Unlikely as they have never been opened before but will give it a try
This made me laugh. It's a fault, and was given to me to fix. Adam make quite high end active studio monitors, the cones are not going to be underspecced compared to the amps but it does sound like something being hit and I don't understand why. They are quite old now and getting a new driver wont be easy.
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Take the raw driver carefully push it in and out. You may feel it if anything scrapes.
Another option, connect it, outside the cabinet, to an amp and frequency generator. Use the drivers resonce frequency and carefully increase the amplitude. You can usually spot the problem with ease. I don't know what tools you have...
Tinsel leads ticking are a common fault.
If the speaker got stored in condensing conditions, there may be rust in the magnet gap. Which may be removeable with carefully applied compressed air.
Same is with some dirt entering through a pole vent. There is often quite some debris in a factory cabinet, which can enter all spaces during transport.
Last resort is removing the dust cap, which often can be done with some heat to melt the glue.
You reported it to be with both speakers, otherwise I would measure for some DC from the amp pulling the cone to one side.
Good luck!
Another option, connect it, outside the cabinet, to an amp and frequency generator. Use the drivers resonce frequency and carefully increase the amplitude. You can usually spot the problem with ease. I don't know what tools you have...
Tinsel leads ticking are a common fault.
If the speaker got stored in condensing conditions, there may be rust in the magnet gap. Which may be removeable with carefully applied compressed air.
Same is with some dirt entering through a pole vent. There is often quite some debris in a factory cabinet, which can enter all spaces during transport.
Last resort is removing the dust cap, which often can be done with some heat to melt the glue.
You reported it to be with both speakers, otherwise I would measure for some DC from the amp pulling the cone to one side.
Good luck!
Hi, thanks for taking the time to write such a considered response. Nowhere have i suggested it is happening to both speakers, but that i have tested both drivers on both amps to narrow down rhe problem to one faulty driver.
I understood you tried the faulty driver with both speakers and both amps made it produce the noise in question. So the amps should be OK. Anyway, because of considering any option, I wanted to point at a DC component, pulling the cone in one direction, reducing it's travel. Even if not with your ADAM's
You may measure TSP parameter and look for a replacement driver from Thympany. The have continued some Vifa stuff under the Peerless and then their own brand. Also some Scan Speak "Discovery" are Vifa's old models. If you find a close match best would be to replace both and measure and adjust the speaker for matching level between woofer and tweeter. Later ADAM speaker used more exotic drivers, like Eaton. Impossible to get any.
Yes thanks guys. Turning it upside down does change things a little (makes it worse) and it's not serviceable in any way. There is actually a replacement on ebay right now for cheap but it is an 8ohm and the ones in the cabinets are 4ohm. I am a source/amp guy really and don't know much about speakers - it's the one thing I don't DIY. Could I parallel a 100w 8 ohm resistor with the 8ohm driver and make it work that way?
That changes with the driver.
(I don't mean it should change, I mean it does change despite what the active crossover says.)
In general AllenB is right, new driver means new crossover. With a passive speaker this is 100% true.
Anyway, if you use close enough TSP, with the low 1.7kHz point, this should be less of a problem than with a passive speaker. It has a trimmer to adjust for chassis tollerances, so the level can be matched.
The Vifa speaker is very linear in response, so if he doesn't fit some exotic aluminum, Kevlar or what ever cone, this should be quite exceptable.
Also, there are room matching options anyway, which can be used to his advantage. I don't think this will be a huge down or upgrade of the speaker, done with some care. Last, there is one perfect chassis to measure TSP and do a near field plot with and without the active crossover. The difference will clearly show what the crossover does.
So imo this is worth a try if he is willing and able to measure the speaker. If you don't have a measuring mike, look for the Dayton imm-6, it is cheap and capable to do the job.
https://www.daytonaudio.com/product/1117/imm-6-idevice-calibrated-measurement-microphone
For TSP measurement use REW, you only need hardware you already should have. If you plan to do more with speakers, the Dayton Audio DATS V3 may be an simpler option.
Anyway, if you use close enough TSP, with the low 1.7kHz point, this should be less of a problem than with a passive speaker. It has a trimmer to adjust for chassis tollerances, so the level can be matched.
The Vifa speaker is very linear in response, so if he doesn't fit some exotic aluminum, Kevlar or what ever cone, this should be quite exceptable.
Also, there are room matching options anyway, which can be used to his advantage. I don't think this will be a huge down or upgrade of the speaker, done with some care. Last, there is one perfect chassis to measure TSP and do a near field plot with and without the active crossover. The difference will clearly show what the crossover does.
So imo this is worth a try if he is willing and able to measure the speaker. If you don't have a measuring mike, look for the Dayton imm-6, it is cheap and capable to do the job.
https://www.daytonaudio.com/product/1117/imm-6-idevice-calibrated-measurement-microphone
For TSP measurement use REW, you only need hardware you already should have. If you plan to do more with speakers, the Dayton Audio DATS V3 may be an simpler option.