Did I make a mistake with my Nautilus 805?


One of the things that came to my mind yesterday was how tight were the woofer screws of my N805. I noticed that the screws were very slightly "loose" so I decided to tighten them all the way down. Now I am worried as to if I made a mistake by doing this and if the sound can be affected. Subjetively I did not find any diference in sound after this, but I was wondering if B&W intentionally leaves the screws a tad loose for some purpose? What do you guys think? Thanks for your thoughts.
kimu_itoe6ad
Call B&W,

As no the screws should not be loose, just snug, not over tightened either.

They must install their drivers w/ a certain amout of pounds via a tool like a tourque wrench.

Find out what the amout of lbs. is?
Then go to Sears buy all the tools.
Re-adjust, save all packaging, & RETURN TOOLS once complete!
I love Sears!

Or un-loosen all the screws, call B&W, tell them they came that way, & send them in for repair?

Good Luck!!!

They won't buy the second option as their Q.C. dept. is on the ball, just call them & be honest. They should help you out, & you might even give them a chuckle?
> Then go to Sears buy all the tools.
> Re-adjust, save all packaging, & RETURN TOOLS once complete!
> I love Sears!

Audiobugged, you should be ashamed of yourself, not bragging. Remind me not to do any business with you.
Or un-loosen all the screws, call B&W, tell them they came that way, & send them in for repair?

That comment sort of makes me question your values as well. Comments like that post make me ashamed to be part of such a group of audiophiles.

AudioBugged... Wow??? Need I say more?

Dear Kimu, my guess the mounts were a bit loose. I would simple contact B&W or ask your local dealer. Most of us are very willing to help even if you purchased elsewhere.
Dan
dedicatedaudio.com
Jeez guys, cut Audiobugged some slack, these are BIG BAD corporations he's proposing we screw! It's not like...well...Hey, Audiobugged, now that you mention it that amp you shipped me had two solder joints undone. I'm just shipping it back to you for a full refund, and don't forget the shipping charges too! Oh, and that tracking force scale works brilliantly I'm sure, but I've decided that I didn't really need it, so I'll throw that in the box too. I'll pay for the shipping charges on the scale. You know where to send the refund!

Tireguy, don't be too quick to judge the whole by a part (your last sentence, which perhaps was just not carefully phrased). I think attitudes like the one being criticized here are more likely the exception rather than the rule....certainly in my experience with Audiogon members.

Marco
Audiobugged, thanks for your comments...I now know NEVER to enter into a deal with you!!! kimu_ito@aol.com, when you tighten down the screws, remember to tighten them down in a "star-pattern" (like replacing a car tire) and make two or three passes, so that they are gradually torqued. You will probably need a torque wrench calibrated in "inch-ounces", not "foot pounds"!
Sorry I Offended all you Sears Employees?

Maybe I should have just said - "As no the screws should not be loose, just snug, not over tightened either". - and left it at that?

The guy is in a jam, just trying to help him out in an affordable fashion.
Then to have to pay 2 way shipping to & back to B&W.

KIMUN ITO to Err is human.

IMO what you did shouldn't affect the sound performance by too much, if by any percentage at all! As the N805 don't use a Fst driver, it is only holding the driver to the cabinet. Just make sure you didn't severly over-tighten them?

Not as bad as having Sears Auto Service overtigthening your transmission pan gasket!

Nah NAH nah NAH Nah I said Sears again! Stop kicking sand, let's play nicely, can't we all just get along???

God, don't Shun me, I'm not even Amish!

Have you offered him any advice instead of just bashing me?

Hum, Let's see & the answer is "NO"!
It's not like I told him to go buy 6 gallons of paint at Sears, paint your listening room with it. Then fill the cans with water & return them.

They are just tools.

Lighten Up!

P.S. JAX2 - just for the record I never sold yo an amp, we only share naked listening positions :0)~
Anyone who is an owner/manager of a retail store of any sort will understand my remarks. That sort of activity costs everyone(mostly the consumer) a lot of money not to mention being completely dishonest and lacking any sort of moral value. At least I can see that most here agree that those are NOT solutions to this problem- so I would retract my statement about being ashamed to be part of this group *most of you are great people* and I am honored to be part of this comunity. Of all people I should know by now that a few bad apples are in every batch, its just every now and again I am shocked with the remarks.

