Inherited SS-TL5s - Need Help!

[JHN272]

Hey guys, new here, hoping I can get some help!

I have inherited a pair of Sony SS-TL5 speakers (http://www.thevintageknob.org/sony-SS-TL5.html) from my late father. These have sat for years and years at my grandmother’s home (so dusty) and I finally got to take them home today. It was a long and occasionally bumpy ride with these in the bed of my truck and wrapped in moving blankets but I got them home and into my basement.

Upon hooking them up, one speaker is not producing any sound from the high-mid driver nor the tweeter (only the low-mid and large rear driver) and the other isn’t producing anything from the tweeter. These have a lot of sentimental value and it would mean a great deal to me to restore these to their former glory or better. Don’t tell my wife, but money isn’t a big concern for me and these speakers. My Dad treasured them, so I want to do my best here.

With that said, what’s my first step in troubleshooting? Should I try to remove the drivers and test? I’m just making assumptions here that it’s either those or the crossover that are bad. I am a speaker repair novice but have a decent history of electronics repair, so not afraid to take these apart. I understand that if I need to replace these drivers that I wouldn’t be utilizing factory parts and recreating that original soundstage, but if that’s the route I need to take, I’m not afraid to go with high quality alternatives.

I appreciate any and all help I can get, thanks in advance!
- James

 

[Ds2000]

Remove the defective drivers and use a multi meter to check continuity. Ohmmeter would work well. A numerical reading is good, Infinity is bad. That will establish whether the drivers are ok or not. Then on to the crossover to test those parts if the drivers are fine

 

[GD70]

Also, with a bumpy ride, possible wires came loose from the drivers.

 

[JHN272]

Thanks guys! I was able to pull both tweeters (both still firmly connected) and in testing the resistance with a multi meter, neither showed anything. I assume these are both bad.

I'm unable to remove the mid driver as easily. I removed the screws but this one seems firmly planted and doesn't want to budge. Any tips on wedging this out without harming the cabinet? Excuse the dust...

 

[crazy-in-az]

Thanks guys! I was able to pull both tweeters (both still firmly connected) and in testing the resistance with a multi meter, neither showed anything. I assume these are both bad.

I'm unable to remove the mid driver as easily. I removed the screws but this one seems firmly planted and doesn't want to budge. Any tips on wedging this out without harming the cabinet? Excuse the dust...

I would recommend a small, thin paint scraper or flat screwdriver. Carefully pry around the edge, and place a cloth or rag between the handle and the cabinet so you don't do any damage.

 

[JHN272]

Thanks crazy-in-az, that did the trick! Very light/fine scrape along the hole's edge as I moved the thin scrape around but not even close to noticeable. And GD70, interestingly the mid driver did not seem to be connected as I pulled it out (or it was really loose).

Test results, that mid driver looks dead as well...multi meter showed nothing. I pulled the other tower's mid driver (that does output sound) for a sanity check and it seemed fine, read 7.8-8.

Options on how can I proceed in seeking replacements? Seems I need tweeters (2.5cm/1in) and I assume I wouldn't want mismatched mid drivers (12cm/5in), so potentially both of those as well. I should also ask whether or not repairing any of these is even possible...

 

[goodolpg]

Thanks guys! I was able to pull both tweeters (both still firmly connected) and in testing the resistance with a multi meter, neither showed anything. I assume these are both bad.

I'm unable to remove the mid driver as easily. I removed the screws but this one seems firmly planted and doesn't want to budge. Any tips on wedging this out without harming the cabinet? Excuse the dust...

You need at least one of the wires disconnected to get an accurate reading.
Other wise you are trying to read the entire circuit the driver is in. Maybe coils or caps or even l-pads are in the circuit which may or may not allow flow to get a reading.

 

[JHN272]

Thanks goodolpg...to clarify, I was able to remove the driver completely following crazy-in-az's suggestions. I tested the driver with the terminals with it completely disconnected and it didn't show any reading (pulled the opposite driver as well, it showed around 8).

 

[swechsler]

Post pictures of the backs of the midrange and tweeter.

 

[GD70]

Also try connecting the drivers directly to your receiver or amp, and listen at very low volumes. You’ll know immediately if it’s a bad driver, or something else possibly in the crossovers, or binding posts. Check all connections.
In the meantime, put a search with notifications on fleabay for the drivers. You never know.

