Loudness Switch Overdrove Speaker!

[Samuel STEIN]

Hey, I recently picked up an Aiwa 3090 Cassiever from Goodwill, and besides all rubber bands on the tape deck having deteriorated, it worked and sounded pretty good. However, I switched on the loudness trigger, and it knocked my right speaker out of alignment. :'(. I am looking for advice on where to look for problems. Loudness trigger is a minimal circuit, right?!

 

[ivandezande]

DC pop from the switch being dirty potentially.

 

[Robisme]

What does "knocked out of alignment" mean?

Not all loudness circuits boost the same frequencies, nor db.

Rob

 

[gizzyman47]

You saying your speakers magnet shifted?

 

[Samuel STEIN]

So there is distortion when I turn on the loudness circuit. The distortion started making one woofer crackle, and then it crackled at higher volumes without the loudness on anymore. I knocked on the paper cone and at a certain point, the woofer rattled. I think I can fix it with a targeted refoaming, but the loudness function seems like it should be relatively simple to fix.

 

[goodolpg]

Seems like a speaker problem, possibly made apparent by the loudness button.

 

[Samuel STEIN]

Seems like a speaker problem, possibly made apparent by the loudness button.

The loudness definitely triggered something in both speakers, but only one failed. I think it is the loudness button or loop. I'll take it apart and clean the switch and try to check the relevant caps!

 

[Lavane]

Too much bass may have overextended the voice coil.

 

[Hajidub]

Loudness is for low level listening.

 

[goodolpg]

What speakers are you using?

 

[Tom B]

It sounds more like a speaker issue as others have said.

 

[Stephen300]

Loudness is for low level listening.

I tried to explain that to a friend of mine once to no avail. He was convinced that it meant "more watts" when engaged.

 

[OMGCat!]

Sounds like you may have damaged a voice coil due to over driving the speakers. The loudness will boost low frequencies so playing them at a high volume will give your woofers a workout. The cracking noise you heard was the voice coil former smacking off the bottom of the magnet. When this happens I can be deformed and will cause the dragging, crackling sound you hear since it's been smacked out of shape and doesn't fit into the cutout in the magnet anymore.
If you keep running it, you risk damage to your amp as the coating on the wire of the voice coil will eventually rub through, short on the magnet and show a major decrease in resistance to your amp.

 

[NH-MAN]

Betting the woofer was already had some damage, could check the spider to see if it has come loose.

 

[quiet]

Back slowly away from the loudness button.