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Subwoofer strange noise

I have a less than year old B&W ASW300 Sub. I just moved it to another part of my audio room closer to where I sit and the sound has improved dramatically. However, I am hearing a "clicking" or "knocking" coming from the internal woofer at each beat when the unit is being driven, not excessively but at a decent volume level. It almost sounds like it has a tear in the cone material but it doesn't. I've looked very closely and there are no defects that I can see. Is this normal? This is my very first SW and don't know if this is a normal sound or not. Can anyone guide me on this? Does this sound like a defect in manufacturing? Thanks.
pdn
sogood51
2,157 posts
 
You may need to pull the driver and play it while it's out of the box to get a better idea on whats going on.

Dave
jjmali
108 posts
 
Sounds like it is being overdriven to me. This is a very small low powered sub. Good luck.
herman
2,238 posts
 
Try tightening all the screws and bolts you can get to from the outside first. Check the port to be sure there isn't something in there.

Unless you see something from the outside it is going to need to be taken apart. Something has come loose inside (amp? bracing?) or the speaker is coming apart or rubbing.
sean
6,231 posts
 
I've been tearing apart / repairing a lot of drivers for other folks lately. Most of these drivers were thought to be on their last leg and beyond reasonable repair. After careful inspection, i've found that many manufacturers are not using strong enough adhesives to secure the dustcaps to the cones and / or the spider to the voice coil former. Either of these can produce the sounds that you describe. If not taken care of when first noticed, either of these will lead to an early demise of the driver itself and poorer performance on the way to the grave.

Both of these pieces are subjected to high levels of physical force AND thermal stress. My guess is that the adhesives being used aren't up to the task at hand and / or they simply aren't using enough adhesive to begin with. By simply applying fresh adhesive in reasonable quantity, all of these drivers have not only survived, but improved sonically.

As is usual, it is much cheaper to repair a problem than have to replace the entire unit, so take care of your specific situation before it gets worse. Sean
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