Can you replace your subwoofer driver?

[@tadeusz1]

Re-coning must be the most cost effective solution here, bearing in mind the age of the equipment and what it will be used with.

[@garysmith8455]

Aaah, good advice Paul.. I LOVE my Velodyne F-1500-R, bought new in 1995 and the surround is STILL in very nice shape. I don't know why that is, most any I see for sale on eBay, the surround turns a funny GREEN color etc. It is NOT a powerhouse HOWEVER, we all know that Velodyne was the winning reputation for having the lowest distortion of most any subwoofers available back in the day. VERY MUSICAL they are too (O:

[@thegrimyeaper]

I've reconed a bunch of speakers. Just feel around and make sure the center isn't touching as you let the glue do its job, and you're good.

[@machintelligence]

Being a committed do it your selfer., I think this was a great response.

[@1969eddieg]

The voice coil was rubbing in my ULD-12. I didn't feel re-coning would work. Bought a Dayton Audio speaker from Parts Express for a little less than $100. Works great thanks for the advice.

[@DavidKowalski]

I agree with those who say reconing is probably the best and most cost-effective solution in this case. As for buying an inexpensive driver and plate amp from Parts Express (for about $200 if you stay with entry-level pieces that are on sale), I think one would do better to buy a Dayton Sub-1200 for $150 from them. I have one of those in a bedroom and it is not a bad sub.

[@Diaphanic1]

Prolly just needs a re-surround

[@JoeJ-8282]

On the thumbnail for this video it says "replacing a subwoofer's AMP", (which in my experience goes bad MUCH more often and sooner than the driver itself does!), but then you don't really mention anything specific about that in this video... If anything I would've talked about BOTH types of repairs in greater detail... Maybe you could split this topic up and do TWO separate videos, with the other one being about replacing (or repairing?) a subwoofer's amplifier if it's not working, and what's the best options there... I'd like to see that one too, because I have a few subwoofers that are otherwise fine but have bad amps in them, including actually, a Velodyne 15 inch servo sub that I picked up at Goodwill for $20! (Worth fixing I think!)

[@johannjohann6523]

Yeah re-coning means the driver will continue to match the box and servo unit. "Rhythmic" makes and sells sub drivers made for a Servo unit. Very well made, kinda pricey. But you get what you pay for with them. Very good to great subwoofers.

[@Bannockburn111]

Some developers go the extra mile in producing sound, particularly music, for their video games. I think it is just as appropriate to be as picky as you want about the hardware you play video game sound through as you would "just listening to music". Same is true of movie music sound tracks. Now, I get the point Paul and the guy was trying to make, but Dad should talk to his son about what he wants out of his sound system rather than just assume "he doesn't need much because he just plays games".

[@davidbaxter6843]

Great subject. I just had a B&W AWS3000 reconed and worked great.

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

What happened to it that you needed it reconed? I've purchased B&W subs that are still going strong after 26 years.

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

@Fat Rat No mine had foam surrounds which were replaced after 17 years. I gifted them (pcs8)s along with the (fcm8)s and (scm8)s to my brother, but replacing a surround is not reconing so that's why I was asking. Some people do confuse the terminology.

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

@Fat Rat Yeah you're right B&W drivers almost always had rubber surrounds. The PCS8 subs were beefed up Matrix 800/801 drivers. I think the rubber surrounds were too soft so they went with a fairly stiff, large (for 1994) foam surround.

[@ThinkingBetter]

I have a couple of Velodyne HGS-18BG servo subs and had them reworked as the amp caps got bad. These amps are designed for long throw high power drivers with servo feedback and the closed cabinet is also aimed for it. Running a cheap driver with their >1000 Watts servo amp and no feedback might cause a fried voice coil in seconds. And a closed box non-servo sub like this will have reduced sub bass. You either fix the Velodyne per intended operation or just find another subwoofer new or old.

[@Oystein87]

It will work fine.. Would actually be more conserned if it was a much smaller amp. And a closed box non-servo sub can still go just as deep. The servo is for correcting the movement. The DSP and/or EQ helps boost the lower end. It works great in every other great subs without servo so should not be any issue at all if the driver is up for the task of going deep enough.

