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Blown Tweeters = Some Sound/No Sound?

Hey guys,

I just looked at a pair of speakers that I was thinking about buying, but when I listened to them, it was obvious that the tweeters were NOT working.

I disconnected the "jumpers" (they're bi-wirable) and connected the cables to only the mid-tweeter binding posts just to isolate the problem as best I could.

On BOTH speakers, there was absolutely NO sound. Does this mean that the tweeters are blown or is there possibly more to the problem?

I've never blown a speaker before so I'm not sure what it sounds like. I know that tweeters can be the most sensitive and maybe the voicecoil got cooked. I just figured that there'd be some kind of noise...just distorted or something.

If I can get them for a good price and replacement tweeters are fairly reasonable...AND...if I can know with certainty that replacing the tweeters will solve the problem, then I just might go for it.

Thanks in advance for your help.
gullahisland

Showing 3 responses by satch

satch
329 posts
 
Just checked some reviews, and it seems that 150 quid is very reasonable to get your speakers back into shape. Good luck, and let us know if everything turned out ok!
satch
329 posts
 
Good question. You have determined that the tweeters aren't working, that's for sure. It could be (hard to say without knowing what speakers you are talking about) that some kind of overload-protection kicked in (e.g. blown a fuse), and the tweeters are fine. It could also be (less likely since it happened in both speakers) that the wiring inside doesn't connect anymore. Most probably the tweeters are damaged, but there could be others reasons.
As for sound/no sound: if I remember correctly, you can blow tweeters in two ways. First you overheat the voice coil, and because of the heat, it tends to get a little bit bigger and won't fit the gap it is supposed to move in. That way, you should have a little sound left, along with some scraping sounds (very soft).
The other way is that you haven't damaged the voice coils, but the very thin wire that runs between the voice coil and the cable connection at the back or side of the tweeter. If that's is melted, there'll be no sound from the tweeter whatsoever.
So if it's worth replacing the tweeters? Pfffff.... there are a lot of 'if's' in your wuestion. One thing I can say is that it's fun to fiddle around, so I guess I would try it.
satch
329 posts
 
Ehmmmm..... Onhwy61 made an accurate remark. In your original post you stated "On BOTH speakers, there was absolutely NO sound. Does this mean that the tweeters are blown or is there possibly more to the problem?"
I presume you mean no sound from the tweeters?
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