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Damaged Dome Mid-Range

I have an Energy Veritas 2.3 with a damaged 2 inch dome mid-range driver. It has been suggested to me that the problem with the driver is related to the diaphragm, voice coil, or both. The symptom of the damage is distortion that is apparent during use. I use the speakers for everything ranging from two-channel to movies. I can be an aggressive listener. The speakers are powered by an Adcom GFA 7000 (for the lower end) and a Denon 2803 (mids and highs). The Denon is obviously also pulling duty for surround processing... The stated power output for each (20-20 / all channels driven) is 130 and 90 watts, respectively. The speakers are rated at 200 watts.

Now to the questions. Is the damage done to the driver likely the result of the Denon clipping during a high output scene during a movie? If this is the case, I can surmise that 90 watts is insufficient? Though I don't think so, is it possible that I have the mid-range and tweeter over powered? Why would the mid-range sustain damage and the tweeter not?

A local dealer suggested that the Denon didn't clip, but sent pure voltage to the speaker and that is what damaged the driver. Don't know what that means. Any credence to this notion? If so, what happens and how do I avoid it?

I know this is a lot to chew. Any brilliant responses appreciated. :)
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Showing 4 responses by shadorne

shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
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This 2 inch dome is crossed over at 550 Hz. I would suggest you are playing it too loudly (this is not a speaker that can play extremely loud). When you biamp you can send a lot more power to the mid and high. What goes first is just a matter of luck - in this case your tweeter is also working quite hard (crossed over at 2 Khz).

If you are an aggressive listener then get pro speakers or horns - most consumer designs simply can't take it (they are made for consumers - you get nice looks and/or veneer instead of beefy drivers...)
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shadorne
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Shadorne,

Am I correct that you suggest that I have enough power and may be over-driving the mids and highs?

Yes - if you are sending 90 watts to the mid and tweeter alone then this should be more than enough. You really only need the mega watts for the bass drivers...those are the drivers that move most of the air.
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shadorne
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Actually, it's the peak voltage that's needed, and it may not persist long enough to represent much power.

I agree that voltage is needed - some good MOSFETs should be all that is needed though and voltage is a lot easier ti supply than high amounts of current.
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shadorne
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Eldartford,

Thanks - you are correct.

A good power amp would have power rails around +/-75 volts or more. It is indeed possible that the Denon 2803 HT Receiver has much less - however I doubt it would be less than +/-50 Volts.

This could be a problem if the Veritas was a high impedance load in the midrange or treble!

The 2.4i Veritas seems to rise only to 15 ohms - if the Denon indeed clips at 50 volts (a wild guess) then I'd estimate the maximum power it can deliver at 15 ohms would be about 70 Watts. So it is possible that this might be a limiting factor rather than the amp "spec" into 8 ohm load.
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