Speaker Tweeter Not Working

One of my speakers didn't sound right. Upon closer examination, I noticed that there was no sound or vibrations coming from my tweeter. The first thing I did was switch the jumper cables to see if a damaged jumper cable was the cause. It wasn't.

My speakers are very heavy and awkward to move. Before I take it in for repair, I want to ask a couple of questions. Is there any possibility that this problem could be the result of a damaged speaker cable or the amp itself? Secondly, if it is the speaker, is there any way of me fixing the problem myself?

 

What is the speaker and how old is it? What amp is driving it?

 

It's not common, but does your speaker have any fuses accessible on the rear panel? If you put your ear up to the tweeter and hear no sound, then it's not likely to be the fault of the speaker cable or amp. Reverse your speaker cables L to R, including any jumpers, and confirm the same tweeter is still silent.

Depending on how accessible are the screws holding the tweeter unit to the cabinet, you might remove the tweeter and check if it has somehow become disconnected from the speaker internal wiring. If not and the internal wiring is easily detachable, you could swap the tweeter units from one speaker to the other and confirm the problem follows the tweeter. If so, contact the manufacturer about ordering a replacement tweeter assembly.

 

Take the cable going to the speaker that is still working properly and switch it (both at the amp and speaker end) to the bad speaker. This should tell you for sure whether you have an issue with the speaker or with the amp/cable.

 

It's definitely the speaker. Unfortunately, I don't have a screwdriver that fits the screws. Therefore, I can't get inside. The company is now out of business. There are a couple of businesses that repair stereo appliances in my area. Perhaps one of them will be able to help. In the mean time, I have a pretty good pair of speakers on my second system. So, I won't be without a system.

 

If you choose to repair them, replace both tweeters at the same time.

 

To repeat a previous question, what is the make and model of the speaker in question?

Jeff

 

More likely it's the crossover. Without knowing the age and model of speakers, impossiblt to say how much to fix or if it's even worth it.

 

I am going through this right now with my pair of JM Lab/Focal Mezzo Utopia's. Both tweeter voice coils are cooked(burnt out). I need to order new diaphrams for each tweeter. The instructions I got are, and I was told that is very simple to do, is to cut the wires of the old diaphragms and then solder the new ones into place. Done...You might not need to solder your diaphragms, if that's the problem.

 

They are Gemme Audio Tantos. They are made in Montreal. Unfortunately, the company is out of business. I know that the tweeters were made by Cardas, although I don't know the model number. The speakers are about 8 years old. They listed for about $6000(US), so they are worth repairing if possible.

I think I'm going to have to have somebody look at them. I've done everything I can. I don't have the tools or knowledge to open it up. This is not the time to do anything because of the corona virus.

I'm just glad I kept my old Paradigm Studio 60s. I've hooked them up to my main system and I'm enjoying them so much, I may not want to go back to the more expensive Tantos. I can still use the Tantos on my second system, since I only use it for background music, when I'm on the computer or doing house work.

 

Absolutely. I just hope it's not the tweeters themselves, since it could prove to be very expensive.

 

Maybe call SEAS and see if they have a comparable tweeter as replacement

 

According to this review, the tweeter is a Tymphany (Vifa) XT-19. They are available for $27 each; buy two. And, buy an appropriately sized Allen key to remove the bolts.

 

@Bruce Burgess

Are these your speakers?

Gemme Audio Tanto Review

Gemme Audio Tanto & System Audio Ranger Review Speakers Two impressive contenders! Review By Phil Gold

Doers this look like the tweeter?

"Peerless by Tymphany XT19TD00-04 3/4" Dual Radiator Tweeter" from www.parts-express.com!

I would suggest you find, buy, the tool to remove the screws for removal of the tweeter.

After removing the screws carefully pull the tweeter straight out of the enclosure. Look for the two wires that connect to the speaker. Are both wires connected to the speaker? Did one possibly come loose from maybe bass vibrations of the speaker box enclosure?

If both wires are intact, connected to the tweeter, then I would suggest you disconnect the tweeter and test it for continuity of the voice coil.

