Hy there, the article is very interesting and im planning upgrading my Altecs really soon.
First of all thank you for writing it, now i dont think that i get that opamp in my country, if so, there are some specs that i need to know in order to buy an opamp for the altecs ? (if you could give me some alternatives it would be just great)

Thank You.

Hai,

About the Samxon caps you’re removing, what series are they ? (4700 uF & 1000 uF)

Thanks

hi there i also have a set of mx5021 and i found out that if u plug in a pair of headphone and then changes the treble or bass then unplug it, u will get different sound
and if u turn the speakers off and turn it on again u will get different sound too
i know its confusing but i just wanna if this happens to ur mx5021 or not

Hello again, ive opened my Altecs and i observed that one opamp is missing ! In your pictures i see 6 of them, ive got only 5. Anyways, if i want to change them, must i change them all ?

Hello Jimmy,
Sorry for my bad English 🙂
I have any question. What op-amp OPA2134PA/OPA2604/OPA627/AD825 is better? How change op-amp? Removed stock ST 4558 and insert OPA2134PA and all? How many uF is this red capacitors?
I have another crossover in satellites. There are C1 – 4,7uF 50V on tweeter, and C2 – 15uF 50V + L1 – 2,0A 560uH on woofer.
And, Why you don’t change TDA7265? For what, I can upgrade this?

Thanks.

Yes, there are noise, but very small… in typical my listening room (with a silent PC), only heard when I pump volume to maximum (4 to 5 LED) with no music played.

I think the noise come from the power supply… must be traced though, but I dont thinks it’s worth to try…

I’m about a noise from tweeter. I have a very big noise from tweeter. I don’t know, what do it. 🙁

About the ‘Red Capacitors’, what is the capacity (mF) each? Sorry, I can’t see clearly the capacity of the capacitor.

Thanks for the guide! I’m going to first try replacing the last output op-amp with an OPA2134 in a socket. Do you think this set would benefit if I replaced all of the op-amps, or would replacing the one be enough?

Wow this modding-article really tempting me! But, coz I’m not experienced with some electronic stuff such as capacitor, rectifier etc, I’m confused in some part of this article.
I have this MX in my house, and I, after reading your article, intend to try modding this speaker.
There are some question I’d like to ask. First thing I need to know, are modding very risky? What if I replace some component with other component that coincidentally not match?
In your article, you use ‘Elna’ capacitor to replace the ‘Samxon’. If I use different type or brand from that capacitor, are the result will be different too?
I read two of your article, first article is about modding the crossover of the satellite speaker (if I’m not mistaken) and the other is this amplifier-modding article. If I just modding one of them (ex. I’m just modding the amplifier), how far the result will be different compared to modding both of them?

Thanks for your help..

Thanks for your advice, now I try to mod my speaker first.
But when I opened my MX… whoa, it’s different than your crossover, here’s the ‘picture?’
|—————————–| (0) is the regular ‘Samxon’ small capacitor (15uF, 50v)
| (0) |———-| | (1) is the same ‘big black thing’ like in your crossover, but
| | 1 | | with different inductance, which is ‘560 uH, 2.0 A’
| w |——— | | (2) is the big yellow tube, come from ‘Samxon’. It have
| o ——– | ‘4.7 uF, 50v’ marked on its body (Is it a capacitor??)
| o | | | Considering the size, why is it only have 4.7 uF of capacitance?
| f | 2 | | Do you have some clue of this case?
| e | | |
| r ——– |

The 4.7uF is the high pass filter for the tweeter…
Replace this one with a better capacitor (Solen has good for price/performance ratio)…

Forget the price exactly… but around $15 for satellite and $20 for amplifier mod…

I think they have re-designed the amplifier… maybe to reduce the cost, they eliminate some components…

I dont know the function, have to check it first (have to open it again)… maybe next time…. sorry.

Hi there jimmy, good show. I just opened mine to take a look as the minijack is giving some trouble with some plugs. I am also planning a small set of mods. I already bypassed the tweeter caps with MKP, did not bother to change any other caps in the ‘woofer’ crossover in the sats. I must say you took a lot of trouble. Congratulations.

Two quick questions:
As a side note, all the active components are pretty poor quality – The 7265 specifications are pretty bad, the 7433D is a very basic processor, and the film caps are all polyester generics. Not sure how much advantage we can get from modding. The 4558 opamps make me shudder, now that I’ve opened it up.

1. Which caps are signal coupling? You changed the C61, C54 and C1. Far as I can tell the following also need to be changed:

C50 and 52 – these couple the return signal from the control pod to the TDA 7433D.
C45 and 34 – These couple the main input (back of the sub) to the first opamp U7
C41 and 46 – These couple the U7 output to the TDA 7433D. This first set is the input path for the input at the subwoofer back.

U7, U12, U14 and U9 (which you already changed). These are all directly in the signal path, not totally sure why so many opamps were required. There is also a TL074C on the back, I presume that is where the crossover for the subwoofer is, as it is routed straight to the TDA 7295’s + input. That cap is C118, BTW.

2. Do you continue to use the minijack for signal input? I think a worthwile mod would be to replace that with some panel mount RCA jacks – There’s plenty of space on the back panel, and the PCB has a nice blank square to drill through to route the wire and keep it short.

My quick observations show that C1 is a mute cap between pin 3 and 5, and is thus not important to the modding process for sound quality gain – though you did it anyway so was there a quality improvement?

My second observation is that the 0.22 uF is the only filter component in the satellite amps, and therefore should be replaced by a cap of the same value. A larger cap may pass a full range signal to the satellites, causing over-excursion. I luckily have some film caps of the exact same value salvaged from a NAD CD player, they will be helpful to me. I am not sure if the satellite signal goes through a high-pass earlier.

Sorry for the long post. Will check back later.

Hi, I’m back

Changed 6 caps to Panasonic FC, replaced .22 caps just before TDA7265 to .47 metallised poly. System sound balance has remained, so maybe the small caps are only because Altec are cheap.

Added 22uF Panasonic FC as decoupling for TDA7265, as the decoupling is pretty bad. Just soldered on reverse side of board.

Replaced subwoofer wire with 18AWG quality wire. Broke the sub connector while opening, noticed how thin the wire is.

Best way to open sub is from the front. Use a knife to cut the glue or the connectors are dificult to remove. Sub can be desoldered.

Opamps not changed yet, considering cheaper opamps as the TDA7265 will be the limiting factor. Maybe NE5532 or OPA2134.

The board is pretty bad, all the traces come off easily, so watch it when replacing caps or opamps. smallest amount of heat is enough to break the trace. Keep superglue handy for fixing.

Wire to satellites changed for 15 gauge speaker wire (not expensive audiophile stuff, just plain good quality wire).

Sorry no photos, don’t have a camera.

By the way spent some time browsing your blog, nice stuff. Do you have some recordings you want to put up? I dabble a bit in recording too. Would love to hear your stuff and see your gear.

Any advice on upgrading the OPMAPS in Altec Lansing 621. Thinking of upgrading to LME49720NA.

Hi,
please upload your crossover design and i can suggest some modification for you.

Anytime bro… 🙂

hi jimmy, but i use LM4562 for the opamp?

Does this mod fix the amplifier hiss in the sattelites this system is “famed” for? (audible hiss regardless of volume / conncetion)

does any one have the controller they what to sell ??? please e-mail me @ [email protected] if so thanx

Never tried on ATP3, but the basic should be the same.

I think you can replace the opamp first…

As long as the opamp is compatible, they can be used with no problem.
LM4562 has higher spec compared to 2134.

resiko dalam modifikasi speaker ini besar ga?contohnya?
lalu apakah daya tahan speaker terpengaruhi setelah modifikasi?

hi… I came across this guide & am tempted to mod my acs45.1… there’re 4 types of main power caps

10KµF 25V X 1
1KµF 16V X 2
220µF 16V X 1
100µF 16V X 3

googled a lil bit… found out that increasing the capacitance could be good in sound quality wise… but some say too much of it will reduce life span of other components… & it kinda held me back….

unfortunately I went on to order replacement caps straight away after reading your guide in the very beginning….
22KµF 25V
2.2KµF 16V
470µF 16V
330µF 16V

overkill? any idea? thanks in advance

hi… I kinda messed it up… seriously need your help T.T please check your blog email…. thanks

Great writeup.

