Need Help: Possible Tweeter/Amplifier Issue After Sudden Volume Spike

[SanVJ]

Hi all,

I’m using a Dali Oberon 5 paired with an Audiolab 6000A amplifier.

Yesterday while watching a movie on Zee5, my amp volume was at -25 dB (it goes up to +8 dB). Suddenly, a Cetaphil advertisement came on and the volume spiked unexpectedly.

After that incident, I noticed the following:

The speakers sounds little off to me.

The high frequencies sound harsh on both speakers.

In movies, dialogues/voices sound lower than before

However, background music sounds normal.


I’m trying to figure out whether this issue is related to the tweeter or the amplifier.

I opened the speaker to check the tweeter, but there are no visible physical damages (no burn marks or tears).
How can I confirm if the tweeter is blown or if the amplifier has an issue?

Any guidance or test methods would be really helpful.

Thanks in advance!

 

[rwnano]

Hi all,

I’m using a Dali Oberon 5 paired with an Audiolab 6000A amplifier.

Yesterday while watching a movie on Zee5, my amp volume was at -25 dB (it goes up to +8 dB). Suddenly, a Cetaphil advertisement came on and the volume spiked unexpectedly.

After that incident, I noticed the following:

The speakers sounds little off to me.

The high frequencies sound harsh on both speakers.

In movies, dialogues/voices sound lower than before

However, background music sounds normal.


I’m trying to figure out whether this issue is related to the tweeter or the amplifier.

I opened the speaker to check the tweeter, but there are no visible physical damages (no burn marks or tears).
How can I confirm if the tweeter is blown or if the amplifier has an issue?

Any guidance or test methods would be really helpful.

Thanks in advance!

Exchange left and right speakers first....put some other cheaper speakers and test run etc etc etc

 

[SanVJ]

Exchange left and right speakers first....put some other cheaper speakers and test run etc etc etc

Tried exchanging the speakers, they sound the same, but something is off.

Don't have any spare speakers; I'll try to get some cheap speakers to test.

 

[caspian1985]

Hi all,

I’m using a Dali Oberon 5 paired with an Audiolab 6000A amplifier.

Yesterday while watching a movie on Zee5, my amp volume was at -25 dB (it goes up to +8 dB). Suddenly, a Cetaphil advertisement came on and the volume spiked unexpectedly.

After that incident, I noticed the following:

The speakers sounds little off to me.

The high frequencies sound harsh on both speakers.

In movies, dialogues/voices sound lower than before

However, background music sounds normal.


I’m trying to figure out whether this issue is related to the tweeter or the amplifier.

I opened the speaker to check the tweeter, but there are no visible physical damages (no burn marks or tears).
How can I confirm if the tweeter is blown or if the amplifier has an issue?

Any guidance or test methods would be really helpful.

Thanks in advance!

One easy way I use to check is play any track on the speakers and stand within hands reach to hear them. Then cover the tweeter with your hand and play the same track. If there’s a noticeable difference the tweeter is fine. If both instances sound the same, then your tweeter has blown

 

[SanVJ]

One easy way I use to check is play any track on the speakers and stand within hands reach to hear them. Then cover the tweeter with your hand and play the same track. If there’s a noticeable difference the tweeter is fine. If both instances sound the same, then your tweeter has blown

Tried this method - when I cover the tweeter there is a noticeable difference, so it seems the tweeter is working.

But here's the strange part:

When I cover the tweeter, the overall sound actually becomes smoother and the harshness goes away.

So now I'm confused. Can a partially damaged or failing tweeter still produce sound, but sound harsh?

 

[caspian1985]

Tried that there is a noticeable difference. But the thing is when I cover the tweeter the speaker sounds good, no harsh sound.

Then your tweeter has likely blown

 

[SanVJ]

I can’t understand something…

How can a sudden loud advertisement damage the tweeter when I never increased the amplifier volume?

My amp was only at -25 dB, which I thought is a low or safe listening level.

Is it still possible that the source/app suddenly sent a much louder signal that could harm the tweeter even at the same amp volume?

I always believed only high amp volume is risky, so I’m trying to figure out how this situation caused the issue.

 

[greendream]

I can’t understand something…

How can a sudden loud advertisement damage the tweeter when I never increased the amplifier volume?

My amp was only at -25 dB, which I thought is a low or safe listening level.

Is it still possible that the source/app suddenly sent a much louder signal that could harm the tweeter even at the same amp volume?

I always believed only high amp volume is risky, so I’m trying to figure out how this situation caused the issue.

