Totem Model One: Woofer buzzing, help please?


Hi I just got a pair of these >10 year old Totem Model 1s. I love the sound but there is this "buzzing" coming from the woofer when I play certain bass heavy tracks.

My amp is barely past 9.30-10 oclock position, so its not as if I am blasting it.

Considering the age of these speakers, Has my woofer blown?

Would a solution be as simple as getting a replacement pair of woofers and hooking them up?

If so,

a) Can I get them directly from Totem (I'm in asia and don't want to have to go to the "authorized dealer" who will most probably charge me an arm and a leg for the replacement parts)

b) Is it easy to replace woofers myself? I'm pretty handy, but if there is a lot of complicated soldering/other not so obvious things involved, it might be better to leave it to the pros.

Thanks :)
powster
Call Dynaudio, they may have stopped selling to the hobbiest market but they still provide replacement drivers for any speaker they have ever made. You will need the 6 digit part number on the back of the driver as well as the model #, which in the case of the Model 1 is the 15W75.
My experience with Totem has been exceptional, they should be able to troubleshoot your speakers. If you do have to replace the woofers I hope they are not the same as my Mani1's, a concentric pair of drivers in each box. That could become expensive in a hurry. Good Luck, but you should be in good hands with Vince at Totem, he knows his speakers inside out.
One thing to try if you haven't already is tightening the screws holding in the woofer. I have seen them become loose before. It is a long shot for sure.
It sound like coil is rubing and that can happen after years in the same position. You can try to Rotate the woofer (Unsrew it and turn, then rescrew).
If you need to replace/rebuild the driver, go to Madisound:

http://www.madisound.com/catalog/index.php?manufacturers_id=125&osCsid=26513875b73e10120b3bf3906b8ff8a3)

They can rebuild Dynaudio drivers and are authorized to do so (they were one of the vendors that sold Dynaudio drivers to the hobbyist 10 years ago). They have the related $$ charges for rebuilds on their website (per model). However, you have to send in your drivers to prove they are "authentic" Dynaudio drivers. What they actually do is completely replace them with new drivers (on an exchange basis).