Has anyone ever heard of a woofer being matched to a specific serial number and crossover? I would a think a Wilson 13" woofer, would be the same, whether it was going in a Maxx II or any number of Maxx III's. To me, that's like saying a cartridge is matched to a predetermined tone arm-I mean one particular arm, not just any of the brands same model number arm. Or, an interconnect, being matched to a specific preamp by serial number.
Wilson Maxx II problem
I have a pair of Wilson Maxx II's that I have thoroughly enjoyed, until a couple of days ago. I developed a crackle in one of my woofers. The replacement cost is over $1K for the woofer. I'm told, the woofer is specifically designed to the crossover, in the particular speaker, that's why I can't simply replace it with a used one, from another Maxx. Does anyone have any suggestions, for a replacement woofer, other than shelling out over a thousand bucks? Here's some component info: I'm running krell KV-600 monoblocks as my power, and Aesthetix Calypso as my preamp. The Krells are rated at 1200 watts into 4 ohms, which is what the impedance is for the Wilson's. The Calypso tops out at 88 on the "dial", and I usually top out at 62, but the other night I went to 67. I don't have a graph, but I would think I was well under 1K wattage. I have always been told, that a driver can take a lot of power, as long as it's clean. Did I simply put too much power in, or should I put an oscilloscope on my amps? Is there another option, besides shelling out a thousand bucks, and still have the speaker match it's original specs?
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I don't think that's what they are saying. What they mean is that the specific characteristics of the custom Focal woofer can't be recreated by an off the shelf driver, so you must buy Wilson's since they are the only source. In other words, no other Focal 13" (or whatever size) would match the crossover. Best, Erik |
Send the thing to Bill Legal at Miller Sound, he will make it as new again. Probably for less than $100 http://www.millersound.net Best of Luck Peter |
I would agree with many of the comments above. One thought I had would be to disconnect the woofer to eliminate the noise. Do the same with the other speaker. You might find you like the sound. If so you could find yourself listening to them for years to come. If of course you were or are considering a new pair then no other option then to purchase a new one. Really no options but to purchase one from Wilson. The efficiency has to be spot on along with the speed of the driver or you will not enjoy the sound. As a side note I had a customer who had a pair of Vandersteen 5's and never could listen to the woofer which even though it was powered and adjustable was just to much and not cohesive. |
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