Replacement 10" driver for an old Ashdown Mini 110

[Horgh]

Hey fellas,

So, yesterday I purchased a used Ashdown Mini 110 (110H I think, but can't find any info on it) from a private seller along with a GK 400 RB. Anyway, I tried the combo out at his house at low volume (to be polite, my mistake) and it sounded fine. Well, I tried playing through it at home today and I think the woofer is either blown or close to. It struggles to produce any bass at higher volumes (beyond 1/2 volume), and even at lower volumes it sounds rattly and makes port noise. The seller won't refund me, so I'm thinking of trying to replace the speaker myself. I'm handy with a soldering iron, but I've never done work on a cab before.

Assuming it's a straight forward replacement with soldering a few wires, can anyone tell me where I can get a decent driver online? I'm not sure if there are different screw patterns or anything else I need to worry about. The speaker in question is blue (like a lot of the Ashdown offerings), but this cab is pretty old.

I think the cab is currently rated at 8 ohm, would getting a 4 ohm driver make it 4 ohm? The cab does have a tweeter, so I don't know if a lower ohm speaker would mess with the cross-over or the tweeter.

Edit: could this work? There is also a 4 ohm version: Eminence Legend BP102 10 inch 400-watt Replacement Bass Speaker - 8 Ohm

Thanks!

 

[agedhorse]

I would recommend verifying that the problem really is the speaker before buying a replacement speaker, nothing worse than 2 good speakers and a still bad amp.

 

[Horgh]

I would recommend verifying that the problem really is the speaker before buying a replacement speaker, nothing worse than 2 good speakers and a still bad amp.

Sir, if I had your knowledge, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. I have a D800+/210/115 Subway stack in my bedroom because of your recommendation and I absolutely love it, this was meant to be a "practice" setup for my office. So, if you have any guidance on how to diagnose the issue, I'm all ears. At first I thought "oh, that's just the 10" speaker struggling with a 5-string bass" but I don't think it is.

If I repeatedly pluck the open B even, the driver starts to make all kinds of rustling sounds that you can hear out of the port. And D# and E on the B string sound... weird, like it can't produce the bass.

 

[bordinco90]

I had a Hartke KB 15 that the speaker rattled like crazy. This happened on 2 KB 15s that I ordered from Sweetwater. I replaced the stock speaker with an eminence 15 and it sounded much better. Couldn't believe how cheap the speaker was in the Hartke.

 

[agedhorse]

Sir, if I had your knowledge, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. I have a D800+/210/115 Subway stack in my bedroom because of your recommendation and I absolutely love it, this was meant to be a "practice" setup for my office. So, if you have any guidance on how to diagnose the issue, I'm all ears. At first I thought "oh, that's just the 10" speaker struggling with a 5-string bass" but I don't think it is.

If I repeatedly pluck the open B even, the driver starts to make all kinds of rustling sounds that you can hear out of the port. And D# and E on the B string sound... weird, like it can't produce the bass.

The first thing that I would check is that no small animals made a nest inside.

Does it make this noise using the GK amp?

Can you try it (at low volume) with your D-800+ to see if it still makes this noise?

It could be the speaker, but running out the easy stuff first will be helpful.

If it is the speaker, I might have a very similar (though a Neo) speaker sitting on the shelf in my warehouse. I will have to look, can't remember.

 

[Horgh]

The first thing that I would check is that no small animals made a nest inside.

Does it make this noise using the GK amp?

Can you try it (at low volume) with your D-800+ to see if it still makes this noise?

It could be the speaker, but running out the easy stuff first will be helpful.

If it is the speaker, I might have a very similar (though a Neo) speaker sitting on the shelf in my warehouse. I will have to look, can't remember.

Good call on the animal nest, the guy said he just had it sitting in the corner of his living room for multiple years, so who knows. I can pop it open to see what I see inside.

I do want to try the 400 RB with a Subway cab and the Ashdown cab with my D800+, problem is I don't have the right cables right now. I have a SpeakOn to 1/4" converter coming from Audiopile, but I may not see that till next week. I suppose you're right, I should rule both components out before I throw any more money at this problem. I really hope it's not the amp.

 

[Horgh]

Ok, so I spent well over an hour messing around with the cab to try to figure out what's going on. I took the speaker out and I pushed it from both sides gently, I felt no resistance and there was no noise. I then hooked up a 9V battery (both ways) and the speaker extended both ways as expected. I then measured the resistance at the terminals (keeping everything soldered as it was), and it measured 6.4 Ohms. So... I think the speaker is fine?

I looked inside the cabinet, looks clean, in fact there isn't much in it, except for the cables coming from the back panel to the speaker, and then another set going to the tweeter. So I reinstalled the speaker upside down to see if that would do anything, thinking maybe the cables were rattling.

With the grill off, I played the low B, C#, D#, and E that were causing me issues. What I noticed then was that the noise was actually coming from the upper of the two ports, so I think I'm actually hitting port noise. The speaker is flexing a LOT, I can feel the air rushing out in volumes. I then put the grill back on and the noise increased, because Ashdown (in their old designs) has their wing logo basically right over the port. So that doesn't help the situation.

