Speakers lost bass!

[avgjoe]

Okay so I bought Cerwin Vega's for my school. Well they had a dance today and it seems like the bass just crapped out on one of the songs. Now I wonder is this due to improper wiring or is it something worse like a blown woofer?

[Mr Peabody]

If the bass was there to start with I don't see how it could be wiring unless some one tripped on the wire and caused it to have a bad connection but not completely unplug. More likely a blown woofer or a part in the crossover. You'll have to do some troubleshooting. Like switch the speakers to see if the problem is still in the same speaker. If so, then is the woofer playing at all? Does it rattle or buzz, or distort on a hard bass note? If you switch the speakers and the problem starts with the new speaker then it may be the amp.

If you hooked them up and the bass isn't there like you heard in the store, then it could be wiring. You have to be sure the speakers are in phase red (+) of the amp to same on speaker. Could be speaker placement or just the difference in the amp you are using.

[basite]

when you push the woofer back, is it moving easily or is it really stiff? if it's really stiff your VC melted and the woofer is dead. if the woofer moves fine, and you don't hear any VC rubbing or so, it's in the crossover. But first check the wiring, although wires don't just change phase between songs...

Good luck,
Bert.

[SAEA501]

The problem may not be in the crossover even if the woofer is not seized. The woofer can move freely and have an open voice coil. This would cause the symptom described.

A wiring problem at the speaker cabinet connection is very unlikely also as I know of no way that would cause the woofer to stop working and allow the other drivers to continue.

From your description the woofer has given up the ghost and needs to be replaced. I don't know your ability but testing the woofer and replacing it is a pretty simple process. Pull the grill cover off, remove the retaining screws and lift the woofer from it's mount. Note which wires are connected to which terminals and then remove them. Put an ohmmeter across the driver's terminals and you should approximately 4 or 8 ohms depending on the speaker's original rating. I suspect you are going to see zero. In which case you would replace that driver.

You initially mention that you bought these for your school. So I presume you mean you bought them new, in which case all of what I described above is moot. Your speakers should be covered by a warranty. This would simplify this whole affair. Just take the failed cabinet back where you bought it and they should troubleshoot and repair it for you at no charge. The downside: they may have to order parts. I would call them first and ask them what you should do. They may tell you to ship the cabinet back to Cerwin Vega, which would not be a good thing. Unfortunately, in this era of lack of customer service, that is a real possibility. It seems very few audio stores do any repairs any more.

Good luck to you.

[avgjoe]

Well the problem is that I bought these Cerwin Vega's off of buy.com and their return policy is only for 14 days which have passed. I think I will be forced to deal with Cerwin Vega directly. I will check them out on Monday. You have to consider that these are high school students. It is a high probability that they tripped over a wire. Anyway, I'm hoping for the best because then it means less hassle for me. Thanks for all the help, guys!

[jrhymeammo]

Don't think you have a pair of faulty speakers yet.

I assume you can driving them fairly hard in a large room.

What is the model number of the CV and what amp are you using?
I ask this because I think you either:

Got a pair that will not handle alot of power and you are over driving them or

Driving them with an inferior amplifier,

There is a big chance that your bass speakers are just bottoming out.

Give us more details.

Regards,

[avgjoe]

The speakers are the CLS-15 and the amp is a musician's friend Gemsound XP-450 watt amp.

[SAEA501]

Cerwin Vega used to design fuses into their speakers. Look on the back of the cabinet for a fuse holder, you might just be in luck. It may be inside the cabinet.

These speakers are specifically designed to put up with exactly what you bought them for: high school students rocking out. CV's have historically been very tough speakers. Years ago they had a model they advertised that could be plugged directly into an AC outlet and not be damaged. Pretty sure I would not want to try that, 60Hz at 120 volts......your head would probably explode. But their forte has always been to play at high volumes into large areas.

I would be surprised if you have actually damaged the speaker. I'd be interested to know your findings.

[avgjoe]

Yeah, hopefully they're not damaged. I'm going to go to school and check them out on Monday. Man, the day I don't go to the dance this stuff happens. I will try to check out the fusebox. Does anyone know where it might be located on the CLS15?

[avgjoe]

Yep it turns out the fuses were blown.

[Mr Peabody]

I know you were smiling, shooo, what a relief

[avgjoe]

SO my friends were saying the speakers weren't loud enough and the amp was turned up all the way and then it just shorted. I think the problem was an unstable power source. The speakers were sharing a power strip with various other lights and accesories which might have put a toll on the little strip. Next time I'll make sure that when they're set up, the speakers get their own connection without having to share with other things.

Thanks for all the help guys! What a relief!

[Mr Peabody]

It's a safe bet that if the amp was turned up all the way, this is what blew the fuses. Just because an amp goes to 11 doesn't mean you should take it there. Amps will "clip", cause distortion long before full volume and this certainly destroys speakers. You are very lucky the fuses were there.

[PeruvianSkies]

Okay so I bought Cerwin Vega's for my school. Well they had a dance today and it seems like the bass just crapped out on one of the songs. Now I wonder is this due to improper wiring or is it something worse like a blown woofer?

Ask GMichael.