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Speaker Damage/Amp Power/Volume

I believe the upper bass driver on one of my Energy Veritas 2.3i speakers is damaged, as it has started to make a humming/vibrating/distorted sound on certain Lee Ritenour jazz guitar tracks. What is confusing is that I do not hear the vibration on most of the other music in my diverse collection of rock, jazz, female vocals and classical. I drive the Energy's with a Musical Fidelity A5 Integrated rated at 250w into 8 ohms and 400w into 4 ohms. While I never go past the "11:00" position on the volume dial, I have no idea how many db that represents or how many db is required to damage a speaker. My room is 16x30x9. How loud can you go? Energy recommends 50-250w for the 2.3i, not unlike the input suggestions for most of the speakers I browse. How are mega-watt amplifiers of up to 1000 watts paired with speakers whose specs call for up to 200 or 300? What speakers in the 3-4k used range are able to play louder with less risk of damage? I also wonder why more higher end amps don't possess a warning light like my second system Adcom 545 II--I think it says 'thermal protection'--and why speakers don't have built in protection. A bunch of Q's, I know, but I am newer to this great hobby and I'd like some A's before I upgrade my speakers. Thanks.
goblue711
elevick
2,636 posts
 
Energy will probably fix it for free.
Also, add a powered sub. Not only will this alleviate a lot of the work for your speakers, it will let you get by with much less power from the amp since bass is where most power is wasted.
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goblue711 OP
30 posts
 
Unfortunately, there are no external screws or bolts to tighten--the woofer and surrounding rubber ring are flush to front of cabinet. When I described the situation to Klipsch (now owns Energy), I was told that new bass drivers are available for $280 and that they recommend a shop in western Michigan for installation. Before spending that money and driving 200 miles, I will find a place in suburban Detroit to check the driver. I also will begin to research subs and how to integrate. Regarding sound levels, 95 percent of my listening is at lower to moderate volumes with sound quality being the clear priority. The onset of the buzz, however, has me "gun shy" and resisting the occasional urge to turn it up. Your suggestions are appreciated!
mordenmail
23 posts
 
Goblue:

You will find the bolts for the woofers located on the rear of the speaker. You will have two of them, one for each bass driver. They are center mounted. They are easily removed, just be careful not to let them tumble out as you unscrew them - or just try to tighten them and see if that cures your problem, as suggested.
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