Zzzappp! Blackout fries my beloved Mucia Hall Marimbas

Ugh, as above. We endured some yet unexplained regional blackouts yesterday, with lots of powering up and powering down. One of the casualties of yesterday's electrical problems was one of my Music Hall Marimbas, the well-reviewed two-ways from Roy Hall.

The left speaker was blown, although I think the woofer is what's now offline, not the tweeter as per the usual. Is this likely an unfixable (by me) problem in the crossover, or is this salvageable? Anyone with experience with such electrical casualties?

I had turned off my source -- the radio -- without turning off the amp, and thus the speakers were powered during the electrical problems.

 

My condolences - did your amp suffer any damage as well?

 

No, I thought the amp would be the problem, but the problem followed the speaker.

 

My real problem is what to do about replacing it. Marimbas come in a box built for two, not one, presumably leaving the factory in pairs. I don't think I can order just one!

 

Bad Juju! Hopefully you can repair the problem without breaking the bank. We have chronic power problems where I live now, and I am looking for a good, reliable way to protect my gear. Otherwise, I will be the next person taking a big hit! Best of luck with the Marimba repair.

 

This post came across while I was typing. Can you possibly repair your speaker rather than replacing it? Might save you some coin.

 

You might want to contact the manufacturer. [email protected]
I've had speaker components blow, and have been able to order a replacement and replace them myself with just a screwdriver.
Good luck!

 

LOL! I thought you meant the recent Audio Fidelity reissue of the Scorpions title!

 

I don't know the design of these, but could be as simple as replacing a blown fuse.

 

That would be great. Even my Homer Simpson fingers (and intellect) can handle a blown fuse.

 

Why not call Roy Hall and let him cuss you out royally while calling you every profane name in the book, as he did with Sam Tellig?
-Bob

 

This is scary

So, a surge protector or AVR are not enough to protect audio gear?

 

Music Hall is an importer, not a manufacturer. I made the mistake of calling to point out a serious arm resonance at 330 Hz, thinking maybe he'd look into it. He basically said "Too bad, suck it up." I sold the turntable.

The woofer could be any of a half a dozen, but here's the tweeter.

http://www.parts-express.com/tympha...dymium-tweeter-with-waveguide-4-ohm--264-1390

It is extremely rare for a crossover to be damaged by a voltage spike. And it's quite easy to remove the drivers for testing. If there is a fuse, easy enough to replace. Good luck.

 

I called Roy once with some questions about my turntable and he was pretty amiable and helpful. Got a hold of him on my first try as well.

These other guys must have done something to piss him off.

 

That's a shame. We had a blackout tonight but I was listening to vinyl through my Fisher tube amp with the big tranny so I got to hearing a nice slow windinggggg dowwwwwnnnnnnn......

 

Get your self a good on line UPS.

 

I've never heard Roy be difficult with anyone calm and honest. Tell him how bummed you are and that you want to do what you can to get them up and running again. He'll sort you out.

 

Some UPS can be ok, others may not.... but it's an expensive solution. If you get a Zero Surge or SurgeX series mode surge eliminator you should be good to go for a lot less cash. SurgeX has an under/over voltage shutdown feature that is great for folks that experience brownouts, which can be damaging as well.

 

Just to update: I contacted Music Hall and received a reply from Mr. Hall himself. While he couldn't sell me an individual speaker -- which I didn't expect, since the Marimbas come in boxes of two -- Mr. Hall did offer a generous discount on a new pair.

 

Now you have a spare set of drivers for the next blackout.

 

Roy's not the buccaneer he pretends.

 

Yep... he's a good guy.

 

Are the speakers covered under your homeowners insurance policy?