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Totem model 1: woofer rubber stiff -- Slight buzz

Hi everyone,

I have a totem model 1 that is more than 10 years old. I've noticed that on some tracks, there will be a slight buzzing sound coming from the woofer.
How do i know its the woofer?

Well if i press the woofer very lightly with my finger, the buzzing seems to go away.

--It only happens at certain frequencies
--Every thing else about the speaker is perfect
--I've brought the speaker to a repair shop, and the guy said its working perfectly, but that the rubber surrounding the woofer sometimes gets stiff with age, and this sort of thing can happen.

Is there anything I can do to fix this? My dealer wants USD500 to replace the drivers, but the repair guy was against this and said it wasnt worth it. However, he didnt give any other solution either!!

Appreciate any advice :)

-Mark
powster
blkadr
731 posts
 
Sure its the coil? If the surround or the dust cover is not 100% bonded to the cone you can get a buzzing sound, usually on bass notes. Could be caused by dried out glue.
zenblaster
504 posts
 
Contact Totem Acoustics, they provide excellent service and no one knows their speakers better.
hieule5
115 posts
 
Call Totem and ask them how much that they would charge you. If they charge you less than $500 to replace the woofers, it is a fair deal. You got the sound that you can comfortably live with for another 5-7 years, provided the tweeters do not go out any time soon.

If they charge you $500 or more, it's time to retire your Model One and to shop for another pair of speakers.

Totem Model One was a special speakers 15 years ago but not any more. There are better speakers in the same price range these days from PSB, Paradigm, Dynaudio, Usher...etc

Or you can get a pair of Totem Rainmaker. The Rainmaker is a decent alternative to the Model One, easier to drive, more efficient, better bass response and definition, and cheaper. You don't get the WBT terminals and the high is not that smooth but the Rainmaker seems to do better than the Model One in many ways.
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