A sudden loud advertisement should NOT damage your speakers provided your normal volume is acceptable. (-25 db, in this case).
Remove all connections. The power cable from wall socket, the power cable from the amplifier end, the speaker cable from both speakers and amplifier.
Wait for a few minutes and connect everything and check.

 

[SanVJ]

A sudden loud advertisement should NOT damage your speakers provided your normal volume is acceptable. (-25 db, in this case).
Remove all connections. The power cable from wall socket, the power cable from the amplifier end, the speaker cable from both speakers and amplifier.
Wait for a few minutes and connect everything and check.

I have tried that already, and the problem still exists.

 

[spirovious]

Only change may be crossover component's values like resistors, caps which can change sound. Tweeters looks working fine as per your testing.

 

[SanVJ]

Only change may be crossover component's values like resistors, caps which can change sound. Tweeters looks working fine as per your testing.

May I know how I can properly confirm whether any crossover components (such as resistors or capacitors) have failed or changed value?
Is there a reliable way to test the crossover at home, or would it require proper measurement equipment?

Also, I am wondering if the amplifier could be the cause, because both speakers were affected at the same time, which seems less likely if it were only a crossover or tweeter issue.

 

[rwnano]

Ammeter... voltmeter. Check tweeter resistance. In my case tweeter resistance was 4 ohms as it should be. But it was playing softly. So I replaced it

 

[mbhangui]

It could be the amp and not the speakers. You say the volume suddenly went up. Volume going up has to be the amp. If you can borrow another amp you can check if the speakers are fine.

 

[SanVJ]

Ammeter... voltmeter. Check tweeter resistance. In my case tweeter resistance was 4 ohms as it should be. But it was playing softly. So I replaced it

I'm not very technical-could you please share a simple guide or YouTube video on how to check tweeter resistance with a multimeter?

It could be the amp and not the speakers. You say the volume suddenly went up. Volume going up has to be the amp. If you can borrow another amp you can check if the speakers are fine.

I'm also considering that it could be the amplifier. I've already opened the amp and checked for any burnt capacitors or damaged components, but didn't find anything obvious. I'm planning to order a budget Fosi amp to test the speakers and see if the issue persists.

 

[mbhangui]

I'm not very technical-could you please share a simple guide or YouTube video on how to check tweeter resistance with a multimeter?

I'm also considering that it could be the amplifier. I've already opened the amp and checked for any burnt capacitors or damaged components, but didn't find anything obvious. I'm planning to order a budget Fosi amp to test the speakers and see if the issue persists.

ALso to confirm that the TV is not sending a distorted signal to your amp, connect another source to your amp and check the sound

 

[SanVJ]

ALso to confirm that the TV is not sending a distorted signal to your amp, connect another source to your amp and check the sound

I'm using an Android box connected via optical cable. Tried Bluetooth as well, but the issue persists.

 

[mbhangui]

I'm using an Android box connected via optical cable. Tried Bluetooth as well, but the issue persists.

You just need to eliminate anything in the chain that could be sending a distorted signal. If you have a dac or your audiolab has an inbuilt dac, check and use that instead of the android box. If you have a phone use a 3.5mm to RCA and connect it to your amp to eliminate any distortion in the source.

Also if your amp has a headphone out, use a headphone to see if there is any distortion.

 

[spirovious]

May I know how I can properly confirm whether any crossover components (such as resistors or capacitors) have failed or changed value?
Is there a reliable way to test the crossover at home, or would it require proper measurement equipment?

Also, I am wondering if the amplifier could be the cause, because both speakers were affected at the same time, which seems less likely if it were only a crossover or tweeter issue.

As FM suggested you need to check values of crossover component's. Some crossover has bypass caps which eliminate noise.If their values got altered then sound may change.

 

[SanVJ]

As FM suggested you need to check values of crossover component's. Some crossover has bypass caps which eliminate noise.If their values got altered then sound may change.

Thanks. I'll look up some YouTube tutorials on how to check the crossover components.

 

[SanVJ]

You just need to eliminate anything in the chain that could be sending a distorted signal. If you have a dac or your audiolab has an inbuilt dac, check and use that instead of the android box. If you have a phone use a 3.5mm to RCA and connect it to your amp to eliminate any distortion in the source.

Also if your amp has a headphone out, use a headphone to see if there is any distortion.

I’m not using an external DAC, only the built-in DAC of the Audiolab.

I also tried connecting my phone using a 3.5 mm to RCA cable, but the issue still persists.

I couldn’t test using headphones because the amp has a larger headphone jack and I only have 3.5 mm headphones.

I’ve ordered a Fosi ZA3 amp to test and should receive it tomorrow.

Can anyone suggest a good multimeter to test the tweeter and crossover components?