Nah, I found the problem. I decided that before I complained to B&W I would just switch the drivers in the cabinets and see if the problem moved with the driver, which would rule out the crossover.
I didn't even have the first bolt loosened when my hand brushed the cone and something about the way it reacted told me that one of the leads must be touching the cone. I pulled out the driver, and found it wasn't even oriented properly (terminals should be at 12 o'clock). I reinstalled it and it sounds fine now.
I'd like to thank everyone who has participated in this thread- particularly Mooly and Erik for your advice in getting these speakers back in working order. I'm going to postpone redoing the veneer and instead devote my energy towards getting my Adcom amp and Hafler preamp fixed next. I'd like to get a few weeks of listening on these to open them up.
I didn't even have the first bolt loosened when my hand brushed the cone and something about the way it reacted told me that one of the leads must be touching the cone. I pulled out the driver, and found it wasn't even oriented properly (terminals should be at 12 o'clock). I reinstalled it and it sounds fine now.
I'd like to thank everyone who has participated in this thread- particularly Mooly and Erik for your advice in getting these speakers back in working order. I'm going to postpone redoing the veneer and instead devote my energy towards getting my Adcom amp and Hafler preamp fixed next. I'd like to get a few weeks of listening on these to open them up.
I'll give you my initial impressions. The first disc I played was my rock go-to, Now and Zen. For its time it was a wonderfully produced album. The soundstage, while flatter than I liked due to the Sony AVR, was properly laid out. Though everything sounded good, the song "Ship of Fools" stood out amazingly well. Everything was coming from the area between the speakers and there was absolutely no directionality to them. The highs were crisp without being grating, though they lacked the shimmery nature I used to enjoy. I think that might actually be the preamp section of the AVR rather than anything about the speakers.
I also tried some old Sheffield Labs stuff, and finished up with Billy Cobham. The stage was accurate there, with Cobham's drum set sitting off towards the left speaker as it always does.
It all played well, though it sounded sleepy, if that makes any sense. The woofers need some break-in, plus the low-current nature of the AVR is holding them back.
So far the standout feature has been the soundstage. These two speakers sound better to me than any 3.0 speaker setup I've ever heard. I really, really want to get my other equipment back in service now. I know the Adcom will wake these up. When I get that stuff back in service I'll post up a better impression.
I also tried some old Sheffield Labs stuff, and finished up with Billy Cobham. The stage was accurate there, with Cobham's drum set sitting off towards the left speaker as it always does.
It all played well, though it sounded sleepy, if that makes any sense. The woofers need some break-in, plus the low-current nature of the AVR is holding them back.
So far the standout feature has been the soundstage. These two speakers sound better to me than any 3.0 speaker setup I've ever heard. I really, really want to get my other equipment back in service now. I know the Adcom will wake these up. When I get that stuff back in service I'll post up a better impression.
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