I am sure it is hard for some people to understand that SOME folks do care about what they do for a living and how they conduct themselves in business and in life. Lying, cheating and stealing(yes this would be stealing) is no way to live life and manage to get any form of enjoyment out of it- but hey you saved some money.
Back on Track...($.01 If you can't afford the torque wrench, then you should finance your Bose System from Best Buy, because you are adding cost to my Sears tools that I do buy)

As long as you don't strip out the MDF by tighening the drivers, you are ok, and yes those screws should be loose. Using a Torque wrench with the manuafacture specs prevents the stripping out of any screws.
TireGuy,

I'm sorry I did not think prior to submitting my answer to help Kimu. If you re-read what I said, I did mention that it will not work & he should call B&W. I have never over screwed, or screwed anyone as I was just AGAIN trying to help!

As to my values, gosh I came to the aid of someone in need. I do not feel the need to really try to make you understand, since you are apparently focused on one sentence w/ horse blinders on. Glancing at it in a polically-correct view, & now trying to turn this into a Sunday Bible class?

Again I apoligize, I guess in a hobby where you spend your time tweeking trying to hear a difference of if a component sounds better w/ the points of cones turned up or down. Maybe you approch the brink of madness, where you loose you train of thought at times? Would it help if I mentioned I was BLONDE? :0)~ Nuf Said!

AMEN
Audiobugged- I am not trying to preach or judge anyone I was just shocked by your first few suggestions of how to handle this situation. Had you just said at the end of your post "of course I was kidding" but I don't think you were kidding. I am surely not focusing on one sentence as much as your trying to pass the buck- "borrow the tools from sears" or "loosen the bolts and send them back to B&W" the person who posted this thread may have made a mistake(maybe he didn't) he should be honest and if there was any damage done he'll have to take care of it.

I agree with you saying getting in touch with B&W is in order and make sure everything is fine. I can't see how it could do any damage with the drivers B&W uses but I am not the designer.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, perhaps I am in low spirits because I haven't seen the sun in almost a week- it never stops raining here!

Kimu_ito- Sorry to have hi-jacked your thread, I wish you the best of luck with this situation and hope there was no damage done.
Naked listening?! You must have read my valuable contribution to the "Audio Jokes" thread! If you have any further tips to add to that advice ("The Ultimate Tweak"), do post them to that thread. The only blonde I recall sharing naked listening positions with, is my wife, and she doesn't give a monkey's behind about this hobby so I know you ain't her.

Hope you've donned your flame-suit by now. Yep, we all do make mistakes...I've made some doosies in my day. My poop smells pretty vile too! Turn the vent fan on and burn a candle. You can't expect folks to hold back their reaction to such a foul stench as that. I think you got some very valid feedback, though I'm sure you didn't realize you were asking for it.

Best,

Marco
Yes KIMU sorry about your thread!!!

Jax2 - Thanx for you support, yet no I will never be the naked blonde next to you that is into your stuff!

Tireguy, I will pray for Sunshine for you!

Also I will do a reverse naked Indian Rain Dance with you in mind, later tonight with my girlfriend since you ain't getting any stress-relief. Honest Indjian!!!

Enough with the rain that has grown the accorn into a tree.

Remember like Orphan Annie -
"The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow", & then they will be able to grind that stump out of your port hole!

Awe to see the Sun again & be bung-free.

I'm kidding Tireguy, see that was kidding! I'm sorry that I have a sense of humor, while you are Blue.

Cheer up little camper as we will meet again, hopefully not having to hide behind Kevlar midrange drivers?

Again KIMU ITO, I genuinely apologize about the destruction of your thread.
If you absolutely, positively need to sink to their level, and feel compelled to execute some deep penetration with your Phillips, Flat-Head, or Torx (if you are from Europe), my vote would be for FedexGround....or UPS perhaps...and go for those Claims Divisions! In fact, you could go for 90% of the sorry-ass insurance industry in general as I believe that to be a hopeless cause at this point, especially medical insurance! Oh, and lets not forget the pharmaceutical companies! BUT as Cytocycle rightly points out, it is just that kind of behavior that costs us all more money when we go to buy our insurance or torque wrench or widgets. I don't know the answer, I'm just a simple guy who needs to light a candle after I go to the bathroom. Neither Sears nor Home Depot have done any wrong by me. Even if they had, it wouldn't be my inclination to give them a jail-house welcome when they were bending over. I'd simply stop doing business with them. BTW, thanks for your assurances Audiobugged, I'd hate to even think of such a thing at night!