 

[goodolpg]

Thanks goodolpg...to clarify, I was able to remove the driver completely following crazy-in-az's suggestions. I tested the driver with the terminals with it completely disconnected and it didn't show any reading (pulled the opposite driver as well, it showed around 8).

This part made me think otherwise... " I was able to pull both tweeters (both still firmly connected)"

But no reading at all isn't good, as GD mentioned, you could wire them directly to the receiver/amp CAREFULLY WITHLOW VOLUME< LOW BASS< NO LOUDNESS JUST LONG ENOUGH TO HEAR IF THEY PRODUCE UNDISTORTED SOUND.
DO NOT LET THE BARE WIRE ENDS TOUCH EACH OTHER OR A COMMON CONDUCTIVE SURFACE.

Sorry for yelling but those are important if testing speakers or drivers wired straight to the power source.

 

[JHN272]

Thanks guys! I tried connecting the drivers directly to a receiver at very low volume, absolutely no output from them. I also tested with a higher quality multi meter and got the same results (no reading).

swelchsler, here are some images of the back of the midrange and one of the tweeters...

 

[GD70]

Thanks guys! I tried connecting the drivers directly to a receiver at very low volume, absolutely no output from them. I also tested with a higher quality multi meter and got the same results (no reading).

swelchsler, here are some images of the back of the midrange and one of the tweeters...

Bummer. Start a search on fleabay. Maybe some will show up. If you’re able to find the specs on the drivers, maybe simply Speakers, or Parts Express has suitable substitutes.

 

[avguytx]

There's a pair of SS-TL3's about an hour from me for a Benji but those don't appear to share the same drivers as the TL5. Otherwise, you could strip them out of the TL3's and toss the cabinets.

 

[swechsler]

Bummer. Start a search on fleabay.

Search just for "sony midrange" and "sony tweeter" rather than a specific model. Who knows what other models these were used with, and sellers are notoriously bad about getting details correct. You can match them up by appearance.

If you’re able to find the specs on the drivers, maybe simply Speakers, or Parts Express has suitable substitutes.

This will probably be your best bet, although if you're not in a hurry I'd let the search run for a while and see if anything gets picked up. Replacing the tweeters should be fairly straightforward. The manual lists the crossover frequencies as 900hz for the midrange and 3000hz for the tweeter, although it doesn't give the slope. This tweeter might be a good replacement (I looked specifically for 8Ω metal domes, but you could also go with a soft dome or even a planar), although you might need to pad it down a little with a resistor (this speaker doesn't appear to have level controls)

This midrange might work, although it would need to be padded down even more than that tweeter above. This one is another possibility, but that would assume that the midrange already has its own subenclosure in the Sony (it looks like the midrange in your picture has an open back, but I'm not 100% sure) and it's deep enough for that driver. It also might be slightly too insensitive. You'd also need to take some measurements; I estimated the diameter of your midrange as 5.35", but that's just an estimate.


ETA: apparently you're not the first with this problem. And my size estimate is probably a bit on the high side.

 

[Ds2000]

If you want to keep the speakers original, see if millersound.com will be able repair your existing ones.

 

[swechsler]

Millersound will not repair tweeters. They might be able to do the mids, though.

Although, the tweeters might be repairable by the OP depending on where the break in the voice coil is. Several AK'ers have had success disassembling, unwinding a single revolution of the wire and resoldering. Search AK for tweeter repair to learn more.

 

[homebrew]

Those tweeters look suspiciously like something made by SEAS or Vifa. The solder tabs being that close together is typical of those manufacturers. If you could pop off the plastic cover on the speaker magnet, that might tell you something.

 

[swechsler]

Those tweeters look suspiciously like something made by SEAS or Vifa. The solder tabs being that close together is typical of those manufacturers. If you could pop off the plastic cover on the speaker magnet, that might tell you something.

That's not plastic, it's the bottom plate. Google searches for seas titanium tweeter and vifa titanium tweeter were not fruitful, which of course isn't conclusive. It's possible that Sony contracted with another driver OEM to manufacturer tweeters unique to them; it's also possible that Sony made the tweeters themselves.

 

[A400]

I thought the tweeter looked like a MB Quart, which I believe Sony has used, but both drivers are stamped ‘Japan’ so I suspect that is where they were made.

Agree with reading up on tweeter fix - if this is within your comfort zone then nothing to lose.

Sometimes a mid/woofer can fail between the terminals and the coil, rather than the coil itself, but with three drivers damaged I don’t like the chances.