I am wondering if anyone has recommendations for the cheapest place to get these parts? From partsexpress, I calculated it is going to cost about $64 (not inc shipping) just to replace the capacitors and inductors for both satellites. A pack of 10 op amps to do the subwoofer mod will cost about $35. I am still unsure of how significant of a difference I will be heard and whether it will be worth it.

What individual mod do you guys think will improve the SQ the most dramatically?

bro jimmy, gw br kelar mod ampli mx5021, awalnya gw pake komponen yg kaya bro pake, but suaranya gk terlalu mengalami perubahan.. akhirnya gw ganti pake caps kenwood 4700 uF 75 volt, elna for audio 3300 uF 50 volt japan (ukurannya lbh gede dr pny bro..), 1000 uF 25 volt panasonic fc, 2.2uF 50 volt 3 buah (warna hitam).. caps yg warna hijau di depen caps gede yg berjumlah 11 gw ganti jg (lupa tipenya bro..) n suaranya bassnya lebih deep banget… cm satellitenya msh metalik karakter suaranya… ;-( kynya op amp yg lain bisa di ganti juga ya… soalnya gw coba cek jalur n kl di ganti lebih bagus lg.. trus capsnya juga yg 1 uF yg deket2 op ampnya..
bro karakter op amp lm 833, 5532 and 2134 bagusan mana ya..? gw pingin suara yg detail, warm n treble yg gk nyakitin telinga..
thanx bwt blsnnya bro..
regard

Kalo mau harus upgrade XO satelitnya juga… efeknya pasti lebih terasa.
Pastikan aja capsnya asli tuh… kalo yang palsu2 biasanya ratingnya suka ngaco…. jebluk ntar dikasih rating rendah…

Dari tiga yang dipake lebih cocok 2134 rasanya… tapi saran saya kamu upgrade XO-nya dulu deh di satelitnya… itu efek yang paling kerasa.

Thanks.

Tergantung boss… harus liat rangkaiannya dulu deh…
Bisa dengan membesarkan nilai kumparan… atau menggeser titik potong… atau bahkan ganti merek komponen….

update: Jimmy has kindly replied by email to say that his never had this hum, so far as he knows. Anybody else had it or found a fix?

Hi. I have the same problem as Andy above. I believe it is something to do with the power supply? Should the unit be grounded as mine came with a 2 prong non ground EU plug which I have used an adapter to modify to UK plugs. If so is there any way to do this myself and eliminate or reduce this hiss? Thanks.

hi,finally i changed all the stock op amp to OPA2134PA. The op amp i just received yesterday.now my ATP3 is nice…the sound is perfect, very clear, separate.I don’t change the capacitor because i couldn’t find elna cerafine capacitor. how to get the Elna capacitor?Order from Farnell?What else capacitor can be used except Elna. Very hard to get the good audio capacitor at my country.

Boss Jimmy,

rangkaian pasif gue yang sekarang:

tw = SEAS Classic
pasif tw = caps 6,8 uF paralel dengan caps 1 uF, kumparan 0,22 mH, lpad 2 x 1,2R (seri)

mid = a/d/s/ A5is
pasif mid = kumparan 0,58 mH, caps 22 uF paralel dengan 3,3 uF

kumparan bawaan pasif a/d/s/, sementara caps pake caps biasa yang harga Rp. 1.000 per pcs.

mohon petunjuk lebih lanjut, boss ….

Problemnya apa di pasif-nya bos? Apa yang kurang? hehehe…
Thanks.

Hi Jimmy, currently i am using ARC2100xxk for my car audio. I am planning to upgrade the power by my self. I have question, is it possible to change the op-amp standard with op-amp BurrBrown OPA2134PA?. Thanks

My standart op-amp is TL072C smd type. How to upload the picture, sorry i am newbe or can is send you through your email?.

Hi Vincent, with one is better between OP2134PA and LM4562NA? Can you share a little bit about that? Thanks

to Jimmy, where can i get LM4562NA with SMD type? and how much does it cost?. May be i will test it in too my both amp with using same speakers and cables. I just bought OP2134PA from http://www.langsungjadi.com, and i have not check yet whether they sell LM4562NA as well. Thanks

@Archie
For the LM4562NA, the sound more brigther in detail compare with OPA2134PA. Both OP-AMP also are high performance product. You can try both if you want. At last also depand on your taste.
Both IC I order from FARNELL. But check before you make order for the package type. Between, you have register at the Farnell website first.

http://www.farnell.com/

@jimmy
Oh, you also use SNAP-IN type,no wonder i could not find any radial type with big capacity.
but then if too big, i scare no place to put it. because my power supply capacitor is “mengiring”/ sleeping type. so very hard to solder. So which type of capacitor to use?LOW ESR?High Ripple Current?can suggest any one for me?thanks

hik hik hik the stock for opa2134pa is empty in http://www.langsungjadi.com. I am domicile in Jakarta, so i just direct call to PT Graha Sumber Prima Elektronika for order those things right?. Is it any simple way to buy those things?. Thanks

thanks jimmy..

2604 is a little bit softer for my taste.
But depends on your taste. Both are good at its level. 2604 should be more expensive.
Thank you.

Hi,
If you want to replace op-amp, I would prefer to get similar spec op-amp. Unless you really know what you are doing. Sometime, higher bandwidth op-amp could not match with your current system (either PCB layout, capacitor configuration, etc) and may produce into a non-stable system. It may produce oscillation.

FC is specified for lower impedance and this is one of important factor for audio.
If your purpose is for audio, FC is one of your best choice offered by Panasonic.

For audio, you have to do a listening test. Most capacitor specification can’t describe its audio performance. But it’s a good start to find lower ESR, lower impedance capacitor, etc. Remember, good spec doesnt have to be good sounding things.

For power supply, just replace with same Farad. Again, unless you know what you are doing. Replacing with too high Farad could produce trouble into your system and somehow, too big doesn’t sound good. This needs experience and testing. One rule doesn’t apply for all.

Thank you.

Hi,
Different speaker needs different mod. So you have to start one by one and check which parts need to be upgraded. There’s no single key to open all doors.

Thank you.

Hi Anon,
what package of your op-amp?SOIC?or DIP?
if SOIC, you need special equipment or tools like hot-air gun to remove it.
if DIP, it is easier. just need normal soldering gun, sucker.

Hi Chales,
ATP3, i have change the 3-stock op-amp to LM4562. the sound more detail compare with stock ST4558C. OPA2134PA produce more bassy sound compare LM4562. then i change the output capacitor to Rubycon ZL series. I will change the power supply capacitor soon. But if you want clear sound, detail, but less bass. you can try look for the Sonic Gear A6, vacuum tube tecnology. now is cheap at the market. where are you come from?my country sell RM199.

Hi Jimmy
Sorry for given suggestion or sharing any experincec in your forum.
but anyway, may ask you about the ferrite core with claim at the wire to reduce EMC.
normally use in the USB cable or any power cord.
Do you have any experience with this? it is will help to reduce the EMI?
here attach the link to let you see what component i mention.

http://rocky.digikey.com/weblib/Panasonic/Ferrite%20Core%20Specifications%208-3-01.PDF

Hi Jimmy,
Is there any different after you add in the ferrite? because normally the ferrite to filter the high frequency. if you use in AC supply, is there any effect? no noise? how to select the ferrite?
pls advice on this.

Thanks

Hi Jimmy!

I bought Sharper Image Bluetooth 2.0 Wireless Hi-Fi Speakers (#KO500) off the shelf (no box or instructions). I brought them home and hooked them up to my home amplifier and melted the TDA7265 chip on the circuit board.

None of the local stores are willing to fix it so I’m taking it upon myself to replace the chip. It’s apparent that you know much ore than I about the challenge at hand. Do you have any words of advice, thoughts, or things I should take into consideration? I’d really appreciate your time and effort.

All the best,

Ozzie
(714) 721-3131

1. If you are sure with the working voltage and pin layout, then there should be no problem.
2. The op-amp should act as buffer.
3. More uF should be ok. Perhaps it will add more bass if you go with higher value.

Thanks.

I’ve got Altec VS4121. They rock! Much better than my BXR1121. I hardly wait to mod them :).

Jimmy, can you tell me what’s the wood tickness used in MX5021?

Hi,
No need to change to the higher value… but you can try if you want it.

