Woofers

[VanDaRo]

The Sequel IIs that I have produce respectable bass. In most of the many homes that I have had them in, they dig deep and hold a solid line. And this house is no different. The bottom end is good -- not Summit good, but good nevertheless.

When I replaced the panels on my speakers, I asked 3 different people at ML whether they thought I should do the woofers at the same time. They all said no -- if they ain't broke, don't fix 'em. I found this surprising...they threw away the opportunity to make a few more bucks from me. Why would the likes of Jim Powers tell me to save my money and keep my original, although perfectly functioning, woofers when there is a profit motive ??

My thoughts are that they offer nothing new or improved for this model of speaker, which wouldn't surprise me considering their age. Or maybe they are just the most honest, no BS, bunch of HiFi guys out there... I just don't really claim to know which it is.

SO

Does anyone know if there is an updated woofer for the Sequel/SL3 line that might be worth looking into ? Why would ML be so adamant about not replacing them ? Is there an aftermarket equivalent that offers better performance ?

Inquiring minds.... :think::think:

TIA, fellas !!

~VDR

 

[DPD]

Are you looking for an aftermarket replacement that is basically the same, but newer?

Or are you looking for a driver that is somehow better?

I think crossover and panel integration would be the biggest issue; picking a totally different woofer might require tweaking the crossover quite a bit.

 

[dimensions87]

i wonder if its possible to put a summit woofer in it?

 

[JonFo]

I also have some Sequels that I'll either be updating the woofers on, or just bypassing it with something else.

If replacing the woofer, and keeping the stock crossover, etc. then get the factory replacement. It will be the best match for what the crossover was designed for.

Now, if you are adventurous, and want to upgrade the mid-bass, and have a sub in your rig. Then you can go all out and find the best 10" driver for the size enclosure and use external crossovers.

If going the later route, let me know and we can hunt for woofers together in this thread.

 

[JonFo]

i wonder if its possible to put a summit woofer in it?

Nope, compeltly wrong T/S parameters most likley.

 

[dimensions87]

Nope, compeltly wrong T/S parameters most likley.

JonFo,

based on experience, what do you reckon would be the best upgrade woofer w/o having an external crossover?

 

[JonFo]

JonFo,

based on experience, what do you reckon would be the best upgrade woofer w/o having an external crossover?

I'm afraid I don't have an easy answer for that.

It's not just a matter of finding a driver with equal (or close enough T/S parameters), as any passive crossover design integrates the unique characteristics of the driver being used in the design. So a small change in impedance or the resonant frequency can impact how the driver will integrate. For instance a few ohms more impedance might translate in to both a slight shift in effective x-over point as well as lower relative woofer to panel levels.

Now, I'm picking nits, but just want to clear that it's a complex, interdependent system. Which is why when deviating from factory spec, the x-over needs to be considered, and in my view, bypassed or modded. Bypassing is always easier unless you are truly into the whole DIY speaker thing, including passive x-over design and build. In which case, you probably have dynamic line arrays or other home-brew DIY speakers

 

[lpaudio2]

There are testing devices out there that can test. Im assuming we dont have the t/s parameters. Something like this...

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshowdetl.cfm?Partnumber=390-804

Does anyone know if logan would give out the t/s parameters?

I would guess that one could look for a direct replacement parameter wise, or also potentially rework the XO and go active. It might even be possible to say, sacrifice the last octave of bass in preference for midrange clarity (always a tradeoff when picking bass drivers), and then use a sub.

EDIT> various places like madisound offer design service. You might try calling them, tell them what you want to do. They use LEAP to do their modeling, and they have a good reputation.

 

[Craig]

The Sequel IIs that I have produce respectable bass. In most of the many homes that I have had them in, they dig deep and hold a solid line. And this house is no different. The bottom end is good -- not Summit good, but good nevertheless.

When I replaced the panels on my speakers, I asked 3 different people at ML whether they thought I should do the woofers at the same time. They all said no -- if they ain't broke, don't fix 'em. I found this surprising...they threw away the opportunity to make a few more bucks from me. Why would the likes of Jim Powers tell me to save my money and keep my original, although perfectly functioning, woofers when there is a profit motive ??

My thoughts are that they offer nothing new or improved for this model of speaker, which wouldn't surprise me considering their age. Or maybe they are just the most honest, no BS, bunch of HiFi guys out there... I just don't really claim to know which it is.

~VDR

I've dealt with them directly a few times and it seems obvious to me that ML doesn't try to profit on replacement parts. For one, they're prices are too reasonable and seem to be at cost. I.E. a replacement woofer for the Ascent is $130 for the paper cone and $131 for the aluminum cone. The price may have gone up some since last year due to inflation but still pretty inexpensive. Secondly, They're not going to tell you to replace a part that you don't need.

In the long run, it's not worth risking their integrity they've worked hard over the years to establish. It also seems obvious they intend to me in this market for the long term and haven't abandoned the audiophile customer that we were concerned with about a year ago. It's really about customer support rather than trying to make a profit on replacement parts or repairs. I wish more companies were like this.