Solved! Why isn't the woofer in my box working?

[ewstadelman]

I have two speaker towers, they're spectrum model 410, so they're quite old. I played loud music for one night and now neither of the woofers are working. They are both wired to a marantz sr4023. Sound now only comes out the tweeters on both. Any ideas?

 

[Sonic Illusions]

Cooked woofer coils is most likely. For both to quit after being driven hard, yes. You may be able to find replacements, but you'll need to match the parameters as closely as possible.

 

[americanaudiophile]

If you like the way speakers sound and want to preserve that I would suggest you get the woofers rebuilt by www.millersound.com
They do great work.
If you want to replace the woofers then contact
www.madisound.com
If the originals are no longer available they can suggest a good substitute woofer.

 

[ewstadelman]

Cooked woofer coils is most likely. For both to quit after being driven hard, yes. You may be able to find replacements, but you'll need to match the parameters as closely as possible.

Is there a way to test this hypothesis? There is no sound coming from them, and then tweeters sound kinda weird. I wondered if the built-in cross over became damaged

 

[Sonic Illusions]

Sorry, just got this! Anything is possible. Connect 2 wires directly to the woofer to be tested (disconnect from x-over), then get a battery and touch the wires to + and -. The cones will move and there will be a small audible pop.

Millersound seems like a great option, if you want to preserve the original woofers. I've done many re-conings and VC replacements myself and it's a great way to keep the performance of the originals. Great care MUST be taken to not only be sure the coils have the same physical and electrical values, but also, as with all other components, including adhesive, must be very close to the same weight. Even the smallest variation in weight of the dust cap, cone, and motor assembly and glues can cause changes in the Thiele/Small parameters, changing the response of the driver and I'm sure Miller knows all about this. I didn't know about Millersound, because I mostly build with modern components, but they seem like a good choice if you want to go that route, versus trying to find new replacements with similar parameters, which can be a daunting task.

Also, I've been buying from Madisound since 1995 and they're STILL awesome.