Problem with wiring Eminence Delta 10a in 4x10 cab!!

[mind77]

Hello, I just joined this forum. I recently was given an Ampeg B410HE cabinet with 4 blown speakers, presumably due to it being used at high levels with a head over-rated for the cab.

Instead of purchasing new speakers from Ampeg, I decided to get some nicer, more powerful speakers and basically rewire the cab myself to be able to handle higher power loads.

Well, I purchased 4 Eminence Delta 10a's recently. I installed them and it sounded good with my Orange Terror Bass 500. But I couldn't keep a clean tone past 5 on the Master Volume despite what the gain was set to. I thought maybe it had something to do with the crossover, but I didn't have much time to look back at my wiring or at the crossover, etc, before its first use in a jam the other night.
It worked fine, was very loud, but the next day the Orange head died, blew a fuse on Standby. I took it back and got my money back and bought a vintage Ampeg SVT instead.

However, this evening I just disassembled the cab to investigate wiring it up for the 2 ohm Out on the SVT, and I saw that one of the speakers was not connected to a negative. It was wired in series-parallel. It was the first speaker on the positive side of the chain, and the last on the negative chain. I noticed this speaker visually working harder than the others and pushing outwards much further than the others. And now the speaker seems to have a worn paper look at the edge of the cone where it is glued to the "cloth accordion edging". It seems like a weaker bond than the others.

I am pretty sure I either screwed up and forgot to wire it right, or the clip-on lead fell off from vibrating, but it didn't seem to loose when i reconnected it.
I know nothing about speakers, just electronic diagrams and instructions...
My question is, if I only used it for a few hours here and there at moderate volumes (besides testing it all out), is it likely damaged? Could I have damaged the other 3? They look perfect in comparison, but this other speaker also has a few other potential signs of poorer craftsmanship than the others. Is it just due to the extra stress on the speaker? Should I get a new one or wait to test it with the new head?

I know this is long, and my first post. Thanks to anyone that takes the time to help me out. Just sank 300 into these speakers and feel like a moron for not checking my work twice.

[mind77]

I am also thinking that the Orange head died because there was an improper load on it?

It was wired in series parallel to be 8ohms like the original ampeg wiring. it was the top left speaker, the first one to be connected to the positive lead coming from the crossover if this helps anyone familiar with ampeg wiring.
its only been 2 weeks since i bought it, and it seems to have a slight crease in the according cloth edge and i am afraid it could start to tear after time so i am already considering returning it. id prefer not to hassle with it, but i just would like an opinion.
should i return it if i can?

[OzzyGreg]

.
By my experience the Delta 10s aren't a real good bass driver.

From memory they have an X-Max of between 1.8 and 3.5mm depending on the model.
Way too small an excursion for a bass application.
I found this out the hard way, bought four and regretted it!

Greg

[Matthijs]

I'm not really sure what your situation is. One speaker was not connected on the negative side? Would that not have meant that only two speakers were working?

The series/parallel schematic for a 8 ohm load with 8 ohm speakers would have to be something like this:

+ ________________
| |
O< O<
| |
O< O<
- ____|___________|

(excuse the quick and dirty diagram)

Is that what you did? If it is I can find no good explanation why only one speaker would have suffered from a loose connection. You say it's the first speaker in the positive chain and the last in the negative chain, I don't really get that. Are you sue you haven't wired them in some other way that either only one speaker was working, or only one speaker was not working? In the last option you'd also see more cone movement as it would act as a passive radiator. That might explain the extra wear.

[Matthijs]

Sorry I see my diagram has become warped. Ill try with words:

It should have two pairs of speakers. Each pair is wired in series, the two pairs as a whole are wired in parallel. So: from the amp the postive side is connected to the positive side of two speakers and the negative side is connected to the negative of two other speakers. The speakers on the positive and the negative side are are connected to each other, one each.

[Matthijs]

paralelseries.pdf This might help. did you make an extra connection in the middle of this set up ?

[Stumbo]

I suggest finding an amp/speaker tech before something else goes bad.

Where are you located?

Here's a start: Tube amp techs- recommendations

[BassmanPaul]

You have discovered to reason not to put different speakers into an existing cabinet without ensuring that the new speakers will actually work well in that cabinet. Just chucking speakers into a box is a crapshoot at best.

That crease you see is the result of that driver getting too much power. It is fatally damaged and will need to be re-coned.

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

You have discovered to reason not to put different speakers into an existing cabinet without ensuring that the new speakers will actually work well in that cabinet. Just chucking speakers into a box is a crapshoot at best.

That.

Instead of purchasing new speakers from Ampeg, I decided to get some nicer, more powerful speakers and basically rewire the cab myself to be able to handle higher power loads

Not that. Driver wattage ratings are meaningless. And while the Ampeg drivers have lower wattage ratings than the Delta 10 they're capable of actually being able to make use of twice the power that the Deltas can.

[BurningSkies]

Originally Posted by billfitzmaurice

That.

Not that. Driver wattage ratings are meaningless. And while the Ampeg drivers have lower wattage ratings than the Delta 10 they're capable of actually being able to make use of twice the power that the Deltas can.

I can hear the canned trombone fill from here.