*** Before you disconnect the two leads from the tweeter you first need check for the proper connection polarity . Make a drawing. Tag the two leads using masking tape. Don't just rely on your memory.

You can check for continuity with a multimeter if you have one. Or just a cheap continuity checker.

.

 

Bruce,

They certainly are worth repairing / keeping!

In an earlier post you say you don't have the tools to work on them. A Phillips screwdriver is all that's needed to do a really simple test on the tweeter.

Remove the non-working tweeter (using said screwdriver - on the four outermost screws). I suggest you have the speaker lying flat on its back when you do so - so that the tweeter has nowhere to fall. You can set it aside the hole, on the face of the cabinet, still attached to its leads. You could test the tweeter with a multimeter but you say you don't have any tools so... With the volume all the way down, touch the speaker wire leads directly to the tweeter's leads. Slowly turn up the volume to see if you get any sound from the tweeter. (You can first disconnect the internal leads from the tweeter if the sound from the other driver makes it harder to hear the tweeter, but sometimes that takes a little tugging / effort.) If you get sound from the tweeter, where you got none before, it's almost certainly not a tweeter issue, but a crossover issue. At that point, and in your case, having a pro shop take a look would be the way to go.

I've used this technique many times with my Koss speakers. Perfectly safe. BUT (and for those who would say it's not) then the longer process is to remove the working tweeter from the other cabinet and swap them. If the problem follows the tweeter, it's the tweeter. If it doesn't, it's something else - like the crossover. (I'm assuming that all of your other efforts have confirmed that it's not a problem external to the speaker.) I found a review of those speakers from 2008, so they could be as old as 12 years - even if you bought them later than that. Regardless, it would be highly unusual for a crossover component to outright fail so soon. Infant mortality: rare but possible. Teen years like yours are (in speaker terms): not so much.

If it is a tweeter then continue the search until you find an exact replacement. Given the likely low cost (if you can find one) relative to the value of the speakers, like someone else said, I'd probably buy two in order to have them matched as closely as possible. I'm a real stickler for these things so I'd avoid using anything that's only a close replacement. That's the road to building a Frankenspeaker!

Good luck.

Jeff

 

@Bruce Burgess This is a really easy procedure! You can get the correct screwdriver or wrench anywhere - dollar general, walgreens, you name it. Trust me, I am the complete opposite of a handyman or fixit person - I'm honestly terrible, but I am confident I could do this and have done it several times.

Anyway, it looks like the tweeters are cheap, and these are 6k speakers!

If you really, really are apprehensive, this is the kind of thing any repair shop of any caliber can do for you.

 

Please note - we don't know for sure you need to replace the tweeters at all. It may be that they are fine and you need to replace the crossovers. If so, that is also an easy procedure.

 

Because Covid... I have a little time on my hands. So I dif some searching.

This old US Audiomart listing was for a pair - with a spare woofer and tweeter. It was marked as sold. Might be worth contacting the seller and seeing if you can get in touch with the buyer through him, and then whether the spare tweeter is for sale - if you really do need one.

An equally interesting route to take would be to contact Arteluthe. According to the sale linked-to above, that's what at least part of Gemme became. Who knows, maybe they would be nice enough to help you source a replacement tweeter. I know I'd give it a try if I were in your shoes.

Jeff

 

From my additional digging this looks to be likely the simplest of crossovers. According to the sale linked-to above: "Crossover: First order -single cap on tweeter - Mid/Bass full range configuration." Does not get any simpler than that!

Jeff

 

For that price I would buy 3 or 4 to have a couple of spares on hand as you never know when they will discontinue those tweeters. He can always sell them later if he gets rid of the speakers or offer them to the next owner.

 

In that case it could be a bad cap. One of my vintage Dynaco A35's had a dead tweeter which turned out to be a bad electrolytic cap.

I changed the caps in both speakers and now they both sing.

 

Thank you for all your suggestions. I will definitely follow up on your suggestions. If I can't fix it on my own, there are a couple of local repair shops in my area. I may have to wait because of the corona virus. Fortunately, I have another excellent pair of speakers. I'd hate to have to go through the pandemic without music.

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