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dave2010
12-04-2010, 17:24
I've previously mentioned that I've a pair of Goodmans Goodwood speakers, though they don't get an outing too often.

One is showing signs of wear, and I have been thinking of having it overhauled - Wembley Loudspeaker Co. http://www.wembleyloudspeaker.com/ said they could do it. It sounds as though something is rubbing - a sort of grating noise. They thought it was the large drive unit, and asked me to take it out, rather than take the whole speaker over to them.

I heard that one possible, though maybe temporary, solution is to turn the driver upside down. I've been trying that, and sort of running the thing in. I was beginning to wonder if this could actually work- as it may be starting to sound a little better. However I think the problem is sufficiently severe that I will have to have this looked at eventually.

As it happens it's not too urgent as I don't use the speaker that often, and I have access to a couple of near identical (though hopefully without the fault) spares.

Has anyone else tried this kind of thing, or alternatively had experience of speaker repairs?


Incidentally, I also bought some cheap cable on eBay - which I reckon is pretty good for the price. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/10m-Loudspeaker-Cable-OFC-322-Strand-Loud-Speaker-Wire_W0QQitemZ390076976161QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Co mputing_CablesConnectors_RL?hash=item5ad2664c21

Looks like it's somewhere between 10 and 12 AWG - so should be good for up to 30 feet or more - see this article -
http://www.audioholics.com/education/cables/speaker-cable-gauge

I am tempted to buy another length of this.

hifi_dave
12-04-2010, 18:35
Occasionally, a drive unit will sag on it's suspension allowing the voice-coil to rub on the magnet assembly making a 'buzzing' noise at certain frequencies. This can sometimes be cured by rotating the driver through 180 degrees.

Alternatively it might the voice-coil has been cooked by over driving them and/or the amp. This can cause the glue or lacquer on the voice-coil to bubble and thereby making a 'buzzing' noise again. Rotating the driver will not help in this case.

DSJR
12-04-2010, 19:49
Don't spend a fortune on the Goodwoods. They're interesting only in the driver layout which gives an "interesting" dispersion pattern.

Wembley Loudspeakers are good people by all accounts, but please try turning the bass unit upside down first. Worked a treat on Spendors back in the day...

dave2010
13-04-2010, 13:31
Don't spend a fortune on the Goodwoods. They're interesting only in the driver layout which gives an "interesting" dispersion pattern.

Wembley Loudspeakers are good people by all accounts, but please try turning the bass unit upside down first. Worked a treat on Spendors back in the day...I wasn't intending to spend much. I was quoted £40 last time I asked. I'd be sad to see them go to landfill though. I was surprised at how hefty the driver unit was as I removed it to turn it upside - pretty heavy stuff.

In the days when several of us had vaguely similar speakers, these sounded quite like some KEFs, though had cabinet vibration which better units lacked. They were also one of the few speakers I heard on which low frequency sounds really get through, as in Keilberth's recording of the Flying Dutchman. You can really hear the "sailors" jumping around on the Bayreuth stage - though where you'd want to is another matter.

I don' think the dispersion pattern problem is really such a big issue for most people.

I was going to say that I've never "cooked" these speakers, but maybe I did once turn up the wick rather high on the finale of Mahler's 8th. However they were, as I recall, OK after that. I think the damage has been done in a move somewhere along the way.