Now you can try to use better speaker cables and next better interconnect/RCA cable.

Thanks.

hi sir jimmy

i open my altec atp3 and i found that my 3 op amp of the atp3 is mc4558cn sir can you give some more clear and more bass kind of op amp

hi Charles,
Do you open the ATP3’s satelite speaker before?
how did you open it?do you have any idea?
yours ATP3 also 3 op amp, and one big capacitor with 25V 10000uf?Samxon?
is not cut cost version?when did you buy it? i bought it last year. and just change the parts recently.
do you mind capture the circuit board and send it to me have a look.

Hi Charles,
You can change the mc4558cn to a better op-amp, let’s say OPA 2134.

Hi Vincent,
I think you need to open the satellite. Haven’t done this before, but I believe they are some way to open it.

Thank you.

627 is Mono OpAmp… you can’t just plug it to replace the 4558.
You need a dual mono to stereo adapter… Search for BrownDog converter, this may gives you an idea about what I’m talking about.

Thank you.

@vincent_atp3
after read your replies in this blog, i tempted to modify my atp3 too. can you pls give some guidance, what should i do first? replace the opamp with a better ones, or modify the crossover? should i do it step by step and listen for the difference, or do the whole things altogether?

@jimmy
alhamdulillah i found this blog. keep up the great work sir..!

Hi,
It’s unlikely to blame the fuse or capacitor since you still have power on the speaker.

I think the best way is to bring your speaker to local repair. They can check it for you.

Thanks.

Hi,
Doing the mod and buying a sound card are two different things.

If you dont have good enough card (let’s say you only use onboard), then buying a good sound card is a better option.

On the other side, if you already own a good sound card (like my case, I already have ESI Juli@, Onkyo SE90, and EMU1820M and some speakers/amplifier), I think upgrading this multimedia speaker is one of my only option 😉 I just want to know how far can I go (with tight budget off course, around US$ 40).

Anyway, doing this mod is part of (my) hobby. Just like thinking why some people will spend money to dress up their old car? Why dont you buy a new one? Well, it’s a matter of their preference, I think. Everyone could buy a new car, but perhaps your modified car is the one and only in this world. Same thought with the speaker.

My US$ 0.02 🙂

Thank you.

Hi,
You can build a power supply, with good transformer and perhaps a good voltage regulator. You can search around for that or buy a kit like the one from TentLabs or WelborneLabs. Most of them are expensive. It will be cheaper if you can build one yourself. Or perhaps you can go with “standard” power transformer (buy it from the local electronic store). Make sure you buy the one with enough Ampere rating needed by your Pyle. Then, you can learn how to build a good power supply to replace your “standard” power transformer.

Different tube has different rating, from the bias to the working voltage. They also has different socket, from the old UX, to the common Octal or Noval socket. Not all the tube are interchangeable, since they may have different working voltage or heater wiring. But if you are sure that they are the same, then you can easily interchange it. They may not sound best without changing some of the parameter. In tube world, even same tube from different vendor or build date may have different sonic signature. Only sky (and your pocket) is the limit.

Thank you.

Hi Ahmad,
i think you can ask Jimmy where he order the component, may be he knows better in Indonesia. I from Malaysia. Don’t know where can get good component. I tried order from farnell which fast delivery if the component available.then need to wait 5 days for shipment from UK or US.

For budget, you can try change the op-amp 1st. Because they give you much changes in term of clearer background sound. The price of power supply capacitor 25v 10000uF is equal to 3 op-amp.LOL. i just change back to same value. Actually I wanted to change higher value to 20000uF.
but no $$$…pocket limit.haha

I think you shouldn’t raise the voltage, but changing the 4558 might help.
Thanks.

If the bass doesnt grow at volume over 50%, then it’s the amplifier or driver limitation… not much that you can do… Changing the opamp might help a little bit, but don’t expect too much.
Sorry.

Jimmy, do you have ideea if I can replace TDA2030 from BXR, with TDA2050? Cuz this will give a significant boost of power.

On which part?
Thanks.

Hi Ahmad,
Congratulation. how many op-amp you changed?3 of them? Your modification total cost you $14. quite low your expenses.What type of capacitor you replace?what series?Low ESR? The mid speaker is facing downward. So we can’t do much thing.

Hi Jimmy,
For the quad Op-amp(TL074), is there any quad op-amp IC which I can replace to make the sound better? ATP3 speaker has one quad OP-amp. Maybe wanted to change the higher spec.

Jimmy Auw Says:

On which part?
Thanks.

Op amp.

@Andrian:
I mean, what function of the opamp?

@Ahmad:
Enjoy your music! 🙂

Hi,
4558 as far as I know is double op-amp…
Thanks.

I believe so…
Enjoy your music! 🙂

hi Jimmy,
Actually what is the different of JFET opamp and CMOS opamp? In term of sound, which one is prodcuce nicer sound?

I check through the price of LME49740, quad opamp. which is around RM50. The spec is same as LM4562 , the only different is price and pin counts. I am not sure what is the function of the TL074(quad OPAMP,14pins) in my speaker. maybe it could be end stage of active filter before signal goes to power amplifier IC. Actually how do we know what is the function of the IC on the board. We know what is that component base on the datasheet.

Jimmy i need some help. I want to buy Altec FX4021. What do you say? I’ve read the little review you made on them. They’ve got my attention. They worth their price? Should I turn my attention on other systems?

Maybe a little mod will fix it :D.

TL062 will work. For the rest, I don’t know. You can try LM833 also.

Btw, I’ve buyed Microlab FC530 a few weeks ago. I wanted something different, and I saw that Altec has lost their quality. Just the MX5021 worths. But, I don’t have money for him. 🙂

I’m verry impressed and pleased by the sound. Clean and natural, already changed C4558 with TL062CP. I think Jimmy wouldn’t upset if someone is talking about another systems.

Halo Pak Jimmy, td barusan dapet caps dgn tulisan begini: For Audio ELNA 63V 12000uF(M) THAILAND CE85’C. Dimensi 35x51mm. Dibagian atas ada marking garis dgn palang bengkok, sama seperti ELNA 56V 10000uF nya pak Jimmy.
nah yg bingung kok liat di datashet elna lpo kapasitas maks 63V cm sampe 10000 saja ya, jadi takut dapet barang palsu nih.
mohon pencerahan pak jim…:)

kalo liat dari label atupun cetakannya sih udah meyakinkan bgt, kalo yg palsu kan biasanya kusam. tp kalo liat ukuran di datasheet itu harusnya 10000uF. ukuran kakinya jg lbh pendek dr datasheet… hehehe… jd meragukan…

haloo mr.jimmy, BTW gede juga tuh nilai capasitornya.
gmana klo pakai capasitor bank aja yg 2 farad. kayaknya bisa di coba juga tuh..

masalahnya temanku ada yg pake mas, bunyinya siip bget mas…
pkenya aja speker simb6700. makanya aku pengen coba juga sih rencananya?
mas klo ic4558 bangusnya ganti sama seri brapa ya?
trus klo ganti dari tda2030 ke 2050 harus ganti Power Splai gak?
mkasih mas

selain seri OPA apa ya mas…
susah carinya…
harco jogja aja gak ada..
tp ganti tda2050 jadi bgus tuh bunyinya..
tinggal ganti OPA2134 nya aja..

mas bisa pesankan gak mas seri yg OPA nya..
d jogja susah carinya..
temanku juga ada yg cari gak dapet2..
mhon bantuannya mas..

Hi,
Harganya mungkin sekarang bisa 50 ribuan atau lebih.
Paling di jakarta harus cari di Glodok kali ya? Tapi masak di yogya ga ada sama sekali?

Thanks.

