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List of odd problems with speakers.


Dave A

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Sometimes you scratch your head over what could cause problems with the speaker you are working on that just does not sound right. I am going to list some odd ball ones I have encountered and hope as time goes on this list will be added to.

 

                                                                                Odd buzzing noises can drive you nuts and I have had three now that were a real puzzle. 

 

   One had a strange buzz at certain frequencies that I had sold a customer. It started after he had gone home with them and hooked them up. They were fine here and he was satisfied and left with them. He was an auto repair guy and decided to try and find what the problem was on his own. Turns out that the bug screen had come loose and was in there behind the dust cap and would cause problems at certain frequencies.

 

  Another was an LSI I recently sold. Sounded fine here and the guy took off with a grin on his face. Later he calls and mentions an odd buzzing noise and asks for things to check. One of the things I mentioned was to get inside the doghouse and make sure the screws had not worked loose. What the problem turned out to be was the original Klipsch speaker wire was long enough to have made contact with the cone and that caused buzz at times.He made sure that could not happen again and all is well.  Transportation is not kind to speakers at times.

 

  I had a Chorus I that gave me fits one time. Recapped and sounding really good except this buzz at certain frequencies. I finally found a screw that was on the magnet from when I had laid it down during work. That screw on the magnet believe it or not was enough to cause audible and distracting noise. Also a good idea to check that magnet for metal shavings before install because if it is magnetic your magnet will find it.

 

                                                                              That new Ti diaphragm sounds like crap. (well I think they do no matter what but anyway)

 

  Had a brand new set of Ti diaphragms for a set of K-792's and dropped them in. Decided just for the heck of it to do a frequency sweep test on them as I had heard the pro's did this while installing diaphragms. Well the one was just like it should be and the other was hardly audible. There are three detente pins on the body and I decided to rotate the diaphragm on them and see what would happen. Rotate it 120 degrees and no sound at all. Rotate it a further 120 degrees and perfect sound. I have no idea which was eccentric or if indeed they both were and I just arrived at the best alignment by rotation. This was the last time I ever tried those Ti tweeter diaphragms as they are just to darned shrill for my taste. 

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50 minutes ago, Dave A said:

What the problem turned out to be was the original Klipsch speaker wire was long enough to have made contact with the cone and that caused buzz at times.He made sure that could not happen again and all is well.  Transportation is not kind to speakers at times.

It's funny you mentioned that.  As you know I'm rebuilding some split LSI's.  When I had the dog house open I noticed that the coiled speaker wires were laying on the frame of the driver.  I immediately thought that they'd vibrate if I left them there.  I put screw hooks on the side of the cabinet and looped the wire through them so they wouldn't touch the driver.

 

BTW, I've fired both of them up and really like the tweets.  To me they sound more open than stock while being less harsh.  All I have left to do to completely finish them is install the trim on on one set.

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   Woofer gaskets were a big one for me, this is my first pair, so ny only reference was information that i had read from other owners and 3rd party listeners. Well i got them home and they were a bit bass shy, but definitely didnt thump like they should have, so i did some investigating and this was the result, my gaskets were completely shot.  I'm sure la scalas get sold more often like this than one might imagine, if mine were this bad, others must be suffering too.  IMG_20191122_161256212-min.thumb.jpg.410a365c9cc4c40358b140947de78ef7.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sometime you just have to shake your head over self inflicted problems. I have been missing my flat end screw driver for some time now and just never could find it. I helped a buyer load some LSI's into his car today and heard a little rattle. So we stop and I pull the doghouse cover and there was a chunk of wire insulation in there. Little things can make big sounds sometimes so I thought that was it. He gets home and after moving them around the sound appears again.  He sent me a picture and I know where the missing screw driver went now. Never laid them on their backs after connecting the crossover and must have laid it down behind the crossover where it was forgotten until today. Never heard this while playing them for some time in the after fixing and today in the shop so I figure that screw driver did this while the LSI was being moved and on it's back.

speaker rattle.jpeg

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Pretty sure that the strangest of all problems I've had was the resonance of the mouse turds in the bottom of the first set of Cornwalls I bought from a lady farmer, quite some years ago.  Can't say what the resonant frequency was though.

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  • 2 weeks later...
10 hours ago, Dave A said:

Here is one from the south. If all your boxes have been sitting for a long time undisturbed check for Brown Recluse spiders.

 

Not just the south. In Missouri, it's Brown Recluse, Black Widow, hornet's nest, mud dauber nest, scorpion ...

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