AV123 x-series tweeters keep going out

[jjar]

Hey guys. First post here. I'm looking for some help on repairing my x-series speakers. I have two sls towers and a cs center. They are the first models without the upgraded tweeters.

The problem is the tweeters blow! While av123 was around they gave me 3 or 4 under warranty. Since they went under I have now blown two more.

I'm using an onkyo 875, but was using a 605 when the first ones went out.

Why do they things keep going out and more importantly how do I get new ones? Can I upgrade to the later models?

Thanks!

[HAL]

You should check with Danny Richie on AudioCircle. He has many spare parts for the X-Series speakers. You can also find him at his site www.GR-Research.com

[Sandbagger]

I think I have a few that I pulled from Encore upgrades I could get rid of

[corndog71]

Do you have the treble cranked on your receiver? If so that could be why you're blowing the tweeters. It makes sense if you did because those classic tweeters were terribly dark sounding to me. No amount of tweaking could get them to sound balanced to me. Otherwise you could just be really unlucky with those cheap tweeters. Or your receivers are faulty. After the 2nd blown tweeter I'd be real suspicious of the receiver.

The Encore tweeters sound immensely better. If you switch to those (along with the proper crossover changes) it'll be like having an all new set of speakers. Call Danny. He'll be happy to help you out.

[tesseract]

+1. Encore is a very nice tweeter, Danny has the Encore and crossovers and silly low prices.

You still want to find the root cause of the problem, though. I highly doubt the tweeters are the issue.

[jjar]

Thanks for the help guys. I will look into the encore tweeters.

I'll have to check the receiver settings. It's been so long since I've messed with it I'm not sure I remember how to set the treble...lol. I know I ran the auto audussey setup on both. If it was just one receiver that would be one thing, but both a 605 and 875?

I'm about 75% movies / 25% music if that matters. Playing both through PS3 and HDMI.

Thanks!

[dane]

+1 on checking out the receiver settings. interesting that you say you've used two different receivers and both have blown tweeters. I know very little about the x-series line though so can't say much of anything (useful) about them.

I know that high distortion as well as high DC offset are both serious problems when it comes to driving speakers. Both situations cause an undesirably high current to flow through the speaker's voicecoil(s), which are designed for AC impulses not DC current. While a poorly designed tweeter could very likely be the problem, an amp with DC offset or high THD would just as easily (and most likely more commonly) be the cause.

Interestingly, the thought just came to mind that a faulty crossover could also cause you problems. If the crossover within the speaker is sending the wrong musical content to the tweeters (e.g. not properly high-pass filtering), that could likely cause blowouts as well.

I don't think the type of audio played (music/movies) makes a tremendous difference. But what kind of volume do you set at? Do you frequently play it near the top of the volume range available using your setup? In other words, do you play it close to "max" of your setup's potential? If so, I'd wager that distortion (or a misbehaving crossover) is your problem. All amplifiers increase in distortion at their top end, and some (many) have their distortion numbers skyrocket beyond a particular point (that point varies from model to model and design to design).

good luck.
..dane

[DeeJayBump]

IIRC, some (older) Onkyo Receivers occasionally blow tweeters from the test tone levels being too high during calibration/Audyssey.

That's one possible cause. Another could be the receiver's amp being driven into clipping/distortion and that is blowing your tweeters.

Is it possible you're listening at SPL levels far too high, driving the amps into clipping/distortion and blowing tweeters.

[Jethro]

IIRC, some (older) Onkyo Receivers occasionally blow tweeters from the test tone levels being too high during calibration/Audyssey.

That's one possible cause. Another could be the receiver's amp being driven into clipping/distortion and that is blowing your tweeters.

Is it possible you're listening at SPL levels far too high, driving the amps into clipping/distortion and blowing tweeters.

It would be pretty loud to clip the 875 as it has quite a strong amp section.

[DeeJayBump]

It would be pretty loud to clip the 875 as it has quite a strong amp section.

Just throwing it out there as a possibility. Trying to rule out an equipment issue or user-error to get to the root cause before putting in replacement tweeters and possibly blowing them, too.

[Maximum kahuna]

Definitely check equipment. I don't remember ever hearing anything about x-series speakers being prone to tweeter problems, (other than the classics being dark sounding!)

[tesseract]

If one speaker is continually blowing tweeters, it may be the crossover.

If both speakers are frying tweets, odds are the problem lies elsewhere. It is very unlikely that both crossovers are faulty.

[jjar]

I have replaced all three once and one of the L-R's twice I believe. One or two went with the 605 and two (the center cs recently) have went while using the 875.

Obviously I need to get a spl meter to get an exact answer to the overdriven questions, but honestly I don't think that's it. They get played about once a week for a movie or music session. I'm probably not nearly as serious about this hobby as you guys are, but I am very particular about the quality of my music. Loud - heck yeah, occasionally. But I never distort my stuff. I can't stand it when my friends do...I will make them turn it down. I have had nice quality car audio systems in many vehicles and boat and I know when a system is being stressed. If these things can't take a little high volume jam session on a Saturday night then I need to just chunk them in the trash. I have friends with $100 best buy specials who laugh at my "quality" speakers which keep blowing tweeters!

Thanks for the help and thoughts.

[SteveSatch]

I may still have two of the original classic x series tweeters. PM if you you want me to try and find them.

[jjar]

You should check with Danny Richie on AudioCircle. He has many spare parts for the X-Series speakers. You can also find him at his site www.GR-Research.com

So I ordered upgraded (encore) tweeters and crossovers from Danny. I started the process of replacing the components this weekend. All seemed pretty simple until I got to remounting the crossover board. The encore board is larger than the original board and will not fit back into the same location behind the woofer.

It looks like the only other logical place would be behind the tweeter but the angled brace in that area blocks the board from laying flat against the cabinet.

Any ideas here...? I'm stuck. I'll try to call Danny today as well.

Thanks.