Opamp Dual “lumayan” emang sekarang langka, yang banyak itu NE553x, LF3xx, TL0xx dkk.
Marc*** juga gak punya yang OPA213x, terakhir nemu yang OP270 Dual di Leisure, 50k sebijinya…

sepekan yang lalu saya juga baru modd Simbadda CST6700 (punya kantor…)

Opampnya di replace ke NE5532,
TDA2030 nya di replace ke LM1875,
ELco PSU nya ( 2x 3300uF/50V ) di replace ke Nichicon 2x 6800uF/50V
Dioade Rectifiernya di replace ke IN5408,
Elco kecil 2x nya (1uF, 10uF, 22uF) di ganti ke Nichicon – seketemunya..
ELco Decouplenya (470uF/35V) saya replace ke Panasonic 1000uF/35V- seketemunya..
Capasitor di sinyal Input (mid-high) saya ganti ke Audiophiler 2,2uF
Boxnya di “jejelin” Glasswool + Dacron
Trafo rencana akan di ganti ke yang 3A

Hasilnya, ya jauuuh dari aslinya…

tapi biar bagaimanapun CST6700 ini khan aktif speaker multimedia, kalau memang “niat banget” dijadikan system buat denger musik kelas “Super Value”, ganti sekalian aja satelit speakernya. pake “2 Way Speaker” buatan sendiri, Speakernya bisa pake Driver lokal woofer 6″ seharga 70rb spasang + Tweeter 30 rb spasang + Box 45rb spasang. hasilnya.. lebih sip lagi…, penilaian subyektif saya, ini jauh lebih bagus dari Aktif speaker seharga 900rb-an yang di jejer di pameran di JCC sebulan yang lalu

Sebetulnya step modd saya tidak urut seperti diatas, saya mulai dari ganti satelite, baru upgrade komponen. ganti satelite Improve 65%, upgrade komponen Improve 35%.

Thx
Ady

Hey folks,

I gotta problem, My precious lovely MX5021 speakers died.

The winding in the primary winding of the power transformer has no continuity.

Anyone know how I can get another transformer for 240v (Australia) have had no luck with electronics stores or Altec.

Thanks fellas.

PCB ? SHEMATIC ?

Hi,
I dont have the circuit information.
Sorry.

Hi Jimmy
I,m hoping you can help me fix my son,s MX 5021 speakers.
It seems that the A/C power transformer has died. There is no A/C voltage readings between the
yellow/white 14v wires, or the orange/black 18.5v wires.
There is also no continuity on the primary windings where the mains leads are soldered on.
I have Googled the part # of the transformer and it’s model # with no joy.
I have also had a look in the local (Queensland Australia) electronic shops, and can,t find any transformers with those voltages.
Do you know of a readily available replacement.
Any help would be greatly appreciated
Cheers Simon

Hi Jimmy,
Altec aren’t interested in supplying parts,
It is possible to get a transformer built in Oz, but the cost would be nearly as much as the speakers.
Is it like that in your country?
Do you think that the exact voltage is important, it looks like it goes through rectifiers and voltage regulators on the main circuit board?
Cheers
Simon

Hi Jimmy
Thanks for your suggestion,
Do you think that this would be able to be adapted ?

http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=MM2005&CATID=19&keywords=&SPECIAL=&form=CAT&ProdCodeOnly=&Keyword1=&Keyword2=&pageNumber=&priceMin=&priceMax=&SUBCATID=411

If so would I need one or two.

Jaycar have quite a few transformers that might be able to be adapted to work the Altecs, but my knowledge of how to do it is a bit limited.

If you can point me toward anything on their site that might work I would be more than gratefull

Cheers
Simon

Hi Jimmy,
i forgot the main thing of the problem.that is the air turbulence sound from woofer.this is my main problem which comes when i increase the bass level and volume.when the bass level increases after a certain amount the turbulence sound increase too much,so if i turn the bass level down bass power and depth decreases.this is a common problem in some creative woofer systems.any of your suggestion is required and it helps most people using this model.thanks in advance.

Hi,
I dont have the MX5021 on hand right now.
Actually the transformer on the Jaycar can be used, but I need to confirm the A rating of the current transformer used on MX5021. Do you see any “A rating” information on the original transformer?

Thank you.

Hi,
Congratulations!!!

If you want it, you can write your experience with photos and I will publish it on my blog. Off course, the credit is for you. For the sake of MX5021 user, let me know if you are interested.

Thank you.

Hi Vincent_ATP3,

Did you try OPA4134, the higher slew rate is better, TL074 is low noise opamp, good for HiFi ,I use TL074 on my ELF (Extended Low Frequency) / low pass filter for sub woofer, no noise audible , Good result if the power supply is noise free, like hum, oscillation and other noise.

Hi Vincent_ATP3,
Gain bandwidth in opamp is how much bandwidth that can handle by opamp, but it depend on other parameter.
Gain Bandwidth information in datasheet is in 0db gain, the higher gain and the bandwidth will decrease, but dont worry because in audio the gain usually not to high, only 1-10 for hifi preamp. And the bandwidth need for audio is around 20hz-20khz. And in my opinion Gain Bandwidth >1mhz should be enough.
That’s only what I know about gain bandwidth.

About OPA404, sorry I dont know about the price because I got that from my friend from Jakarta, the sound is nice and clear, but I dont really like it, I prefer tl074 for quad opamp, it depend on taste, I guess.

Thanks.

Hi!

Electronics is not my area of knowledge/expertise, so i’ll just lay down the problem and hopefully find a solution.

The 5021 sounds better than 95% of the other 2.1 systems out there, but when comparing it to my headphone-amplifier-driven Sennheiser HD650 they’re not great. The satellites mod fixed some of the problems and now the bass bugs me the most: it’s all over the place, it lacks control and clarity of the punch. I use them on an Audigy 2 Zs modded with Audigy 4 software and the source are flacs.

Any recommendations on how to fix this? Like, maybe, suggestions with what to replace the TDA7295, if it would help.

Thanks.

Hi John,
You can pick any caps with voltage equal or higher than original one.

You can change the opamp with most dual opamp available in the market. Most popular choice is 2134 or 2604.

Thank you.

Hi Jimmy,

One more thing, when i change the caps, must i also change to other caps with the same μF value as the original ?

thanks

Hi,
Some said higher voltage would sound better, so you can try.

If you dont know precisely what you are doing, then change to same value is a wiser idea.

I have no video.

Thank you.

Frank, which IC ? Could you please post a link to your 621 picture with the defected IC marked on it ? I have a 621 and I can look into mine.

how 2 boost the amp by using same ic for eg tda 7295 it is mono but i want 2 make double ic mono

Hi Jimmy,
My Mx5021 does not produce any highs at all. I have kept the treble at maximum .till unable to hear any strings.my headphones plays it well.when i hear it over the headphones i realize that there are some high ends in the music.Low and mid are quiet ok.I haven’t modded anything yet.Is this could be the problem with TDA7265?Please advice.

Hi jimmy,
BY highs i meant there is not treble at all .All i can hear is bass and mid .If i connect the headphones i can hear the trebles (high tones).Yes i did compare with other speakers which are less expensive than Mx also with the base altec BXR 1211.These speakers did produce the highs like guitar string sounds. but my mx did not.

Hi,
1. You can check to 5670 tube. This should share similar specs with 6N3 but with better quality. Try to get NOS (new old stock) one, like from JAN, GE, etc.

2. You need to learn the basic of tube operation first. Newer production tube, most of the time, sounds inferior than the old one. That’s why old tube (NOS), priced higher than newer one. Different tube has different specialty, but famous brand like RCA, JAN, Telefunken, Mullard, etc usually priced higher than other brand. But once again, it depends on the tube model itself.

3. It should be smoothing caps, you can replace with better one. 100uF should be enough actually, you can change to 220uF if you really want to, but I prefer to keep 100uF but with better quality one.

Thanks.

Hi,
I dont think so, without changing the circuit.
Thanks.

Maaf pertanyaannya di luar konteks

how is the capacitor performance between stock Samxon, Nichicon HE/VR and Nichicon FG? Thinking to replace with HE/VR for temporary because I could not find any Nichicon FG withing my city in Malaysia. Going to buy from ebay or….

op-amp NE5532P produce brighter sound?
i also replace the cap around op-amp to higher polarity..nw sound brighter. so is the op-amp or cap polarity too high?

Op-amp yang diganti berada di dalam subwoofer altec lansing i151. Op-amp yang ada di Sound Card tidak diutik-utik (maklum tidak bisa nyolder yang hanya sebesar jarum.
Tolong pencerahannya Pak Jimmy.
terima kasih

hi Jimmy,
I already post out the photo what exactly inside a sonic gear A6.Kindly advise if you found anything that can replace or modify.
Thanks.

http://sweynt.blogspot.com/2009/06/inside-sonic-gear-a6.html

@Vincent:
You can start with the high voltage capacitors.
Thanks.