Seriously though....do unto others as you would have others do unto you. It's SO simple and so elegant, and just feels so true to me. I try to keep that foremost in mind in all my actions, but like all of us I sure can slip up at times! I'll just keep those candles handy!

Marco
Does N805 has woofer screws? I know that other N series, like 804 up, user shall release the mid-range screw after 200 hours run-in for new pair.

The move is to release tention the rubber string tightening mid range and cabinet to an optimal level. Then screw back to just make position (not too tight nor to relax) and you can enjoy again.

As advised by B&W technican, the move can improve mid range outstanding level during the listening process. Just do once.
Kimu, Are talking about the large metal scew on the back of the speaker? If so, this is not supposed to be locked down fully tight.

I asked B&W about this on my N803's, here is their reply:
"The correct tension for the FST unit is set in the factory and should not need any adjustment, the easiest way to explain it is to take a coin and try turning it, it should feel 'finger tight' If this is to loose the FST midrange unit may fall out, if it too tight you will squash the isolation material inside."
No Fellows N805's have no FST, the speaker uses the same driver as the Cdm & 600 Series. It's just the ring around the collar, attaching it to the cabinet!
Lafish,
Wait the B&W FST is factory tuned, it only comes with a travel screw that is released upon set-up. No manual that I have ever read ever mention that you are to even mess with the screw on the back of Cdm-9nt,N804,N803,N802,N801's

Are you talking about the travel set screw, or the actual fst back plate?
Hey Audiobugged, tireguy and the rest of you:

Just HOW LONG HAVE y'all been married?

Fer C'sakes, sounds like a guy can get into just as much trouble here as the poor newly-wed slob can at the dinner table.....
Audiobugged,

You have become the Dixie Chicks of A'gon!

I believe in second chances. While your comments are in fact questionable, I do not think we should "hang em high" just yet. You do have good feedback. Just understand how they reflect on you and think twice next time.

Regards,
Tireguy...I have always read what you have to say to people and believe that you are very insightful. I support you 100% in this forum. It is best to be honest in every situation. As my father told me..."If you always tell the truth, you dont have to have as good of a memory"

With regards to the situation at hand here, Kimu, you made an honest mistake with your speakers...however, it was you that made that mistake and you that should accept responsibility for it. At least it was not an expensive mistake and all you really need to do is call B&W and tell them what happened. If they concur that purchasing a simple tool from Sears will remedy the problem, then buy that tool. I'm sure that in the grand scheme of things, if you can afford $2000 speakers then you can afford to buy a tool to fix them. no need to use sears as a tool rent-a-center.

Peace
MattyBumpkin, feeling more like Martha Stewart right now then any Dixie Chick!

Thanx for not fitting my neck to be hung over just one thread gone astray.

If so all I ask for everyone is a Slipknot.
The screws on the back of the Nautilus drivers are not only to hold the driver in place, but, they are also calibrated at the factory to prevent overshoot.

I would advise that you contact your local dealer and have the tension reset within factory tolerances.

Happy Listening,

Damon
No offense to anybody here, as I've been wanting to say this for a long time, but I just couldn't find the right thread to say it. I figure this one is as good as any.

"It's not the ones in prison that disturb me. It's the ones who have not been caught yet that bother me greatly."

-IMO
"...buy 6 gallons of paint at Sears, paint your listening room with it. Then fill the cans with water & return them."

Does that work?

JUST KIDDING!!!
Hey, Audiobugged, nice recovery! Your stand up shtick had me laughing all day! All is forgiven...you are no longer banished to 24 hours straight of Brittany Silicon an In*Suck played at maximum volume through your Koss Pro 4AA headphones. Cheers!
One thing I will gaurantee you is that speaker manufacturers don't torque screws into MDF. Cabinet shops generally use air powered equipment set at a pressure that approximates enough energy to tighten but not overtighten. My best suggestion to anyone that doesn't have the skills to tighten a screw is to ask someone that does know to show you how. No, this wasn't meant as an insult. There is a first time for everything and it's not shameful to ask for advice.

Now to help with the matter at hand. Look at the gasket and metal basket of the driver. If the gasket isn't seriously distorted or the driver basket isn't bent then simply leave it alone. Even if you have deformed the metal a small amount or flattened the gasket too much you will be better off leaving it alone and FORGETTING about it. All is well my friend.

Hey, I can't write a binding contract or fill teeth. But anyone that needs some sound advice about this type of stuff is always welcome to contact me directly before you do this type of thing. Digital cameras make communications via the net so easy. I hope we are all willing to help each other.