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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
erik_squires
15,826 posts
 

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.

cdtd OP
24 posts
 

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.  

erik_squires
15,826 posts
 

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.

 

gs5556
1,213 posts
 

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.

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