@Cent88:
Foobar and WaveLab are both the best.
Thanks.

Hi Vincent,
I think you can change the 100uF/450V with a better one.

Thanks.

which is the best speaker for pc as u know so far? any to recommend pricing between USD $150 – $450? quite dissatisfy with mx5021..especially the crossover, quality of amplifier mainboard and sound not warm enough. i had a friend using logitech z5500, the bass quite nice..but poor high/mid-range.

Hmm..i see..
Is class D amplifier expensive and hard to build?
Thinking of replacing the whole circuit of mx5021 and all of the drivers, hope can fit it all in.
Is it ok to put silicone in the satelite casing as insulation,since theres some echo from satelite casing?

So nw i just stay with mx5021 for temporary..what i can change for warmer sound?

How much u spent on ur DIY speakers that with vacuum tube amplifier? vry interested with vacuum tube amplifier…is it the best for high-end amplifier?

Dear mas Jimmy,
saya punya Altec ACS45.1…pertanyaan nya;
kira2 worth ga klo speaker ini di mod seperti mas jimmy lakukan diatas? saya pengennya upgrade speaker itu bertahap mas.

terima kasih atas response nya.

Salam,
Whiki

Hi Jimmy,
Sharing out my modification on my ATP3…finally i can post it out for sharing….hehe..

http://sweynt.blogspot.com/2009/06/altec-lansing-atp3-modify.html

Can I replace with tube 5670 for my sonic gear A6?
Would the tube suitable to replace 6N3-T? Just pug n play? what is the different between 5670 vs 6N3-T?any big changes?

Thanks.

Hi Whiki,
Inside ACS45.1, there have 5 op-amp…is not mistaken…maybe you can change the 5 op-amp 1st..

Jimmy,
Can u help me with modifying Altec Lancing CS21?
I feel that the treble is in the lower side. Will upgrading the tweeter work?

hi Jimmy,

Gone through ur MX5021 Mod sesion. Do u have any suggestions to improve Altecs VS 4121’s weak mid range problem. Is it possible to change in the OPAMPS in this? Since its a downfiring mid, it has to be improved a lot. any news about someone did this?

Hi there,

i’m currently using edifier C3…need some help on knowing which component to change other than the capasitor. i got the datasheet with me, but don really understand. 😛 can u help? thank you.

Hello Jimmy,

could you please tell what caps you used near TDA7265 (those red ones), their voltage and capacity?
thx

hi jimmy,
i have altec lansing 2100 and would like to mod a bit for having a better sound.
this speaker have a LM 324N (i guess for the subs), TDA7375 (i guess for the satelit) and have MC4558 CN (which i do not know what this part for).
if i want to have better mid, could you tell me which part I should change ?
i am wondering which part is the op-amp.. is it the MC4588CN ? because this speaker has 4 of it.
could you help me on this ?
thank you in advance.

197 Modding the Altec Lansing MX 5021 for dummies!! – Guides and Tutorials – TechEnclave Says:
March 8th, 2009 at 20:21

[…] floating on the web (Eg. Jimmy from Malaysia has put up an article on his blog; read it here: Jimmy�s Junkyard Blog Archive Inside Altec Lansing MX5021: Amplifier Mod , our own TE member Sangram has compiled an article which prompted me to go ahead with this mod! […]

Sorry om Jim…ada yg ngeklaim klo om Jim dari malaysia nih, masa om Jim diklaim juga..? bener2 nih… 😀

Jimmy,
you swamped only one stock ST 4558 to the BurrBrown OPA2134PA as I got it. Is there point of replacing all opamps, what do think? Would it be an improvement for the cost?

Thanks for helping us!

Yes, you can swap all of them – if you have extra budget.
Thanks.

Hi,
From my brief observation, I think some ppl already gives the good suggestion. I will check it again later.
Thanks.

You can open the original and see the markings.
Thanks.

The same with original will do.
Thanks.

Hi,
I dont think moving from Z2300 to MX5021 is a good choice. I mean, they are both on near same level. Unless, you can sell your Z2300 first.

Never tried the new one though. So cant comment in detail.

Changing opamp off course makes significant improvement, since the signal will pass through this chip.

Thanks.

Hey Jimmy,
My 5021s have a blown fuse from the looks of things and Ive been trying to remove the power supply from the sub of the mx5021s to change the fuse, removed the bottom 4 screws but the damn transformer wudnt budge, its actually mounted on a plank and the plank in turn was mounted on the subwoofer, i thought it was mounted by means of those 4 screws but looks like it was glued on or something, any idea as to how I can remove it?

Jimmy

Where can i get a replacement board from? I love my AL and don’t want to give it up. I have some pictures, but don’t know how to put them on here. I can send them to your email.

2 Jimmy

Jimmy, what do you think is there point in swapping resistors on sub’s board to precise ones?
Thanks.

Hi Sergey,
I think upgrading to a precise one is not really necessary. I prefer to upgrade it to a better sounding one 😉
Thanks.

Hi,
Try to return your transformer back first.
Thanks.

If it’s no hiss before, then should be no hiss after upgrading. If you got hiss after upgrading, then something must be done wrong. Just revert back your mods one by one to find the source. I think you simply can’t blame the absence of the low pass filter.
Thanks.

Hi,
I think at first, you can try to buy “cheap” caps first. I assume, even your cheaper caps should be better than the standard one. Later you can “upgrade” one by one.
Enjoy it man!
Thanks.

Hi,
You can try 3 caps near the op-amp first.
Thanks.

Hi Cuni,
Please update your result here later, OK?
Thanks.

Hi,

I did the mod and change the Power Supply caps with some Rubycon Caps. Problem is evetything works excerp that the subwoofer has no bass. It just doesn’t work at all. I tried listening to the headphone output and there is bass but from the speaker, the subwoofer isn’t moving at all even when there are bass heavy music playing. Any suggestions to troubleshoot?

Hi,
I think you have accidentally remove some connection. Please check it again.
Thanks.

Rasanya ndak ada yang jual bro…
Thanks.

If anyone does have a schematic for the ATP-3, could you sent it to [email protected]?

^^ ohk solved the problem . it was indeed one of the coupling capacitors. sound is totally blissful right now. 😀

thanks Jimmy for the guide.

Ill come back and post the results. ill go on erasmus so no ear from me on the next 6 months byebye

It depends on the circuit.

Burrbrown opamp is quite easy to get. Where is your location?

Thanks.

Hi! Can somebody pls help me?I have an altec lasning vs4121 and the problem is that i can hear in the subwoofer a constant hum (50Hz probably)and this happens wether or not the cable from the soundcard is conected.Another thing that is very annoying is a lound popping noise when i turn on/off the system.
Any help would be apreciated.
Thanks.

Hi,
You can try MUR860 or SF5407. Any fast recovery diode should bring improvement.
Thanks.

pak Burr Brown OPA2134PA kira2 hrg brp ya per pcs nya??
thx

Hi,
2134PA saya ga inget harganya, harusnya di bawah 50rb.

Thanks.

Cross-over Pak.

Thanks.

HERE’S THE PHOTO AT THE BACK WITH DETAILS AND MY QUESTION…

SEE LINK BELOW:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2734/4356236176_21c6181997_o.jpg

Hi,
1. Basicnya, 4558 bisa diganti 2134. Cuman efeknya seberapa, tentu relatif juga.
2. Silakan, basically angka di atas 22uF mestinya sudah cukup untuk elco.
3. Mestinya kalo elco sih 25V udah cukup banget.

Thanks.

CAN ANYBODY HELP ME? PLS READ POST #308-309

Hi Ray,
It’s very difficult because your picture is not clear enough. Basically, if you screw the PCB lines, at least you should check the remain lines which are not very clear on the picture.

Thanks.

Hi Jimmy,

I managed to trace back the circuit and made a jumper on a certain huge copper trace below that without any short circuit… someone emailed me a detailed PHOTO of the PCB… but still my subwoofer wont work… no woofer functioning.. but when the technician bypassed it using jumper with 22uF to one sattellite it sounded but too dull and too bad as a woofer… the technician suspected my ST074C is damaged but i cannot find any replacement here locally… although there is TL074CN.. i dont know if this can be a substitute for that.. its is DIP while the ST074C is SO… pls advise me on what might be damaged…

Di dalam woofer, mending ganti opamp dulu deh. Sama internal wiring amp -> woofer.
Thanks.