Furthermore, I realized that I was using the 400 RB without the -15 dB input selected, and I was using an active bass. I set the bass to flat EQ and that quieted things down a bit. I then tried my passive 5-string with fairly hot pickups, and it sounded a little worse but not bad. With the -15 dB input selected, things certainly sound better, but obviously not as loud.

So, my novice analysis here points me to this being a cab limitation. From my subwoofer knowledge I think I'm just pushing the driver so hard that I'm hitting port noise.

With that said, would something like an Eminence speaker be considered an upgrade? I can't remember if for a given volume and frequency, any speaker would have to extend the same amount to produce it or not (amount of excursion). Meaning, is there a speaker that could give me more volume without pushing out as much air and thus avoiding the port noise? I'm thinking no.

Pictures of the speaker attached.

 

[Arjank]

I then put the grill back on and the noise increased, because Ashdown (in their old designs) has their wing logo basically right over the port. So that doesn't help the situation.

That's not very clever (of Ashdown)

With that said, would something like an Eminence speaker be considered an upgrade?

Probably not (Sica makes great loudspeakers btw and I didn't know Ashdown used this brand)

I can't remember if for a given volume and frequency, any speaker would have to extend the same amount to produce it or not (amount of excursion).

This depends on the TSP's of the driver, the internal volume and the port tuning, so the answer is no.

Meaning, is there a speaker that could give me more volume without pushing out as much air and thus avoiding the port noise? I'm thinking no.

Correct
If it is indeed port noise, you could either increase the port area (and lengthen the port) of round of the edges on both sides of the port.
What's the diameter of the port(s)?

 

[Relsom]

I had a C110-300 combo and a couple of Mini110s, a Mini12, and a Mini15. I wrote Ashdown for their recommendation for a better driver for the 10" loaded cabs. Their answer was an Eminence Beta10. I ordered one for the combo. I thought it was an improvement, though even at bedroom volume it was still begging to be paired with one of the other 10" cabs, which actually sounded quite good.

 

[Slevage]

Sir, if I had your knowledge, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. I have a D800+/210/115 Subway stack in my bedroom because of your recommendation and I absolutely love it, this was meant to be a "practice" setup for my office. So, if you have any guidance on how to diagnose the issue, I'm all ears. At first I thought "oh, that's just the 10" speaker struggling with a 5-string bass" but I don't think it is.

If I repeatedly pluck the open B even, the driver starts to make all kinds of rustling sounds that you can hear out of the port. And D# and E on the B string sound... weird, like it can't produce the bass.

Can you hook the amp up to another known good speaker?

 

[mellobud]

Ok, so I spent well over an hour messing around with the cab to try to figure out what's going on. I took the speaker out and I pushed it from both sides gently, I felt no resistance and there was no noise. I then hooked up a 9V battery (both ways) and the speaker extended both ways as expected. I then measured the resistance at the terminals (keeping everything soldered as it was), and it measured 6.4 Ohms. So... I think the speaker is fine?

I looked inside the cabinet, looks clean, in fact there isn't much in it, except for the cables coming from the back panel to the speaker, and then another set going to the tweeter. So I reinstalled the speaker upside down to see if that would do anything, thinking maybe the cables were rattling.

With the grill off, I played the low B, C#, D#, and E that were causing me issues. What I noticed then was that the noise was actually coming from the upper of the two ports, so I think I'm actually hitting port noise. The speaker is flexing a LOT, I can feel the air rushing out in volumes. I then put the grill back on and the noise increased, because Ashdown (in their old designs) has their wing logo basically right over the port. So that doesn't help the situation.

Furthermore, I realized that I was using the 400 RB without the -15 dB input selected, and I was using an active bass. I set the bass to flat EQ and that quieted things down a bit. I then tried my passive 5-string with fairly hot pickups, and it sounded a little worse but not bad. With the -15 dB input selected, things certainly sound better, but obviously not as loud.

So, my novice analysis here points me to this being a cab limitation. From my subwoofer knowledge I think I'm just pushing the driver so hard that I'm hitting port noise.

With that said, would something like an Eminence speaker be considered an upgrade? I can't remember if for a given volume and frequency, any speaker would have to extend the same amount to produce it or not (amount of excursion). Meaning, is there a speaker that could give me more volume without pushing out as much air and thus avoiding the port noise? I'm thinking no.

Pictures of the speaker attached.

View attachment 4754587 View attachment 4754586

What do your eq settings look like?

 

[agedhorse]

I wonder if perhaps your expectations are beyond what a 110 cabinet of this size is capable of?

I don’t think replacing the driver is going to be an improvement.

