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LDS 2x12/6 problem

coolrunner989

coolrunner989

Feb 9, 2006
2,783
9
Minneapolis, MN
#1
Hello everyone,

long story short, I have a three year old LDS 2x12/6 cab that has always had some sort of buzzing that I couldn't figure out, and despite the reputation I had heard about the 3012LF speakers I could get it . It wasn't really a problem because I was playing very low volume gigs with lots of PA support (monitors, subs).

I'll be playing some new gigs with no PA so I troubleshot the cab last night. At all volume levels/EQ settings I found a rattling come from the inside back of the voice coil area from both speakers. I think it must either be a pair of defective speakers or something wrong in the crossover. Any suggestions?

Thanks!
 
#2
I would start the troubleshooting first, by bypassing the crossover and connecting Your amp directly to each of the 3012LF's. If it is in fact one or both of the speakers, it should be obvious. If one of the speakers is in fact "bad", You could contact Eminence directly and inquire about a possible warranty, or getting it reconed. However, if the crossover is the issue, You could contact LDS for a replacement or go another route.

Quick question, though. What mid driver are You using in the cab?
 
#3
Sounds mechanical - The Emi 30xxlf woofers can shake it like nobody's bitness and require that the hatches be battened down to the nth.

So I'd check carefully for loose components - a hot glue gun and zip ties to the xover parts may be the solution - also check for tightness on the mounting of the xover board itself. Also look for a loose screw/spacer on the grill and other hardware and the posts on the speaker leads and input jacks/jack plate.
 
#5
Thanks for the suggestion of connecting directly to the speakers, hadn't thought of that.

One thing I am curious about and the only reason I don't think it is a loose connection is the sound/vibration I heard coming from the back of the voice coil and the amount of buzzing the speakers did even when removed from the cab.
 
#6
I have heard of a few dud 3012LFs, thankfully Eminence has excellent warranty coverage. Talk to Don first, as the OEM guy he probably has the hookup there if you correct directly to them and get it.

Directionality of buzzing sometimes is harder to detect than we think, can be really deceptive. Crossover components can rattle, leaks in handles or driver gaskets can huff and buzz, etc. etc.

But it sounds like a speaker mechanical issue to me.
 
#7
The only speakon cables I have are from an old GK1001, which have four wires for biamping. So to connect straight to the speakers I need to know which colors on the cable are correct - can anyone tell me which ones to connect from the cable coming from the head to a speaker?
 
#8
If your internal wiring is soldered to the jacks you're going to have an easier time just calling Don most likely :) It'd involve unsoldering all the wires from the jacks and running new leads from the jacks to the speakers and whatever.
 
#9
I just meant to test it by connecting one end of my cable to my amp as usual then taking two wires from the other end and connected straight to the speaker, which is currently connected using screw terminals to the wiring from the crossover. If it sounds alright then I will call Don and ask him what to do with the crossover.

I found this
greenboy said:
If I recall:

+1 BLACK
-1 WHITE
+2 RED
-2 GREEN
Click to expand...
 
#10
Ok, that makes good sense.

As long as you only connect the speakon in 1+/1- or 2+/2- pairs (which is easy to identify on the speakon jack) you should be fine. It'll either work or it won't work, but not fail catastrophically.
 
#11
How bout no speakon, but use an old phono plug with bare wires on the other end.
touch each wire to speaker terminals and see what it sounds like....buzzing.
Crossover component rattle and buzz should be your first investigation though.
 
#15
So I got in touch with Don, he was very sympathetic and suggested the following course of action:

1) ship the speaker back to him
2) He'll confirm that it is not working
3) He'll contact Eminence and see if he can get it replaced under warranty
4) If they won't replace it he'll sell me another one for super cheap (at or below cost I assume, he didn't mention exactly how much).

So in a few weeks I'll have a fully functioning cab either way.
 

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