Connecting OWI and OWII tweeters.
Hiquphon tweeters feature a unique connection method which gives the most reliable and perfectly complete termination without the danger of introducing any form of audible footprint (such as buzzing or ringing) that can easily happen with tags. The solder bucket connections are easy to deal with; all that is required is a steady hand, some multicore solder, a modestly powered soldering iron and cable cutters / strippers.
Please do not remove the protective sticker from the dome aperture until connections are completed.
Solder buckets:
On the rear of the tweeter you will find generously sized solder buckets which are designed to accommodate cables upto 2.5mm. For temporary connection or testing you can use 2.5mm banana plugs; please bear in mind that banana plugs cannot be used as a viable long term connection method:
Cable preparation:
Strip back approximately 10-12mm of the cable insulation, then twist and tin the wires with the soldering iron:
Solder connections:
Place the tweeter on a stable but soft surface to protect the faceplate - wobbly mid air connections are very risky and best avoided.
Insert the prepared wires fully into the solder buckets then carefully heat the joint with the soldering iron until solder flows and fills the bucket entirely. The soldering iron used in the pictures is rated at 25 watts with a 3mm chisel tip. As with all soldered connections, cleanliness is key.
The end result:
With a little care and attention you should end up with something like this:
A perfectly terminated connection !
If the soldering iron accidently slips and melts the tweeter body near the solder buckets don't worry too much, the integrity of the tweeter will not be affected.
There is one optional further step:
Though not strictly necessary, you can fill the solder bucket tapered recesses with hot melt adhesive - this does of course add a slight complication if you ever want to remove the tweeters.
Removal:
To remove the tweeters simply reheat the buckets until the solder melts then pull out the wires - the connections are rugged and can be unsoldered easily without damage.
Take appropriate care to avoid any burns when soldering !
We hope you found this little photo guide helpful; if you need any further advice please contact us.
Hiquphon Logo © Oskar Wrønding
Text & images © Willys-Hifi Ltd, official UK distributor for Hiquphon.