Can anybody with stock board for mx5021 verify that PIN#6and7 for U6 and U12 are indeed connected?

photo sample: (the two pins #6and 7 are facing C33)

http://i49.tinypic.com/33pc6jp.png

oh ya satu lagi 😀
kalo mau ganti kabel dr pcb ke speaker woofer nya, gmn ya cara buka box woofernya>????
soalnya kalo buka hy lewat box yng nempel dgn pcb woofernya susah skali untuk mengganti kabel ke woofernya.. thx

Pak, nilai 3 caps merah yg pak jimmy pasang di dkt opa2134 valuenya brp pak? Apakah 220uF?

3 caps itu non polar ato polar pak?
Thx

Oh ya caps yg sy temukan itu sanyo oscon biru 2.2uF 16v pak.
Thx

Sanyo oscon sih tidak begitu direkomendasikan untuk sinyal pak.
Saya lupa posisinya sebagai apa, tapi kalo mau aman cari yang di atas 25V.

Thanks.

mau sharing, sy udah mod my 5021, dgn spek:
1. di satelit 4.7uf 50v -> solen black 4.7uF 250v
2. di woofer:
a. opamp st 4558 -> burrbrown2604
b. 4700uf 50v -> 4700uf 63v nichicon Gold tune
c. 2200uf 35v -> 3300uf 35v panasonic FC
d. 1000uf 16v -> 1000uf 50v Sanyo Gold

NB: sy msh mencari2 3 caps di skitar opamp2604 🙁
kabel woofer blm diganti, karena bingung masang kabel di woofernya heheh..

result:
1.suara detailnya sgt kerasa, suara renyah,
instrument alat2 musik mengesankan. heheh….
2. Udah ga cocok lagi ini speaker buat lagu house music… heheh..

kesimpulan:
terima kasih atas panduan n saran2 yang pak jimmy berikan…
thank you

2.2uf 50v pak. Ada alamat2 toko part elektronik online pak?
Sy mnt alamat n telp bisa pak?
Thx

Sip, di Bella memang lengkap.
Thanks.

Hi,
1. Pada dasarnya, dibutuhkan sekitar 2000-4000uF per A arus yang lewat. Namun nilai yang lebih/kurang akan mempengaruhi karakter suara (tergantung uF dan kualitas caps juga).
2. Karakter suara pasti berubah, namun tergantung merek/jenis caps yang dipake.

Thanks.

oh iya mas satu lagi ..
saya suka karakter yg bass nya dalem ..
apa yg mas mod itu bikin jadi bass nya lebih dalem .
:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
makasih ya mas :D:D:D

iya makanya mas mau saya bawa skalian ke glodok ama speaker2 nya ..
hehehehehehehehehe …
soalnya suara si mx5021 sedikit kurang renyah ..
thx b4 ya mas ..
hehehehehehehe ..

mas jim kalo yg merah 3 biji itu nilai nya brp ?

Yang merah 3 biji itu samain ama aslinya aja bro.
thanks.

Bisa bro.
Thanks.

Silmic ARS bagus koq… Secara grade malah di atas Cerafine seingat saya.
Thanks.

Halo Pak,
Sound Blaster sih kalo mau di mod ya palingan bagian opamp dan capacitornya. Tapi kalo boleh saran, mending beli sound card bagusan aja, daripada duitnya kebuang buat mod hehehe.
Thanks.

Pak Jimmy mo tanya nih, saya ada Altec Lansing ACS 45.1, rusak digital volumenya pake IC PT2256, dimana ya cari model gitu, ato ada solusi lain tuk menghidupkan kembali digital volumenya ??
Makasih

for those who have blown up fuse at the transformer, you can replace it without having to detach the transformer inside. i think you cannot detach the whole thing coz no matter how i try i couldnt.. somewhat like glued inside…instead, i just used a tweezer and carefully get the busted fuse then i bended the fuse holder and i have successfully placed it in its socket.then i carefully bended the holder back to seat it in place again.. it takes a little patience though… u may have several attempts doing this.. coz its really frustrating with the little space inside…

Hi,
Normally it wont burn your skin (but it depends on your skin “durability” also). I believe it will be less than 75 degree of Celcius.

Caps of higher voltage you always can use without any side effect (except the cost is more expensive).

Film caps is OK.

Thanks.

Glad to help!

sudah dua tahun ini saya bookmark blog ini..eh sekarang dah jadi web yah…bro Jim
disini gudang ilmu audio..siap2 aj keracunan… :))
pokoknya bro Jim ini layak jd kiblat audio DIY…

nah saya mo tanya .. ada bbrp pcb spk MM (altec VS4121)kok ic OP amp ada di bag belakang…PCB…ada dia pakai
2layer ? karena saya lihat kok kaki2 gak ada tembusannya di depan..? trus bisa gak dilepas dengan cara solder konvensional…
thx atas pencerahanya..
dan sukses selalu…

nico e

mas jimmy, mau nanya nih…

aku punya speaker altec lansing VS4121 black
speaker satelit yang sebelah kiri sering bunyi kresek-kresek walaupun volume speaker dikecilin ataupun input ga disambungin ke laptop…
suara kresek2 satelit sebelah kiri udah aku rekam pake hp nih
http://www.mediafire.com/?mnaydinhnjm

dengarkan terutama setelah detik ke 30 tuh…
kira2 rusak apanya ya? apa yang harus diganti….

makasih sebelumnya 🙂

Mesti dicek dulu pak Cahya. Susah kalo hanya ditebak2. Mulai dari solderan kendor sampai ada parts yang perlu diganti.
Thanks.

Hi,

My MX5021 have no power and found out the power transformer is the issue. Kindly advise where I can buy or order a replacement online?

THANKS IN ADVANCE

Pak Jimmy, beli BurrBrown OPA2134PA-nya di mana yah? Kemaren sempet ngubek2 glodok tp gak nemu 🙁 bisa kasih referensi toko mana yg jual.
Oh iya, BurrBrown OPA2134PA itu harganya berapa yah?
Thank atas jawabannya.

pak jimmy.
apa esi@juli support speaker 7.1?
bagaimana cara optimalkan outputnya buat dengar musik klasik, musik rock, dan jazz. dengan sc esi@juli dan speaker creative T 7900

trimaksih

oh gitu. jadi kalau muter dvd live music yang ada fitur 7.1 chanelnya esi juli@ nggk bisa support fitur itu yah pak? cuma stereo aja yah.

trimakasih

berarti sebenarnya sc juli@ bukan pasangan yang tepat untuk speaker creative 7.1? seharusnya pakai sc creative yang support 7.1 juga. karena dengan begitu fitur tersebut akan keluar.
SC juli@ lebih cocok untuk profesional yang lebih sering memakai speaker seperti misalnya speaker behringer yang terdiri dari 2 speaker itu yah pak?
trimaksih

Hey Jimi, been away six months thats why i didnt send any news !

Now that i have arrived i had time to mod my sub-woofers , the capacitors for the speekers are coming but i already had the ones for the sub-woofer and the OP 2134 too : )

So today i’ve done, i can say i still dont know the difference ( 10 mins of music only ) but i can defenetly notice something, i just still dont know what it is : ) but it feels good: ))))

Thank you very much for your ideas and support , keep going like this man 🙂

🙂 bye bye

Hey Jimi

Elna capacitors just arrived :
0.22uF / 50v
1uF / 50v

I was wondering which capacitors should be replaced by this ones…i cant remember why i bought them..fuck.

Anyway i would like advice on that and also that i have already replaced the U9 op amp and i still have another OPA2134PA free and i dont know which one should i replace…

Help, thanks man : )

Hi Cuni,
Not quite sure since it’s been a long time.
You can trace back from the original parts value to check the correct replacement.

Thanks.

Hi Jimmy,

Do you have any idea to change this MX5021 to RCA input?

Hi,
Yes, just convert it and drill some hole on the back plastic case. Easy as a-b-c.
Thanks.

Hi,
Both should be fine, but I think the STX is newer one?
Thanks.

