SG woofer -- help needed!

[richards]

Hi

My SG has suddenly developed a popping and crackling from the extreme right hand woofer.

Some declare this is the end of the line because the unit is irreplaceable.....Nervous at this stage to remove the woofer for inspection.

Are there any solutions out there?

Thanks in advance for all suggestions.

Richard

[Graz]

Generally the main problems comes from the front-to-back circuit joiner, this is located don the bottom of the outside of the slant. Under the cover. The problem here is the task is not easy as it involves use of a special solder that can be used on aluminium. I have the solder here for it - but you only get a little bit of leeway with using this stuff. It's toxic to use indoors as well - so you will need some extraction unit working near your speakers. Flux splatter is a problem with these too - so it is a good idea to cut a piece of coreflute panel out to cover your bass whilst doing any solder work...

Where are the speakers?

Curious - Graz

[richards]

Hi Graz

Thanks - as always life is complicated, they are in Tokyo.

Richard

[joseph]

Hi Richard,

I had the same problem - it started with intermittent popping and crackling then failed. Graz helped me troubleshoot it (thanks again Graz!) and went to the trouble of sending me the special solder. I still haven't used it (I am spastic with solder) but I did find a workaround, which I will not describe because it really is the wrong way to fix the problem. If you can, use Graz's solution.

Just to be certain though - I DO suggest that you confirm that the front-to-back solder joint is the culprit before proceeding to the repair - as you said, the woofer panel is irreplaceable and the consequences of an error would be tragic.

Let me know if I can help - I am familiar with the problem.

Joseph

[richards]

Hi Joseph/Graz

Thanks to both for helpful replies.

Do I need to take the woofer out of the cabinet to establish the problem maybe the wiring?
Is there anything special I need to watch out for when removing the woofer - other than patience and extreme care. I assume I remove the 6 screws and gently lever out the speaker but is it also glued in?
Damaged wiring should be visually inspect-able?

Richard

[joseph]

Hi Richard -

I just realized you mean one of the sub-woofer dynamic drivers, not the ribbon woofer! Please disregard what I said above - If the problem was the ribbon, you would need to be very careful. The sub-woofer is a much more straightforward issue.

If the noise is only coming from ONE of the two drivers (which I infer from your description) then that eliminates the active DAX is the source of the problem, so yes - you would remove the screws and gently lever the driver out of its recess so as not to damage the edge of the MDF baffle. The driver will seem to be firmly stuck and then will quite suddenly pop out; be prepared to catch it from below. Disconnect it from the two leads (they slide on) and troubleshoot as you would any conventional speaker driver, which is what it is.

Not sure what to tell you if it needs replacement - I don't know what the driver is or if replacements are available. Graz might know, or another SG owner. I no longer use my SG subs, so as a last resort I could let you have one of my drivers, but I'm on the other side of the world from you (Jamaica)!

Good luck,

Joseph

[christoph]

hi richard

it's a BIG relief, that it's "only" the sub and not the bass panel

i normally don't use the subwoofer either...


best of luck with your trouble shooting
christoph

[richards]

Thanks all for advice; yes, of course the sub, apologies for my mis? description and pleased that a solution is available.

However, advice seems to be to delete the subs altogether. I recall a long ago post from Joseph advocating this, but sort of lost the thread as to whether some form of replacement sub or woofer was required, or whether the bass panel alone is sufficient if not better than original configuration? Please advise wiring mods if this is the case.

Posting delay due to failed channel on my Supratek preamp which is causing a lot of grief as well....

Richard

[christoph]

hi richard

as i said before, i normally listen to my studio grands without the subs.
in my case the subs are used as a very bulky stand for a pair of studio ribbon arrays

cheers, christoph