Fried some AV-1+ today (1 Viewer)

[Chris Tsutsui]

Sad, sad, I know...

Here's how easily it can happen, so don't act like I did something terribly wrong...

I am using a Behringer Eurorack mx602A as an ultra low noise mic/line mixer. I'm using a 100 watt per channel Rotel stereo power amplifier for the AV-1+. And a Nady XR-61 Wireless Microphone system. (Retails $270)

Now, I now know I should probably never use a microphone with any type of home theater equiptment, but I had to try it out for testing purposes. The music was playing just fine out of the AV-1+ and the microphone voice overlap was working terrific. My voice never sounded better singing through the AV-1+ pair...

Then, as I placed the microphone on the ground, near some cables, it picked up a high pitched wine as I dropped it which lasted less than a second.

After that, the tweeters do not play sincce I've somehow managed to short the voice coils and literally "toast" the tweeters. I assume the woofers and crossover are in order since I can still hear music just fine. The only thing the music lacks, is the sound of a tweeter. I also smell the tweeter and it smells like burnt zinc for those of you that can relate.

I guess that 15W RMS power handling of the tweeter cannot withstand even the shortest burst of feedback.

Now I know the speakers are 4ohms, and the seperate 100wpc amp was probably too much power for it. I didn't have the mic turned up that much at all.. it was just a quick loud burst of a high frequency that the tweeters could not handle.

I guess I'll contact Danny who will probably just have me buy two new tweeters like he did the last time one AV-3 woofer turned out of alignment. I know he has no obligation to compensate for "misuse" or "accidents" so I guess I'll have to just suck it up and pay the piper.

By the way, when I got one of the M16 woofers, the dust cap was completely loose. I used super glue to put it back on and all seems OK. I was just wondering if THIS is something I again can't do anything about even if the dustcap falls off again or starts to buzz.

Just had to get a few things out.. Man what a day this has been...

 

[Chris Tsutsui]

Update: Upon further inspection.. it appears the voice coil had too much power running through it, which meant it probably got glowing orange hot.

This resulted in the wire to delaminate from the former, which also severed the wire in one place.

The Ferro fluid coating the coil was also a bit burnt, which could maybe account for the smell.

So basically, I'm looking at a busted fuse and a paper weight. Unless of course I can buy a new face plate for it and reuse the baffle and magnet.

I guess I may try and solder the 2 wires back together and see what happens. Edit: just as I thought... nothing happened.

 

[Kyle Richardson]

Dang Chris, thats too bad. Hope you get up and running agian soon.

 

[Danny Richie]

Ouch!

If you or anyone else ever has a driver failure do to workmanship or mechanical failure it is simply replaced without debate.

I have had to warranty very few drivers.

The only failures I have seen are as follows:

I have seen a few dust caps come loose (repairable). I have seen one wire lead get pulled loose from a woofer cone (It was being played to levels that went beyond its rated X-max). I have seen now two of our new M-130's have the spider come loose (also repairable). And some of our early woofers lost their motor structure from UPS damage (Their trucks can hit 140 degrees down here in the summer time, and the glue used to hold the motor structure to the polymer chassis would soften to the point that a few hard licks and it would let the motor structure go. It has 4 rivets through it too, but the polymer frame gets a little soft when heated up).

Good clean power is usually no problem either.

I have driven a pair of A/V-1+'s with 400 watt, Melos, tube, mono-blocks to levels that were almost unbearable with no problems at all.

I had a guy in Lawton, Oklahoma burn out the voice coils on both of his Paradox-1's when his small home theater receiver clipped hard.

Of coarse burned or open voice coils that are the result of misuse or abuse is not covered under warranty, and it is always an accident.