[@ThinkingBetter]

@@Oystein87 Well, the servo subwoofer driver with long excursion and lots of power is able to create a lot more output at deeper frequency than a more normal throw much lower power driver can do. It really can't go as deep cause you need lot more excursion of the cone at those very deep frequencies near 20Hz and to move a large cone a lot in a closed cabinet, you need much more power. If you aim for a subwoofer that fades out at probably around 50Hz, yes, it's ok. Some of these Velodynes can do well under 20Hz. Mine has 1250 Watts RMS and 3300 Watts peak. I'll fry any normal subwoofer driver in a split second by just having the RCA connector out a bit losing the grounding of the RCA cable. The feedback circuit is fine-tuned to work with the cone motion and I doubt you can just ignore it's there. It will probably go crazy like removing the feedback wire of an amp. EQ can only boost as much as your cone and voice coil will allow it before you fry it. You can add, e.g. +10dB EQ at 30Hz, but it will probably be a disaster also of too much low sub bass distortion (amp clipping and speaker cone hitting limits). But, of course, a few dB EQ might help, especially if you don't play too loud. But if going cheap and still want something reasonable, check this: www.parts-express.com/cat/powered-subwoofers/95

[@Oystein87]

@@ThinkingBetter And a sub with shorter excursion and no servo manages to go just as deep or even deeper... I wonder why...😜 The servo is for control of the strokes. The deepes bass in a smaller box is boosted with eq and helped with a powerful amp. I have built subs for home and car audio and it's not as straight forward as you say. There is ALOT more behind. 1260w rms. Yes, I know.. But a decent subwoofer driver would handle that without any problem. ALOT of drivers handle even more power than that. And peak handeling for a couple of seconds can be thousands of watts even if it says "1000w max" on the driver. I had true 1200watt amp on a 500watt rated sub. Did not blow the driver even when I tried to rape that driver with that amp😅 Actually watts on drivers can almost be ignored in most cases.. If you messure power handling with just playing music it gets ALOT higher than the normal constant rating with a sine wave.

[@ThinkingBetter]

Øystein The max SPL is about excursion range and diameter for a closed sub. I assume we don’t add a bass port to this. Of course servo isn’t in itself adding bass but it sort of ensures you get the intended motion and indirectly that yields an EQ effect at lower frequencies where the air compression otherwise would cause the bass to drop. The beauty of servo is that cone motion is following the signal helping both on linearity and decay times. Try to compare a waterfall plot of an EQ compensated sub and a servo sub with the same amp and driver. Anyway, we are probably both aware of these things.

[@Oystein87]

@@ThinkingBetter Well.. It's more complicated than that...😉 There are several other factors. It helps but is not needed in any way just for deep bass. It's to correct the movement of the drivers as you say and yes in theory it can help with that too but a powerfull amp that has more juice than you really need helps alot more. But a servo is better than no servo👍

[@LordVictorHalgaard]

At 16 I was aiming for 4000$ speakers for listening to the amazing orchestral pieces and ambiance in the games I were playing at the time - being 16 does not make you any less likely to appreciate good speakers, quite the opposite. People too often use young age as an excuse for idiocy and poor choices - idiocy has nothing to do with age.

[@HareDeLune]

Well said!

[@oysteinsoreide4323]

It is for video games and movies. It's not that serious of a matter. It is important to keep a sensibility about it.

[@LordVictorHalgaard]

@@oysteinsoreide4323 Potentially no more or less serious than music - which last I checked, we aren't exactly 'sensible about'. If the person themselves actually doesn't care, fair enough, but never assume its any less serious just on the basis of age or medium

[@Shalmaneser1]

I have the reverse: A Velodyne CT-100 powered sub which activates my tinnitus. It's not the Hz or the driver. I have an NHT 10" sub that doesn't activate my tinnitus. $250 + shipping for repairs. Wondering if I should just hook the sub to my HT amp, an Anthem 50

[@falcon048]

I did this a few months ago. I had a Polk Audio PSW10 and had nothing but issues with it. First the caps died after only 4 years of use. When I replaced the caps with better quality, the bass response was 10 times better than when I pulled it out of the box. Eventually, some years later, the built in amp fried. I took it to a few electronics repair places who basically said, "you'd be better off buying a new sub. Well, "F" that! The sub woofer in that speaker is extremely good. So I went online and bought some wire, and a subwoofer cross over as well as a banana plug terminals. I simply rewired the sub as passive, bypassing the power amp entirely. Then I connected this to an NHT mono amp. BANG! Works perfectly. IF anyone is interested, here is the simple cross over I used: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KB6QY1W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@JonoLam]

Could I do this to a off the shelf soundbar + wireless subwoofer ? If I want lower bass and put a larger driver in the subwoofer box?

[@firstgeargreg]

Dear Paul. My plate amp on the Velodyne ct150 went bad. This model of velodyne didnt' use a servo. I got a OSD subwoofer amp to replace it. It's paired with JBL 4412 studio monitors and HK 3770 receiver. I couldn't be happier with the sound. However, i am wondering what settings i can set for the crossover in the subwoofer amp to use. I'm just guessing the JBL low end is 35 hz but i don't know other than by sound what the db for the sub amp should be

[@jamesplotkin4674]

I'd be very cautious about eBay purchases. You may well receive dried-out NOS and what's the point in that?

[@faisa1960]

We're very interesting in this audio, can we talk about the cooperation on this project?

