Subwoofer failure


This morning after everyone was awake I put on Fiona Apple's Tidal record. The very first song, Sleep to Dream has a very loud recurrent low synthesizer note. Everytime it stuck there was a belch in the center field of the system. It turned out to be coming from one of the center subwoofers. These are Dayton Titanic III's and have not been made in years. The current version which uses the same basket has different parameters. Sh-t. 
So, I pulled the driver and sat down with a cup of coffee at the kitchen table with the driver. Everything looked fine and the excursion was smooth and quiet. The surround was in perfect shape as was the spider and lead out wires. Out of frustration thinking I would have to replace all four drivers I started tapping on things. When I tapped on the dust cap I got a mini belch! I ran a finger nail under the seam and sure enough it had detached around 1/3rd of the diameter. I ran a bead of medium viscosity cyanoacrylate glue around the detached area and it sucked it right up. Driver reinstalled it was back to normal. 
Subwoofer drivers have a very aggressive lifestyle and they can fail in many ways that can be easily fixed. This is just one example we can store in memory. 
Anybody else have a subwoofer driver failure? 
128x128mijostyn
I use tuning phase plugs... They come loose eventually.. I use a quick JB Weld for the center and an o-ring (cut a grove in the backside of the phase plug) and super glue gel on the outside of the o-ring. So the super glue will set in about 4-5 min and the JB weld in about 15 min. The two don't mix and last for at least 5 years up to, not coming loose again...

When and if driver upgrades or replacement are needed, you have a template or a good whack with an impact mallet will remove them, for the new drivers...

A lot of them are rebuildable, just have to take your time, stamped baskets... there are a lot of tricks.. Terminate the baskets edges with sandpaper and silicone, deadening matt for the baskets, Can treat the cone material, and experiment with surrounds, BR, Silicone, Foam, rag, pleated, Spider replacement and if you really want to tinker... Change the magnetic flux (strength) of the magnet...

Cast baskets some are nuts and bolts... so even the voice coil/cone can be replaced.. I've done quit a few for the kids through the years... OB subs in cars... BOOM... LOL

Regards
@oldhvymec, these are cast baskets. The problem is that I have 4 subs and they have to match. What I do to one I have to do with them all. Then the problem is maintaining the same parameters.

I did the car thing when I was younger and car system s-cked. Now car systems are way better and I can't bring myself to rummage around in a $200,000 car. Around here the kids get used Acura's, slam them and stuff 4 subwoofers in there so you can here the BOOM BOOM two blocks away. Too much testosterone. 
LOL, I'm with you.. it is tough to get an automotive unit audiofile "certified".. Is there such a thing? I say that tongue in cheek. :-)

I would suggest that other than for your own personal "knowing", the (bass) section of most systems (250hz and below), you or I could hear good, better, best, BUT if I had a curtain between you and the production side of the sound... I could set up with 2-6 different bass bins, and we, (that's you and me), could tell the difference in sound quality, but not because things were the same, but because they were actually different... 

Mix and match may well work BETTER, when it comes to "the whole package"  so to speak...

My EX: I use "bass bins", 250 hz and down, AND
Subs, 60-80 hz and down.. The bins are 60-300 (max), the subs are 100hz and down.... (the numbers are close), not spot on...

I have a different way of doing bass than some, BUT it has yet NOT to impress the pickiest of the audiofile community.  At the same time, bounce anyone right on out into the street, with their ears bleeding..
Have to be careful "in the chamber".

I use the 60-300 columns and they are directional. Because of that, the subs, not the bass bins are VERY easy to integrate. The result is the boom is in the room not the whole house. WHY?The subs are OB direct servo columns... It is a spin on DBA, but I KNOW it's better for me..

A huge reduction in room treatment also...and still a pretty large sweet spot... I can set up and dial in, in a week..  it takes years for some folks..

Regards...
Hello oldhvymec,

     I respect and applaud your efforts of experimenting with bass reproduction systems in your room and system in order to optimize bass performance. 
     As I believe you're aware, I also utilize the DBA concept in my room and system, but employ it in a more basic manner through an Audio Kinesis Debra 4-sub complete kit DBA system.  My main speakers only go down to 35 Hz so my simple application of the DBA concept is to just have the 4 DBA subs reproduce bass below 40 Hz and down to their combined rated bass extension of 20 Hz,  
     This combination, of my mains reproducing all the bass down to 35 Hz and the 4-sub DBA reproducing bass below 40 Hz along with a slight overlap and redundancy between 35-40 Hz, has been perceived by myself as providing very good and well integrated bass at my main listening position.  I perceive no need for supplementing the bass in the 60-300 Hz range that I'm assuming the use of your 'bass bins' are providing. I also have no difficulty setting up the A K Debra 4-sub DBA and dialing in the bass in a matter of a few hours, not years.
     Just to be perfectly clear, I have absolutely no doubts that you are perceiving very good and well integrated bass at your main listening position with the combination 'bass bins' and subs bass system you've built and utilize. 
     My primary reasons for posting are curiosity and a better understanding of why and how you perceived a need for these 'bass bins' initially.  For example, do your main speakers lack the ability to provide good perceived bass performance in the 60-300 Hz range at your main listening position? 
      Or do you perceive the enhancement of bass in the 60-300 Hz range at your main listening position, resulting from the deployment of these 'bass bins', as being beneficial in some ways to your system's overall sound quality or listening experience? 
      I'm just curious about whether you use them to achieve bass accuracy or bass enhancement?  And if you use them for bass enhancement, what benefits do you perceive?  I'm suspecting that using your 'bass bins' may result in improved bass detail and sound stage imaging.

Thanks,
   Tim