Actually heard my speaker go bad!

[Jayrosc]

So I'm upstairs watching late night tv with my PSB 500's running at low volume when I suddenly hear some distortion happening along with the male voices. I figured it was the cable tv signal but it was late so I just turned it off without investigating. Today I check. Turns out one woofer now has significant voice coil rub!!! No idea how this happened or why. The volume was really really low. Such a shame because they were wonderful speakers for just that use: warm sounding and clear at low volumes but with some nice punch to the bass. I'm not gonna try and do a repair. Will miss them. For now a set of realistic optimus 25's are standing in.

 

[nj pheonix]

Sorry title made me think of this

 

[bshorey]

So I'm upstairs watching late night tv with my PSB 500's running at low volume when I suddenly hear some distortion happening along with the male voices. I figured it was the cable tv signal but it was late so I just turned it off without investigating. Today I check. Turns out one woofer now has significant voice coil rub!!! No idea how this happened or why. The volume was really really low. Such a shame because they were wonderful speakers for just that use: warm sounding and clear at low volumes but with some nice punch to the bass. I'm not gonna try and do a repair. Will miss them. For now a set of realistic optimus 25's are standing in.

It's not normal for a voice coil to all of a sudden just start rubbing. My guess is the spider or the surround came loose. It might be an easy fix to reglue them.

bs

 

[Jayrosc]

Just pulled the woofer. Very thin and pliable rubber, inverted surround is fully intact and the spider is too. The whole driver seems very cheaply built and is pretty delicate. The cone is some type of mylar I think and it is also thin. I moved the assembly around quite a bit. Pushing the cone way in and way out, plus moving it around from its axis point. It now works. I suspect this 1990 driver is just sagging from gravity, meaning its life is almost over. I'll never find a proper replacement surround.

 

[bshorey]

Just pulled the woofer. Very thin and pliable rubber, inverted surround is fully intact and the spider is too. The whole driver seems very cheaply built and is pretty delicate. The cone is some type of mylar I think and it is also thin. I moved the assembly around quite a bit. Pushing the cone way in and way out, plus moving it around from its axis point. It now works. I suspect this 1990 driver is just sagging from gravity, meaning its life is almost over. I'll never find a proper replacement surround.

Try remounting it upside down.

bs

 

[bobins08]

Yes, mount it upside from the original orientation. Repeat for the woofer in the other speaker, it will go next.

The surround was sagging from time, gravity, age, etc.

 

[rickster338]

FYI You might want to check if you have DC on your amplifier outputs just to be on the safe side.