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?
handymann
Not really.  I mean the luckiest you could get is that the crackling is caused by a bug or other trash getting stuck inside that you could blow out, but that's highly unlikely. I'm actually surprised by the way you are describing the sound, that's why I suggested so many ways to diagnose it.

If you are absolutely sure it's your woofer, take it out and look for a model number and look online for a replacement.

Actually one of the best ways to diagnose that woofer is to take it out completely and hook your amp directly to it. You won't hurt it (unlike a tweeter or mid!) and make sure you hear the same problem. Of course, keep your volume control reasonable.

Best,

Erik
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.
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