Driver Testing - reduced output


I have Proac 3.8’s.  The right speaker has limited output compared to the left speaker. I tested the cables, amps and other electronics as well as swapping out.  I get the same results.  I tested the tweeter, mid and woofer drivers with a battery and all but the mid “pop” / produce noise.  When I tested the mid with the battery, the woofer driver produced the “pop” but not the mid.  Testing the woofer only made the woofer “pop”.   Question: is the mid Driver bad or is the crossover doing something that is nulling the mid drivers response to the battery test?  The wire is soldered to the drivers, i did not remove the solder before testing.  Thanks in advance!

cdtd

Thanks for everyones response.

I disconnected the driver and it is dead, no motion no sound.   
Im likely going to replace the mids on both speakers to keep each side balanced.

Hopefully the crossover doesn’t have a fault as well.  

Happy New Year🎊 
 

 

@cdtd   You do need to completely disconnect the woofer before testing. The battery will tell you if the coil is good, If it pops/moves, you really should still check it with an ohm meter...... I’ve never been inside of this speaker, but I’ve been in many. I don’t know this, but just by appearances, looking at pictures, this driver appears to be an Usher 8945 woofer. I don’t know for sure, but if you need to replace, start looking there.

I noticed volume differences between my Proac 3.8's . Ended up replacing all four drivers to correct the problem. Sound Organization had them in stock. I forget how much but I remember they were expensive. It was worth it. 

Use a multi-meter to measure the resistance across the speaker terminals. Normally, the resistance should measure around 3 to 6 ohms. If both measure exactly the same in this range, it's probably not the crossover and instead a driver issue.

Remove the driver from the crossover before you can say you tested it.  You could have a bad crossover component, and testing with a battery won't help tell the difference.

 

The mid driver doesn’t move at all.  I tested at the wire terminals of the driver, though with the crossover still soldered to the terminals.  Does that indicate the driver is bad or might i still have an issue at the crossover ?  And testing the mid driver makes the woofer driver move.  

Well, the key is whether they move. Small voltage batteries are safe to use for several seconds. By this I mean your typical AA to 9V fire alarm battery. Even on the tweeter.

Using a 9V battery for the woofer at least, they should move in or out, depending on how the battery is placed. + to + produces motion towards the listener. Make sure the crossover is 100% removed from the driver before testing or you’ll be testing the crossover as well.

Honestly it’s a shame more people don’t have Dayton DATS. It’s the best speaker circuit troubleshooter I know.