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help with speaker problem

I have a problem...i notice it only on piano music, it sounds like the tweater of both my speakers is distorting, simmilar in sound to when a speaker clips, only not nearly as loud, but audible from my listening location...it also seems to be frequency dependent..ie. only occures, or occures to a much great level within a certain frequency range judging by the piece of music i was listening to when i really noticed it around the C above middle C on a piano give or take a bit.

when i first noticed the problem in my left speaker returned the speaker and they replaced the tweeter with a new one, but the problem persists and is noticable in both speakers...

my system is

totem arros
nad c350
kimber 8pr cable
eichmann express 4 interconnect
dennon dcd 3520 cd player

any idea what it could be...I wouldn't think three tweeters could all exhibit the same problem unless its a design flaw with that model of speaker (unlikely)... i thought mabey the piano notes happened to fall right around the crossover point of the speakers and that somehow caused the distortion...
im biwiring with kimber 8pr, could low frequency sound somehow leak into the tweater...
you guys are really smart...help me out!!, i dont want to just get the tweater replaced again cause i dont think it'll fix the problem, and i dont think that totem makes such poor quality part that three tweaters would all exhibit the same problem, and i doubt id be able to get my money back from where i bought them, as they're about 8 months old
it definately the tweeters though, ive tried everything, including hooking them up to an entirely different system, so i know its nothing in my system causeing it
mbacinello

Showing 4 responses by mbacinello

mbacinello OP
54 posts
 
its emanating from the speaker itself...but it was suggested to me that mabey if the spikes on the speaker plinth arnt tightened enough or the binding posts, they could start a resonance in the tweeter and that could be the problem...does this make sense??....
mbacinello OP
54 posts
 
the cd's are fine on another system
my hearing i believe is fine..im only 24 years old, and dont listen at loud volume levels...75db average

ive tried the speakers hooked up to a completely different system... and the problem persists...so its definately the speakers...
mbacinello OP
54 posts
 
the other system is in a completely different house...and very different...bryston 7b amps, sonic frontiers pre amp. arcam alpha 9 cd player

the sound is loud enough that i can notice it from my listening position 9 feet away

when the problem occured the first time I brought the speaker to the dealer i bought them from and listened there, the dealer suggested the problem might be the plinth or binding posts, but in the end decided the best thing to do was to replace the tweeter. The dealer replaced the tweeter...so the speakers were never actually shipped to Totem at all...I did contact totem about the problem totem said the best solution would be to have the dealer replace the tweeter

which leaves me back at square one...speakers not working properly, and the "fix" also not effective

if a dealer sells a product that malfunctions or works in a sub-par fashion and is unable to repair or correct the problem should they not offer a refund? or would the time period of ownership (8 months) be too long to ask for money back?
mbacinello OP
54 posts
 
This is an update...after talking to a fellow arro owner with the same problem, and to Vince at Totem, the problem was diagnosed as a resonance resulting from vibration induced by the metal to plastic contact of the woofer and tweeter plates...in the arro the drivers are so close together that the plates overlap slightly....thus the problem is only on the arro model it doesn't affect any other totem speakers...it also seems to be exacerbated with certain amp combinations...the NAD being one of them...it has to do with the discharge frequency of the amp...dont know what that means...the distortion occures between 425 and 650hz...the solution is very simple, a very thin "gasket" is placed behind the woofer plate to physically separate the contact...mine will be getting this 'fix' very soon..ill report on the success...the fellow owner i was talking to had complete success with it so my hopes are high...
so fellow arro owners or prospective arro owners be aware of this potential problem...however dont let it stop you from listening to the arros...the arros are first rate speakers in every regard, and i must say the customer support is excellent, Vince personally attended to me.
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