ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
My old pair of M150s have returned from loan to a 'friend'. I knew the woofers needed re-foaming, but have also found that they are 'open circuit'. On both speakers the mid-range & tweeters are working, but both woofers are 'dead'.
I have removed one from the cabinet (not easy to separate the baffle from the cabinet!) and the resistance across the woofer terminals is infinity.
Can anything be done? It seems surprising if my 'friend' burnt out both voice coils - and I thought there was a protection circuit, too - but before I give myself another hernia removing the other baffle, I'd like to know if it's worth the effort, or whether the speakers are 'landfill'.
A shame if they are, as the cabinets & other drivers seem in good condition.
Thank you.
Does any member in the U.K. know of a repairer for voice coils they can recommend? Ideally in the London area?
This firm fixed one of my MS150 bass drivers. I simply posted it to them and some weeks later, it came back perfect. In Norfolk.
Peter
When they are repaired, will anyone want a pair of m150s?
I'm 'rationalising' (or having a clear-out) in order to move house and stay married. Not easy having to choose what to keep... but the less house(wife)-friendly, bulkier pieces are the first casualties. Large 'speakers first of all.
Keep the house, keep the speakers.....sell the wife ;~)
The repair is quite cheap - you should make your money back if the speakers are otherwise in good condition - however they have a limited market!
Very limited market for wives. Too many Eastern European & Far Eastern imports available. Just like Hi-Fi or cars...
Oh my word! I'm amazed I haven't heard of this outfit until now. It seems no drive unit is beyond repair!
Very useful to know!
Cheers
Nigel
I'd like to thank you for this link, too Peter. I can do 90% of loudspeaker repairs myself but lack the necessary tools to wind my own voice coils, and I have a (non-B&O - sorry!) drive unit that needs some voice coil help. I shall be contacting them this evening!
To the OP, it is not uncommon for the solder to fail where the voice coil wires are joined to the 'tinsel' wires that go to the tag panel.You'd need to remove the driver's dust cap and scrape away the glue that covers the joint in order to check this but with care, a scalpel and a steady hand. it is possible to expose the wires so they can be checked at this point and re-soldered if necessary.
Worst case, if the woofers can't be repaired, is there an acceptable substitute?
The mid-ranges & tweeters are working well and the cabinets are in good condition, so I'm reluctant to scrap them.
I'm still surprised to find both woofers have failed. I wonder what my 'friend' did... and why he didn't tell me.
Don't be so pessimistic! They say on their website they've never been given a loudspeaker they can't repair. Even if your "freind" has fried them, they'll be fixable.
I just wish I'd known about them before I scrapped a couple of Beolits because of burnt out speakers....
That would be interesting - Beolit speakers are very difficult to repair - I know Tim has tried himself. Would be fascinating to see if they can do it - have to look for a bust Beolit!
With great regret (i'd have liked to repair them myself), I've put them on eBay, hopefully honestly described.
I'm moving house soon, so even if the drivers were repaired and returned quite quickly, I'd have insufficient time for the rebuild, and I'm told that I "can't take it all"... so the larger items must go.
I hope someone has fun with them: they were outstanding when they were working properly and should be again after renovation.
Thanks to all of you who replied.
Adam K., London.
Hi Adam
Having looked at your eBay listings, I only wish I had room for all 3 pairs of speakers you're selling! I've always been an admirer of both the Sonabs and the PMCs having listened to them both in hifi showrooms many years ago...
Good luck with your listings, the quality of your photos, your honest descriptions and the condition of the items means you should hopefully get a meaningful contribution to your house moving costs!
I shouldn't be 'plugging' my eBay listing here, but I'll point out that the Sonabs are space-efficient because the design required them to be hard up against the wall, and the PMCs are very small.
My wall-papered stands are my contribution to domestic harmony. Much admired by visitors.
The M150s are of course a different matter when it comes to staying married. They are big, heavy and uncompromising on their stands. Can't be disguised as anything, but with working woofers they did sound very good indeed. Very much of their time, when Hi-Fi was something to be proud of.