Design Acoustics PS-10A

[skiesrblue]

Picked up a pair from CL for $40. Of course the woofers need to be refoamed so I am in the process of doing that. I also noticed that it looks like the coating on the tweeter domes is cracked but the domes are still intact. Does this affect anything and if so, is there a fix other than replacing the diaphragms?

Also, while removing the woofer in one, the black wire terminal broke off of the potentiometer. Can I just solder the terminal back on? If not, anyone know where to source one?

Thanks,
Jeremy

 

[janikphoto]

The tweeter texture coating must be there to help dispersion, and possibly damp the cone. It will change the tone some, but I'm not sure it'll be a critical change... I bet they'll sound OK as-is.

 

[GD70]

Picked up a pair from CL for $40. Of course the woofers need to be refoamed so I am in the process of doing that. I also noticed that it looks like the coating on the tweeter domes is cracked but the domes are still intact. Does this affect anything and if so, is there a fix other than replacing the diaphragms?

Also, while removing the woofer in one, the black wire terminal broke off of the potentiometer. Can I just solder the terminal back on? If not, anyone know where to source one?

Thanks,
Jeremy

You can try to solder it back on, nothing to loose at this point. You should be able to find parts and tweeters on fleabay or on BT. There's always tweeters on fleabay.

These are great sounding speakers, especially considering their small foot print. They've surprised many friends when I've auditioned mine. BIG sound out of these!

 

[Anti_Skate]

Mine have that same spotted look on the diaphragms but not cracking (yet).
I wonder if that's why they sound kinda fuzzy at certain low volume levels?
Its been driving me nuts!!!!

 

[dc270]

That is a little 15 watt L-Pad, Parts Express has loads of them, replacement tweeters too. I may have one of these.....will look.
DC

 

[GD70]

That is a little 15 watt L-Pad, Parts Express has loads of them, replacement tweeters too. I may have one of these.....will look.
DC

I would suggest always replacing any drivers with the same driver. If it's unobtanium, that's a different story.

 

[dc270]

I would suggest always replacing any drivers with the same driver. If it's unobtanium, that's a different story.

agreed!
DC

 

[GoRNR]

That is a little 15 watt L-Pad, Parts Express has loads of them, replacement tweeters too. I may have one of these.....will look.
DC

+1 on the 15 watt L-pad that PE sells. I did this replacement and it's a match for fit-up and operation. I had one tweeter that worked, but has reduced output. I found a good used pair of tweets on that auction site as the others have suggested. For what they are, they produce a lot of sound and if you need a small footprint in your mancave or livingroom, they can be a good solution. Pretty amazing how good they can sound within limits. You won't get a lot of deep, floor rumbling bass, but they are quite good with what they can produce. :yes:

As you may have already experienced, the plastic trim rings for the woofers are a bit tricky. If you haven't removed them yet, just take your time with gentle pressure working around the rim with a flat tool- or your finger tips- being careful to avoid gouging and cracking the ring. It's stubborn at first, but after making a second trip around the ring, the adhesive should begin to release and then it's just more patience to finish. If you simply grab the ring in one spot and pull, the plastic will probably break. Just take your time and you will be fine.

 

[skiesrblue]

Should I replace both LPADS or just the bad one?

Thanks,
Jeremy

 

[dc270]

Replace the bad one and lube the good one.
DC

 

[skiesrblue]

Ordered a pair of Part # 260-248 from PE. Did not see a COO so I'll assume it's China. Anyone know if there is a sonic difference between these and the original Japanese ones?

Thanks,
Jeremy

 

[wiredbecker]

Ooh, any chance I could get a photo of the backside of the woofer? I pulled mine to refoam and they went into a box with a ton of other woofers needing refoam and now I have no idea which woofer actually belongs to the PS-10's!

 

[dc270]

Ooh, any chance I could get a photo of the backside of the woofer? I pulled mine to refoam and they went into a box with a ton of other woofers needing refoam and now I have no idea which woofer actually belongs to the PS-10's!

probably the one woofer with the shallowest depth!!
DC

 

[wiredbecker]

There's just too may woofers to know for sure DC! I'm sure you understand...

 

[dc270]

The PS 10 woofer, due to the cabinet design, has to fit in a pretty shallow depth- more shallow than many other woofers. You could set your woofers face down and pick out the one(s) that are the most shallow! Good luck how ever you can find it!
DC

 

[skiesrblue]

probably the one woofer with the shallowest depth!!
DC

They are the ones with the most minuscule magnets in the history of 10' wooferdom.

Thnaks DC for all of your insight. I was able to get them refoamed with no issues. Just waiting for the LPADs to get them up and running.

 

[wiredbecker]

Thanks so much. It'll be nice to get these up and running again.

 

[dc270]

I rebuilt to sets of these a couple weels back. Clay packed the thin steel woofer frames, C/O the caps in the upper for polys, new elec. on the lower, Ended up sounding very nice!
DC

 

[GoRNR]

Ordered a pair of Part # 260-248 from PE. Did not see a COO so I'll assume it's China. Anyone know if there is a sonic difference between these and the original Japanese ones?

Thanks,
Jeremy

Jeremy-- Don't think you will hear any difference between the original L-pad and the new one- UNLESS- the second original one isn't working correctly. As DC said, put some lube on the working original L-pad and you should be good. :thmbsp:

BTW-- in order to get a HF problem sorted on one of my PS-10's, I had to correct a wiring error (PO miscue), a faulty L-pad, AND a degraded tweeter. I also recapped the crossover networks with new film and new NPE caps, Erse brand. One thing I noticed after recapping the left speaker crossover alone-- there was a bit more space and detail in the music and, in particular, when using them for front channels with my AVR for movies. Background dialog I never heard before was now audible. The original caps actually measure within tolerance, but there was at least some minor improvement in the sound with the new capacitors. If you are considering recapping, you'll have to decide if the cost will be worth it to you.

 

[GD70]

Don't let that small magnet fool you. These put out very good bass. The closer to the wall, the better.