, and its reversible.
@kkensington 7 ай бұрын
You've done some really fine work on those, but both pairs sound like a phone.
@Shuksanaudio 7 ай бұрын
Haha 😂 They definitely sound a lot better in person but still lack any low end and do give a very shouty/phone sounding experience if used without a sub. Thanks for watching :)
@ravithompson1082 5 ай бұрын
A
@Shuksanaudio 5 ай бұрын
Thanks for watching!
@ArthurJS123 5 ай бұрын
Way too much work for what these speakers are. Just not worth It.
@Shuksanaudio 5 ай бұрын
To each their own
@MarkWilliams-ix1qf 4 ай бұрын
They are tiny, and cheap. The tweeter is excellent, and the 4 inch woofer is adequate to maybe 100Hz. If you want decent bass, you must add a subwoofer. This post is about improving speakers we already have, so a lot of people are interested in doing that. You can't buy these new, but they are very common in thrift stores or on FB Marketplace for $20 and up. Of course these won't rival the sound of huge expensive speakers, but that's not their purpose. They work great if you need a tiny, cheap speaker, say on a desktop or even bedside.
@ArthurJS123 4 ай бұрын
@@MarkWilliams-ix1qf I still dislike them. Adding a subwoofer defeats the purpose of them.
@Shuksanaudio 4 ай бұрын
To clarify for people that may not understand what Arthur is referring to and to state less of an opinion and more facts. There are some people who would prefer to have their speakers cover the full frequency range rather than have a separate sub. Using a sub with speakers is often times a much cheaper and smaller solution to filling in the low end than having large speakers. It's also true that almost all speakers don't have good bass response below 40hz and a sub can help fill in that gap. Some people just prefer to not use subs. To get even more nerdy, the wave of a bass freqeuncy is very long, which means it's very hard or impossible for your brain to tell where the frequencies are coming from, which means that you can place a single sub near your speakers and you won't be able to tell that the bass is only coming from one corner or the other the same way that you would if it were producing higher frequencies. I disagree that using a sub defeats the purpose of speakers. They both serve a purpose and can save a lot of money and space. @@ArthurJS123
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