 

[Horgh]

I'll answer your questions below, but first let me add a little more confusion to this thread. So this morning I read through your replies and I wanted to provide you valid data, so I plugged in and was going to test things with various EQ and amp settings. The EQ was already all at noon, but my Contour, Presence and Boost knobs were at various positions, so I wanted to get some baselines. In any case, within a minute or so of plucking, suddenly the speaker started making those rustling sounds. NOT port noise (that's still there at large excursions), but an actual rustling sound like leaves. It did it with VERY gentle plucking of the B, E and even A strings. I went to grab my phone as I was going to make a video for you guys of the noise, that took about 30 seconds, picked the bass back up to start recording and... the rustling was gone. I couldn't reproduce it. Since then I tried all kinds of settings and plucking and I can't get the speaker to make that sound again. But THAT is the sound I was hearing when I made this thread yesterday, not just the port noise. Can a speaker be intermittently rustly like that? I'm thinking it's more likely the amp now, but I can't pinpoint how or when it happens.

What's the diameter of the port(s)?

There are two ports, both 2" in diameter or so.

Can you hook the amp up to another known good speaker?

Yes, that's the plan, and to hook up this cab to my other amp. I have my Subway stack, but I don't currently have a SpeakOn to 1/4" converter, so I'm just waiting on that to get to me in the mail to do the tests. That was the plan before spending any more money on this issue.

What do your eq settings look like?

The rustling I described above happened at flat EQ (noon) on both the amp and my bass. The Volume and Master were both at noon, Contour, Presence and Boost were all rolled off to minimum (7 oclock or so). If I boost bass on my bass (it's an Ibanez 3 position EQ, feels pretty hot once you actually boost anything), the port noise definitely increases as expected.

I wonder if perhaps your expectations are beyond what a 110 cabinet of this size is capable of?

I don’t think replacing the driver is going to be an improvement.

I think to a degree that may be it, I'm just spoiled by your 210 work of genius. However, after the rustling this morning went away, I gave the combo a good workout and the volume and tone was actually decent as long as I didn't boost the bass any, which makes sense in this situation. I can live with it as is, I just want to figure out what that rustling was. So, more tests as soon as I get that converter plug.

 

[agedhorse]

The noise you describe suggests an amp problem, not a speaker problem.

what I think is happening is a combination of two things, the intermittent noise from the amp, and an unrealistic expectation of what a budget single 10 can provide.

 

[Horgh]

The noise you describe suggests an amp problem, not a speaker problem.

what I think is happening is a combination of two things, the intermittent noise from the amp, and an unrealistic expectation of what a budget single 10 can provide.

Yeah, that would make sense. I wanted to see what the RB hype was all about, so I suppose I'll consider the purchase a testing fee if it continues to have issues. I'll still do the swap test and give the components a good workout. But hey, I learned something

 

[Bass Jones]

It also looked like there was a whole bunch of wood shavings that had fallen inside the speaker. Maybe there is stilll some in there rubbing on the speaker?

 

[silky smoove]

The seller won't refund me

What is the seller's rationale for selling you a cabinet that's making unpleasant noise when you play through it and not refunding your money? Was it listed as having a problem, or was it listed as working normally? If the latter I'd be inclined to push back a bit, especially if you paid with PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, etc. or with a card.

 

[Arjank]

There are two ports, both 2" in diameter or so.

That's okay for a 10" driver with a relative small Xmax (linear excursion). If the ports aren't flared you may indeed expect some port noise on higher volumes.

Besides that, I think Andy is right about it being an amp problem.

 

[6thplanet]

Does that amp have the Send/Return jack issue? Intermittent contacts can have that issue.

 

[Horgh]

It also looked like there was a whole bunch of wood shavings that had fallen inside the speaker. Maybe there is stilll some in there rubbing on the speaker?

I think that was from me removing the speaker screws for the first time, I didn't see any debris inside, other than a little bit of dust on the inside of the port tubes.

What is the seller's rationale for selling you a cabinet that's making unpleasant noise when you play through it and not refunding your money? Was it listed as having a problem, or was it listed as working normally? If the latter I'd be inclined to push back a bit, especially if you paid with PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, etc. or with a card.

Well, so I'm torn on this, but I don't think it was malicious. First of all, the seller listed this cab as a 12" and didn't realize it was 10" until I pointed it out. I decided to buy it anyway because I thought I got a decent deal ($400 for everything). He used the amp and cab with his bass in the past, and most recently had it in his living room with his stand up bass. Judging by our conversation, he really didn't know much about the amp or the cab. Nice guy, just not really the "curious" type to learn about things. And I paid cash. I'm blaming myself here for not giving the amp and cab a longer and louder workout. Though it does seem that the potential amp problem is intermittent and had it happened at the seller's house, I would have heard it, but it didn't. I try not to pass blame on people if I make a stupid decision.

Does that amp have the Send/Return jack issue? Intermittent contacts can have that issue.

Funny you say that, that is the one thing the seller pointed out. The amp has the send and return jacks, and the seller mentioned that sometimes they get "stuck" in the previous mode and you have to plug/unplug again to resolve the issue. But I'm not using those, I'm plugged directly into the input. As such, I didn't think that is the issue? But, I'm currently using the seller's 1/4" cable between the amp and cab, I just realized that could be the culprit too. I'll switch that to one of my known good cables.