Bopught amp but speaker is muffled

MouthBoy

MouthBoy

MouthBoy

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Hi All,

A while ago I made a thread about buying an amp for some hand me down speakers, well today I bought the Cambridge Audio Azur 351A.

I wired it up correctly but one of my speakers (and it is the speaker, not the cables or anything, decided through process of elimination), sounds very muffled.

Anyone got any ideas what could be causing this? They are old speakers (Technics SB-C350s) but I swear they worked last time I heard them only a few months back.

If they are broken, can anyone recommend me some new speakers for between £150-200?

Thanks
 
I dont have another amp to test with, but I have changed the output on the amp itself from left to right and changed the cables too. Same outcome.

Its just like there is no treble, very odd.

EDIT: Just had a little test and turning the treble up or down on the amp has no effect on the speaker, but with the other one it changes. Dead speaker?
 
Sounds like blown tweeters.

They are 25mm soft domes, may well be easy to replace, are the mids ok too. What size is the square plate? Can you use a chissel?

Wharfdale Diamond 9's are currently £40 new, these used to be £100 a while back. A new pair of tweeters could cost more. Maybe less.
 
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sastusbulbas said:
Sounds like blown tweeters.

They are 25mm soft domes, may well be easy to replace, are the mids ok too. What size is the square plate? Can you use a chissel?

Wharfdale Diamond 9's are currently £40 new, these used to be £100 a while back. A new pair of tweeters could cost more. Maybe less.
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Technics speakers were never that great to begin with. The cabinets were made from compressed chipboard. Anything involving reworking to fit new but different tweeters will result in a big pile of Weetabix :D

It's better off to stick these on Ebay as spares or repairs. There's enough Technics nuts out there to warrant the effort.

Diamond 9's are cheap. However, the CA Azur 351A deserves better.
 
smeaney said:
£150-200

I like warmer speakers than bright ones.

Thoughts on these: http://www.richersounds.com/product/standmount-speakers/cambridge-audio/sx60/camb-sx60-dk-wal

or

These: http://www.richersounds.com/product/standmount-speakers/cambridge-audio/aero-2/camb-aer0-2-dw
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The Aero-2's are in a different class to the SX60's, so I think you'd hear the difference the extra £50 makes. You might need some decent stands though to get the best out of either.

Since these are new rather than used, you'll have an opportunity to demo. I think that would be a really good idea. The Aero-2's have the sort of softer presentation you're after because of their rolled-off treble. Other speakers to look at with a similar sonic character - Tannoy DC4 (£149 on clearance). Take your amp along and use one of RS' CD players for a dem.

If you're open to secondhand then a pair of KEF Q35.2 floorstanders would be a good investment. Older KEFs have that same sonic signature that you're looking for. They also have a very wide sweet spot: That's to say that the sound doesn't alter much in tone whether you're sitting dead centre of off to the side. With KEF the '.2' bit is important. It's the second version of the original Q35 speaker. Going rates for Q35.2 were around £350 new in 2000, so that's around £450 in today's money. Well made, excellent pedigree, and something you can buy and sell for very similar money. Used prices range from £80-£140 ish
 
Thanks for the advice lucid.

I think I will pop along tomorrow to RS and have a demo of the Aero2s. I have no room for floorstanding speakers with my current setup. The speakers will sit on my desk in the corners and face towards me. I may invest in some wall stands at a later stage.
 
lucid said:
Technics speakers were never that great to begin with. The cabinets were made from compressed chipboard. Anything involving reworking to fit new but different tweeters will result in a big pile of Weetabix :D

It's better off to stick these on Ebay as spares or repairs. There's enough Technics nuts out there to warrant the effort.

Diamond 9's are cheap. However, the CA Azur 351A deserves better.
Click to expand...

The majority of speakers from various era's were chipboard. Never had much issue re-working such myself. And if someone is on a budget, you never know if someone may have a pair of tweeters going tweet, er cheap sorry.

As for the Azur deserving better, well thats debatable, the Wharfdale is a £100 speaker, many higher end speakers are also £100 speakers but with a name increasing profit. And still MDF or chipboard.

If your talking decent audio input instead of MP3, with speakers on stands set up in room, then possibly they deserve better, if the amp was just bought cause it got good reviews and is cool for an old pair of Technics someone gave someone, well the intention has already been a statement, and the suggested placement verified that.

The Cambridge Audio Minx has dedicated table stands, Q acoustics 2010 or 2020 I am sure I have seen on desks, Tannoy DC4 have the tweeter in the middle, Tannoy DC6 too. Some pro audio shops sell dedicated supports for speakers on desks if that is your thing.

Personally, if the speakers are going on a desk though, I would be looking at something more in line with that application. Driver integration at that distance may not be too hot on some speakers, nor will much else, though the vibration can be quite fun on the forearms.

In the past with such applications I used 1m high Atacama SE stands filled with sand, but remember most stand mounts are designed with specific room boundaries and tweeter heights in mind.

A speaker with a co-axial arrangment may well work better, as would a smaller speaker.
 
Well i had a sound test today and bought the CA Aero 2s. I am testing them at home until my actual set arrive as they didnt have them in stock, so I can still play with a preowned pair. Very happy with them and just enough to fill my office.

They tried to sell me on some others that were £100 more, but to be honest they were a lot brigher and bass was a little too controlled. Not warm enough for my liking.

As always thanks for the advice.
 
lucid said:
Out of interest, what else did you listen to and what were your thoughts?
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The Dali Zensor 3's. They sounded great, but not as warm and a bit too sharp and controlled on the bass. It was a little odd I must admit.

Now I have listened to my CA Aero 2s for a while, I have more than happy with my purchase. Some fast bass notes are a little blurred together, but its rare I listen to fast overpowering bass anyway.

In your opinion would you have gone for the Dali's? Remember I am using the CA Azur 351A amp.
 
Broken Hope said:
A little higher than your budget but I'd probably try out the Monitor Audio BX2's, they are a great speaker. I run mine off a T amp for my PC.
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I did look at them, but never listened to them.

I think for my room size, how close I sit to the speakers and my setup I made the right choice.

I have my foot in the door of stereos now, just need to convince the wife that in future I need more :P
 
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