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weird speaker problem

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  • weird speaker problem

    This one has me scratching my chin. I repaired a LabSeries L5 ss combo that came in sounding quite bad. I gave it a good cleaning, and replaced the input jacks, but it still didn't sound right. It broke up in a bad way and rattled certain notes. so I put it on the scope and measured a clean sine wave right up to full power of 115 watts. Speakers, I wonder? So I played the amp thru another 2 x 12 cab and it sounded good, so I call the customer and tell him the bad news. You need one or more speakers. He gives the OK to pull the trigger on a used pair of GTT-75's at $100 or below.

    While I am waiting I pull the two CTS original speakers from the cab. While they are out I try to find a problem with one or both of them, but I cannot. I drive each one with a clean test amp, and then both together and they actually sound pretty darn good! Puzzled, I wonder if it's the cab somehow, perhaps the stapled on grill cloth panel interacting with the baffle board. I put the speakers back in the cab with their 8 machine threaded 1 1/4" screws. I check the cab with the test amp and they sound good. Then I test the cab with the original amp and they sound good!

    How did these speakers heal themselves? When I was testing them they were laying on their backs, so maybe something got dislodged from the gap? I suppose a way to tell would be if there is a piece of something in the gap, if it were ever to happen again, laying the amp on it's back and playing thru it should have the same effect of dropping the grit back down. I suppose then one would cut off the dust cap and carefully vacuum the gap?
    Last edited by Randall; 04-26-2017, 10:02 PM.
    It's weird, because it WAS working fine.....

  • #2
    It does happen- chunks of glue or other debris dislodging in the gap. Give them a shake or tip them upside down and see if you can replicate the symptoms. It could also be that by removing and reinstalling them you tightened up something external that was loose. If you determine there is something in the gap, you can cut off the dust cap and try to shake or vacuum it out. Results will be mixed. It depends on which side of the coil the debris is lodged. It can't hurt to try.
    "I took a photo of my ohm meter... It didn't help." Enzo 8/20/22

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    • #3
      Just curious, can you post a front/back/side picture of those CTS speakers?
      I thought L5 came with high end speakers, EV or similar class, I wonder what kind of CTS they might have used.
      Not dissing CTS, but I find them out of place in an L5.

      I know other versions, such as the same head but with 4x12" had more "normal" speakers, even if for weight reasons, also smaller/cheaper models, such as L3 did the same, but I always considered L5 the flagship of the fleet.

      IF you cut that dust cover open, Iīd love to see the Voice Coil.
      Mainly what the former is made out of: aluminum paper? (popular in late CTS/early Eminence in the square magnet era)
      Nomex? (looks like smooth whitish artistīs drawing paper)
      Doubt Kapton (orange transparent plastic) was used way back then, but .... who knows?

      Only if at all possible, of course.
      Juan Manuel Fahey

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      • #4
        Juan,

        I believe these would have been original to the amp, as when I removed them they were "stuck" pretty hard to the baffle. The date code is 137 7722. They are now back in the cab awaiting pickup so I'm afraid no photos are practical.
        It's weird, because it WAS working fine.....

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