Problem with speaker, tweeter or crossover?

[cchean]

Hi,

I have a vintage pair of Altec Santana IIs. I have noticed that the sound on one of the speakers is clean and very detailed. The other speaker, however, has an annoying and constant background hiss. It also sounds distorted but it may be only the hiss, I don't know. I already checked the connections and the problem is the speaker, not the amp. My initial thoughts were blaming either the tweeter or the crossover, is there a way that I can cross one of them out. Do vintage crossovers need to be recapped? Any input will be appreciated. Thanks.

[Cal Weldon]

Hi, I wonder of you can describe the sound a little better as no hiss will come from the speaker. You did swap the speakers around right? That's how you know it's anot in the amp? If it is a scratchy sound then it will increase with the volume correct? It is likely either the L-pad control which you can test by wiggling it back and forth while playing a song or it can be damage to the voice coil on the tweeter. A damged tweeter will need renewal, the L-pad can be cleaned with an anti-static spray or (gasp!) WD-40.

[THUMP LUMP]

I simple easy way to rule out the tweet is to swap them from cabinet to cabinet. If the hiss follows the tweet, it's the tweet. If it stays with the cabinet, then it would be something in there.