Hey Jimi

So i made the alteration to the U6 op amp for the OPA2134A , and replaced all the capacitors 1 uf and 0.22 uf for Elna….i can notice differences but i canot realy tell if its and improvement…i think the overall volume is lower and i feel that the highers are much more loudable, can realy hurt ears! the bass is awesome very confortable and soundfull i like much more now to be honest. I also added some rubber between the screws of the speakers and the plastic to avoid vibration sounds, sometimes i can hear the plastic go rbrbrbrbrbrrrr….weiird, but now its fixed. Thats that, my 2 cents, thanks so much for your time and always helpfull, without you i couldnt made this mod

Cheers mate : )

Hi,

I had OPA2132PA, OPA2111KP, OPA2107AP and OPA2277PA.

Is OPA2132PA sound as warm as OPA2134PA? I don’t have OPA2134PA so don’t know how it sound like.
Among OPA2111KP and these two which produce warmer and clear for high?

Good day!..
Sir,
Do you have the steps on how to modify my Altec Lansing VS4121…?

[email protected]

hi,

my friend give me only the subwoofer without he satellite speaker and the controller. I find service manual nor the wiring diagram in its DIN socket and found nothing if you dont mind please share to me if you have a servie manual for this or even the wiring diagram for the DIN

thanks a lot

..maaf ya oot,minta rekomen soundcard eksternal berkualitas utk pasangan edifier c3, saya menggunakan laptop (asus a8sc) lebih prefer musik pak..(untuk kabel interkoneknya/perkabelan + jack’s rekomen jg ya pak)
artikel2-nya bermutu n nambah wawasan sy yg newbie
thx pak

…sy akhirnya fokus ke consumer aja (pilihan onkyo,audiotrak n creative…dbE?)
thx pak

Hi Jimmy,

Do you know which one is active crossover in mx5021?
change the opamp and capacitor of active crossover will improve the sound?

Hi Jimmy,

For low and mid-high active crossover, the components used will be the same?
There are 1 for treble, 1 for bass, 1 near to the 3.5mm jack input and another 2 seems like to be 1pair(both of their components and placement almost the same in the circuit).

Active crossover use the large uF like passive do or just the small nF/pF only?

Hi,

I know active crossover uses opamps but I couldnt trace which opamp in mx5021 is active crossover.
there are 1 for treble as u modified, 1 for bass near the biggest capacitor 4700uF, another 2 opamps(like pairing to each other, the components used around both of the opamps are almost the same) then 1 opamp at the 3.5mm jack input.

the opa2134 that u changed is active crossover for mid-high?

Hi Jimmy,
So the active crossover is right before power amp chip? I’m little confuse with the other opamps function, want to change more accurate opamp for crossover and if there are tonal control opamp, then I’ll change the opamp that I like since I got plenty of opamp with me.

Hi Jimmy,

After tracing around both of the power amp chip, I think all of the opamp is High L/R channel and Low active crossover. The TDA7265 is seperated input L and R. Normally input of every amp is built with coupling cap? The 22uF beside TDA7295 and 22uF at the center of the board together with another 3 2.2uF caps are coupling for TDA7295?

For opamp, I better leave it to be the same opamp for all. With combination of different opamp, I feel that mx5021 amp is getting hot faster may be due to blur feedback from different opamp.

hi Jimmy Auw,
i need your help; i have 2.1 Altec Lansing MX5021 speaker system. It works for 2 yrs but last week i found out when i switch on the power button, no power at all. What would be the solution of this, i already checked the cable connection to the outlet and its okay.

Hy all… first: my english is not so good but i`m trying to write correctly to understand my problems… so Jimmy i found that op-amp OPA2134PA, from SONY, to replace but his price is VERY high (aprox. 60$) i can’t believe it… can be posible? and i found the OPA2604AP from Onkyo at aprox. 25$… i will try to find the capacitors with the same values like the capacitors inside of satellites and subwoofer… i found them but are made in china at a very low price… do i buy the chinesse capacitors or trying to find some capacitors from other brand like onkyo, akai, panasonic, etc.?

thanks

hy again Jimmy.. thanks for your answer… i looked for needed components on the internet… i found at a good price the op-amp OPA2134PA and LM4562…but, on my amp board are missing 3 component… an op-amp and 2 tranzistors.. it is any problem if i put myself these components on the board… this is missing only from my board comparissing with yours… after you will help me, course if you can help me, i will write you again for some advices… thanks

I’m trying to locate a capacitor for my amplifer, its 10000uf 120v. thanks for an early reply

bro.im chg the 6 opamp n the 2 tda ic.
but left no sound…just got sum crackling sound.
n i found out a resistor burn,wil i affected?can u give me a view or the vale of the resistor?c94.
and the opamp leg izit some is 2 stick two gether?

hey Sunhill59 =)altec’s trace is flimsy!
this is a common problem for 5021 that i’ve encountered when my friends bring their faulty sets to me.
you should check for dry solder and re-flow the solder especially where the powerfilter caps are.

Which watt soldering iron did you used modding MX5021?

want to ask, how the characters opa 2134 compared to NE5532 if you want to make clear detail speakers get good and staging?

Hi,

I have the subwoofer/amp section of an atp3, and want to use it just for the bass. I am missing the satellites. How can I find out how to rig it to turn on/ change volume? I would appreciate any advice you have to offer!

Bang…
Punya wiring diagram buat Altec Lansing ATP3 ga? soalnya speaker satelite nya kecebur laut, mau ngakalin control connector nya, sayang kalo sub woofernya nganggur…THX…i love this site….

[IMG]http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss74/Tim_HKG/SAM_0223.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss74/Tim_HKG/SAM_0228.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss74/Tim_HKG/SAM_0236.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss74/Tim_HKG/SAM_0228.jpg[/IMG]

Recently, I have had my ACS45.1 the right & left independent channels rebuilt as well as all the capacitors replaced with ELNA’s except the o.1uF one. Now I’m hesitating about the final mod, shall I go replacing the remaining 5 dual op-amps(JRC4558D), 1 qual op-amp(KIA324P), voltage regulator(JRC7812A)…etc.?

1. Will the result be obvious after the replacement of all the op-amps, voltage regulator?

2. What will be the most cost-effective replacement models to make the sound to be more clear & warm?

3. Is it possible to replace the TDA7370B with another model to get a little bit more wattage output?

Thanks in advance!

Hi Jimmy
Great Website,

would like to ask u … my mx5021 has a very weak bass, may i know what is causing this? the sub is fine.

First of all, I would like to say thank you for taking your time to reply,

about the weak bass, I am referring about the subwoofer that is producing out a very soft and faint bass even when I set the control pod bass to the max. Satellite speakers are fine. I had tried taking this subwoofer cone and test it with another working system, and it works fine, so i deduce it maybe the internal circuity giving problems.

Regards

Hi,

Having problem with my Altec Lansing MX5021, when I play it for 1 and a half hour and increase the volume, the mid-range is distorted. Any advise from your side?

Thanks

OK thanks for the advice additional question when i increse the treble midrange is distorted. Do you think the power supply and capacitor is problem. some of technician say the IC is the problem?

Hello Jimmy and everyone!

Hope to get your help on my issue with AL-5021.

I’му done the sub mod as it’s explain here:
– replaced opamps to OPA2134
– replaced capacitors to better quality ones (and some of them with biger capacitance as recommended)
– used film caps for signal path
– replaced power supply to torroidal.

A few days or a week everything worked fine but then suddenly I lost timbre and volume control via remote unit of sub. In another one day the music has gone completely.
My friend -technisian diagnosed the TDA7433, basic audio-processor chip wich is used for volume/tone controll is dead.

I’ve found that rare TDA7433, we replaced it and my sub revived! Everything worked fine but not for long…
In a day or two I lost tone and volume control via remote (though light indicator of tone or volume level was working) and finally all the sub has shut up.

So I suspect the problem lies diper then just that chip. Probably I did something wrong in my mode, maybe bad soldering, shorting some leads or something wich causing TDA7433 to die.

Please advice, what would you check and test before replacing TDA7433 one more time.

Hope to get you replies,
Thank you

I have a similar problem as some others: a ~50Hz hum coming from the subwoofer of my ATP-3 system. Unplugging the source, switching outlets, etc., don’t help.

The twist is that for their first five years or so, they didn’t hum at all. So something inside must have “worn out” over time. Any idea what?

I know that caps can deteriorate over time, but barring some external damage (which I don’t think occurred), do transformers deteriorate?

2Jimmy
Thanks a lot for a reply.
My problem seems to be connected with power supply.