[@gijoemolinaro]

Hi there Paul I have a question for you what is your favourite size subwoofer and why? 😊 and I love your vids keep up the great work God bless 👏👏👏👏

[@richiegrey5377]

In Boston went to a trade school Electronics school...R.E.T.S Radio electronics TV school. I learned a lot but I forget a little bit now to. I like you so like show. You say things I didn’t even think about.

[@bikdav]

If possible and if you know the impedance of the original driver, try to get a replacement woofer driver that is the same impedance as the original.

[@xstensl8823]

hey Paul have you thought about building a DAC at a real world $1000 price point like the Mytek Liberty?

[@TheTrueVoiceOfReason]

Before even recommending he do just what you told him, it'd be better to find out what he actually means by the speaker is falling apart. More than likely it's just the surround that needs attention. If so, the kits for those are inexpensive (Parts Express has them, as well as other companies) and they can be tackled by a first time DIY'er if you just follow the instructions and take your time. Also look up a few videos to see how others do it, just for pointers. So Steve, from Ambler PA (not that far from me), chime in and give us a clarification. And if you want to go the route that Paul suggested (Parts Express driver and plate amp), contact me through this thread and I'd be happy to help you find something suitable. Paul, will you be joining in The HIFI Summit? I don't see your name in the vendor section yet. I know a lot of people would like to see PS Audio join the on-line trade show. BTW, it's at the end of this month - and yes, I've been trying to get you to look at it since it was announced.

[@gtric1466]

i was under the impression that servos are just like glued on. possibly had a can just re-attach it to the new driver? just make sure all the parameters of the driver are the same.

[@abdulbasit4957]

Hi sir! I have sony dav-dz910w 5.1 home theatre which was broken but speakers are in good condition but the problem is that speakers have 3ohm impedance. Please suggest 5.1 amplifier which supports 3 ohm speakers and subwoofers?

[@Oystein87]

Basicly all recivers do that today. But you need a subamp for the sub. Your old system had that built inside the reciver so you need a seperate amp for the sub. And use the x-over setting in the new reciver for the small speakers so they dont blow. I would rather just find something better. Maybe used.

[@NeilDSouza7]

Who let the dogs out Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof

[@markrowe8824]

I don't see the point of this question, if your not sure then just contact the maker of your subwoofer, most decent speaker manufacturer's have warranties on their products and will probably supply a replacement driver. 😕😕

[@jamesplotkin4674]

Really? They'll replace a decades-old woofer when it's surround rots? If so, that's got to be the best warranty ever!

[@scottyo64]

I don't think after that many years they would do that but they may be of service. Only one way to find out.

[@jimfarrell4635]

Its unlikely they will offer service or parts for an old product like that but they may offer good advice. I have an old KEF flagship sub which had been repaired before by them but the amp module blew again ( my fault for never putting it in standby). They no longer supported it but were kind enough to offer to send me the circuit diagram to aid with an independant repair. I decide to use it as an excuse to buy a new BK sub but good manufacturers can often be helpful with legacy products.

[@richiegrey5377]

You have an old show that you did 2018. Tubes One thing that people don’t realize you could hustle they will put tubes here just to only use the heater and they had no other no good value. Yeah you doing a power out of amp.. tubes they kicked more power coming out. Now it’s 2020 I wonder what kind of keep up the tubes.

[@frankieknuckles9610]

What is a servo? Not an amp?

[@Oystein87]

The servo part is basicly a sensor in the driver that makes the amp and driver "talk together" and the amp can correct if the woofers movements are not the same as the signal input says it should be. Shortly explained

[@frankieknuckles9610]

@@Oystein87 ok that helps explain. Thank you

[@Oystein87]

@@frankieknuckles9610 👍👍

[@markwagner1997]

Search Paul's videos...he did one a while back, where he explained what a servo subwoofer was. (Edited) Actually, he has done several. Here's a good one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jWaxf517rKtredE

[@jedpetersen3806]

eBay just sold out!?

[@johnsweda2999]

Not sure how it's measuring but it probably is an internal ACH-01- 03 device not the driver itself you just sold at the end of the cable to the RCA Jack input as a motion feedback sensor and glue it to the front baffle close to the driver. You should check out diyAudio, they have a lot of people doing stuff like this professionals to DIY enthusiasts somebody would have come across this problem with this driver more than likely and tell you how to connect accelerometer motion feedback like the ACH-01, famous people on there like Nelson pass form pass Labs, give you some advice. Surprised you're not on there Paul are you under a pseudonym why aren't you on there?

[@absound5818]

Dear Paul how are you

[@russmaleartist]

His son obviously isn't that concerned about sound quality -- and he wants to get out of this as cheap as possible -- all he wanted to know is if it would hurt the amp -- SHORT ANSWER -- NO.

[@SuperMcgenius]

I would just have reconed