Buzzing outdoor speaker, any suggestions?

[Kevin P]

I don't venture out to the DIY section much, but I figure if anyone can come up with a fix for this, it's the experts here.

One of my Russound OB-6.1 outdoor speakers started buzzing. These speakers are about 2-3 years old (purchased fall '05). I pulled it apart and found two hairline cracks in the woofer's rubber surround. I put some silicone goop on the cracks to seal them, but the speaker still buzzes.

Here's a video I made to illustrate the problem. I ran a portable synthesizer through the speaker so I could send frequencies that brought out the buzz.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0h7cq_8e9Y

Any suggestions, short of replacing the driver or entire speaker?

[peter_m]

Your problem is probably on the other side. The woofer either has a loose voice coil, or is suffering from tinsel slap. Maybe the dust-cap is loose as well... That does not sound a like rubber suspension problem.

Peter

[ThomasW]

Sorry dude but the driver is toast. What you hear is the voice coil banging away. It stops when you touch it because your finger pressure is aligning it in the gap...

Options are have it reconed or replaced.

Reconing is your best option because that doesn't require a new crossover to be designed.

Check you local yellow pages for a reconing service. If none are locally, there are numerous available online

[Hdale85]

Yikes thats painful.

[Kevin P]

The voice coil isn't fully detached, because the speaker plays fine except at certain frequencies and only at higher volume levels. In the video I play several notes on the synth, and only when I get down below a certain frequency, when the buzzing starts. At first I thought something in the cabinet was loose because it sounded like something resonating at certain bass frequencies.

Judging from the way it reacts when I press on the surround, I'm thinking the VC is somehow out of alignment rather than detached. But who knows. We had some wild weather last week (torrential rain) and then this happens. Don't know if there's a connection but I guess anything's possible. Maybe moisture got inside and the VC swelled, or it affected the spider throwing the VC out of alignment?

In any case, it looks like I need a new driver. I sent Russound an email to see what they have to say.

[ThomasW]

If the VC was detached there would be no noise.

Unless the speaker is designed for 'marine' use, they typically don't fair well outside even though they're sold for outside use.

I'm pretty sure you'll find a replacement driver to be $pendy, that's why I suggested a local reconing service. Having a driver reconed is usually 1/2 the cost of a replacement unit from the mfgr