When I changed transformer to toroidal I asked about its values on the other modder’s site and got these:
INPUT: AC 230V/50hz (BLK-BLK)
OUTPUT: AC 14.5V X2/2.0A (YEL-WHT-YEL)
OUTPUT: AC 19.5V X2/1.7A (ORG-BLK-ORG)

I have no idea if those were correct.

The man who had inspected my doble-dead sub told me there were two “big” a bit swollen caps which is obvious evidence of power problem. Unfortunately nobody hav electrical cheme 🙁
Would you advice something, Jimmy?
Thank you.

2Jimmy

I would like to but I got rid of the old buzzy trans (stupid, i know 🙂

If somebody check outputs of their original trans it could be a God’s hand to me!

Hello,

I baught a speakers system (Altec LANSING mx 5021) in 2006. The wired contrôler is out of order, meaning that there is no more controle of the volume from there or any settings controle, only “on-off” cvontrole is availlable. The system works, but with a very low sound level that you can control from the computer:
very low, or very-very low…
By opening this wired contrôler I’ve seen that the connectors of the Infra Red Receiver were a bit burny, I mean light gray cloud all around…
Is it possible to change the compleate card, and what can be your best price for it ?

Or can you tell me where I can Find it?

The ref. written on the card is: SDA ALTEC LANSING MX5021U05_A Modify: Jason A8766
Thank you fou you attention and attentive response.

Nice day to everybody.

Dr.Charles.

Hi,

I have the mx5021. Now the Left channel satellite makes a crackling sound over the music heard. This crackling sound is continuous. I tried swapping the left and right satellite but the same problem persists.

Thanks

TDA 7265 ya Om Jimmy…tapi ada di post no.372, dia sdh ganti TDA 7265 dan kapasitor nya, tetapi problem nya belum selesai…kmrn coba ganti 7809, tapi klu sdh panas dia bunyi lagi…
TQ

karena bunyi kresek2 terus mengganggu, akhir nya saya putuskan mengganti kapasitor yang dekat dengan TDA 7265 dengan Kapasitor merk rubycon (nggak tau asli atau palsu karena saya memang benar2 buta dengan parts elektronik, cuma bisa nyolder doang)trus 10.000u 50v Elna Onkyo for HiFi, 3.300u 50v (merk nggak jelas) dan 1.000u 50v (merk nggak jelas)…setelah nyobain hidup sekitar 4 jam an bunyi kresek2 nya nggak ada lagi…Thanks for your guide…tetapi untuk Op-amp nya saya belum ganti karena nggak ada stok 2134pa nya…klu cuma sampai disini modding nya kira2 apa nilai tambah nya di banding sebelum di modding…kecuali bunyi kresek2 nya hilang…?

what is happen if speaker don’t have enough power to powering it self?
my friend said, bass will sound boomy n hollow
i’m still curious where sibillance came from?
is this cause by lack of power to????
or something else???

sorry to bother you
can you be more specific about difference in sound reproduction between EI trafo n toroidal???
or disadvantages of toroidal trafo compare to EI trafo.
if i intend to change caps in power supply will it improve sound a lot?
default is yungli, what caps you suggest to replace yungli??
is elna cerafine good for power supply?
i’ve heard OP270 has good mid n a warmer sound. but not in my system. it’s still a little too bright.

i’ve substitute stock trafo to toroidal with 5a/18v
diode also use 6a (2a stock)
but satellite sound is terrible. it’s sound “ciiiit”, when it hit a high treble
what caused that??
was the opamp over voltage?

bro jimmy, saya mw tanya. Saya kan baru beli mx 5021 mod spesifikasinya gini :
1. 6 capasitor d bagian power amplifier (elna gold)
2. 2 Pcs kapasitor MKP XO d satelit
3. Kabel interkonektor canera 2S9F

apakah sudah termasuk cukup mod seperti it? atau ada yang perlu d ganti lgi supaya tambah suip 😀

mohon pencerahannya bro jimmy

hahaha, bener juga seh… satu lagi bro jimmy, kabel jack (dari speaker k LCD 3D) untuk lihat movie n music paling bagus ap? rencana mw buat mini bioskop d rumah 🙂
Terimakasih untuk jawabannya

I’ve tried SATA3 interconnect cable
good for vocal….
my speaker got new problem
sub sound suddenly just gone…….
restarting is the only way to recover it
is there something wrong with my speaker???

Hi Jimmy,
My MX5021 left speaker starts to have random crackling noise recently..
Any ideas what might cause it?
I have changed all the electrolytic caps and opamp ICs to OPA2134 on-board..
Is it possible caused by faulty TDA7433 audio processor chip?
I have tested the TDA7265 power amp IC by connecting both inputs to right channel output from opamp and I noticed no crackling noise at all on both channels.. 🙁
I have also added few 0.1uF bypass caps around few opamps which have missing bypass caps but the problem still persists..
So anyone has this prob before and manage to solve it?
Thanks..

Hi Jimmy,
Thanks for your reply.
Now it seems that the crackling noise has disappeared totally.
I have been listening to the MX5021 for the past few days and so far still no noise yet. 🙂
I didn’t really do much to the overall circuit except that I did try to reflow or resolder many on-board components and even the SMD components.
Maybe that solved the noise problem.
Thanks.

Cheers,
John

Hey Jimmy,
it’s me again man, hope everything is ok with you i just remembered when i was making this mod and all the doubts i had you helped me every time : ]

Just want to tell how good it feels after all this time, two years, my speakers keep the quality top notch.

Apart from taking Jimmy’s time with all the doubts 🙂 I recommend everyone(with some skills of soldering) to do this, not only will you have your speakers with better component quality as it will make you feel very very good doing this projects : ]

When i did this i bought some not so expensive components and believe me, it feels good knowing that your beloved audio system has new components inside, it’s like a revival of something you really like : ]

Well this is more of a love letter than anything else, just wanted to share some love with all of you.

Again, hope you are well Jimmy and kudos to you for all the support.

Best wishes,

Diogo : )

Pak Jimmy Yang Terhormat dan Baik Hati
Saya punya Speaker Altec Lansing ATP3 sudah 5 tahun lebih. Kini speaker tersebut rusak karena ada pin dari conector 7-mini din nya putus dan kabel audio utamanya yang dari sub-woofer ke Satelite(yang ada potensio on/of, volume, bass, treble)terkelupas karena digigit tikus. Yang ingin saya tanyakan, apakah Pak Jimmy tau toko yang jual conector dan kabel tersebut..? Dan apakah Pak Jimmy tau jalur/urutan kabel tersebut tersambung ke conectornya, karena rencananya saya akan sambung langsung di board PCB-nya yang ada di dalam box sub-wofer. Terimakasih Pak atas bantuannya

Hiya

I got hold of one of these at an auction and it was without the satellites or controller. I wonder if you could suggest some links to be soldered across the PCB to make it work, know if the controller is the same as any other Altec subs, or know where I could get hold of a controller. If not I’ll have to interrupt the woofer wiring and use it as a passive sub, which is a bit of a shame.

With thanks for any help,
MatDye

hello jimmy wassup
i have altec vs4121blk version brought few days back without guarantee.. new.. after a week of use suddenly bass response of woofer changed cause whenever i play low bass songs it tends to sound like popping
pls help its new
i might have blown caps or what…
thnx in advnce.. cheers

hi there jimmy
i’ve throw away my SP88 n pick Swan M50W High end 2.1
but they sound too shy.
it’s sound too soft…
i.ve changed interconnect cable
use eSATA with vermouth Rhodium 3,5mm Jack
it’s give better high extension and more kicking bass. but vocal just not special i think???
i’d like to change satellite cable
which cable is better???
Canare 2s9f
Klotz series maybe????
or any other?????
i’ll use vermouth rhodium RCA as termination for new satellite cable
n also boomy sound from sub is still annoy me
could you help me please??
THnX jim

i mean vocal just got thinner n dry i think??
i just want more forward vocal but not thin
m50 has a laidback type i think?
i just want to know which cable is better for the satellite??
n is rhodium better compared to silver coated RCA termination??
i’m really curios about this
THnX Jim

“Most of the time, vocal will become thinner if you push them forward.”
THnX jim
this is new knowledge for me
i think i’ll go for canare 2s9f with vermouth rhodium RCA
THnX jim