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help with speaker problem

I have a problem...i notice it only on piano music, it sounds like the tweater of both my speakers is distorting, simmilar in sound to when a speaker clips, only not nearly as loud, but audible from my listening location...it also seems to be frequency dependent..ie. only occures, or occures to a much great level within a certain frequency range judging by the piece of music i was listening to when i really noticed it around the C above middle C on a piano give or take a bit.

when i first noticed the problem in my left speaker returned the speaker and they replaced the tweeter with a new one, but the problem persists and is noticable in both speakers...

my system is

totem arros
nad c350
kimber 8pr cable
eichmann express 4 interconnect
dennon dcd 3520 cd player

any idea what it could be...I wouldn't think three tweeters could all exhibit the same problem unless its a design flaw with that model of speaker (unlikely)... i thought mabey the piano notes happened to fall right around the crossover point of the speakers and that somehow caused the distortion...
im biwiring with kimber 8pr, could low frequency sound somehow leak into the tweater...
you guys are really smart...help me out!!, i dont want to just get the tweater replaced again cause i dont think it'll fix the problem, and i dont think that totem makes such poor quality part that three tweaters would all exhibit the same problem, and i doubt id be able to get my money back from where i bought them, as they're about 8 months old
it definately the tweeters though, ive tried everything, including hooking them up to an entirely different system, so i know its nothing in my system causeing it
mbacinello
prpixel
876 posts
 
Have you made sure the mounting screws are tight on both the tweeters and woofers? Are the Arro's fillable? Some Totem speakers can be filled with lead shot. If they are capable of being filled, use #9 lead shot; you can get it at the local gun shop. There could be a wire or some acoustic fill touching the back of the woofer cone. The Arros are a great little speaker. The only shortcoming is they only play so loud; expected from such a small woofer.

Good luck,
gunbei
2,327 posts
 
When you say the distortion is emanating from the speaker are you listening with your ear up to the tweeter or are you detecting this from your normal listening position? How loud is it? Did Totem test the speakers for the distortion you're experiencing? What did they say?

It's possible it could be a problem with loose plinth spikes or binding posts. It seems unlikely, but double check both these.

The other system you tried the Arros in, was it at a different location or was it in the room you normally listen in? Would you say it has a similar tonal balance to yours or is it dramatically different in sound?
mbacinello OP
54 posts
 
the other system is in a completely different house...and very different...bryston 7b amps, sonic frontiers pre amp. arcam alpha 9 cd player

the sound is loud enough that i can notice it from my listening position 9 feet away

when the problem occured the first time I brought the speaker to the dealer i bought them from and listened there, the dealer suggested the problem might be the plinth or binding posts, but in the end decided the best thing to do was to replace the tweeter. The dealer replaced the tweeter...so the speakers were never actually shipped to Totem at all...I did contact totem about the problem totem said the best solution would be to have the dealer replace the tweeter

which leaves me back at square one...speakers not working properly, and the "fix" also not effective

if a dealer sells a product that malfunctions or works in a sub-par fashion and is unable to repair or correct the problem should they not offer a refund? or would the time period of ownership (8 months) be too long to ask for money back?
gunbei
2,327 posts
 
Yes, very strange indeed. Did you try listening to your speakers while they were at your dealer when he did the tweeter swap? A good test would be to compare them to a set of Arros he has there. Maybe you could bring them home a demo pair and compare them to yours in your system. Obviously it's something further than the tweeter, unless he replaced it with another defective tweeter. But it seems like it could be crossover or internal wiring related. Maybe something is loose. It could even be the midrange if the crossover slopes are gradual enough.
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
Mbacinello,
Despite you're young, you've probably nailed the problem.
IMHO, It's a clear fault of a filter and/or crossover in Arros.
You may even want to audition different Arros at dealer with the same CD to narrow your problem to your particular pari of speakers or...
Another way is to run your speakers through electronic crossover temporarily disconnecting the built-in. Please note you should set an electronic crossover at the same crossover point as the speakers are initially designed.
If the same clipping occurs, you should vary the crossover point upto when the clipping stops I guess towards upper freequency bandwidth point from initial set.
After getting results of experiment, I'd contact Vince and tell him the problem. He may probably come up with "MarkII" version thereafter for product recall...
Or simply you can cut this experiment hassle and kick it back to dealer either for replacement, different speaker or complete money back...
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