Hi. This is my first post on here since becoming a member over a year ago now. My problem is this...
I have recently purchased a pair of Ruark Equinox speakers in piano black. They are fantastic looking speakers but unfortunately, were damaged during transit. I am trying to source a pair of Vifa drivers, model number M18WO-09-06. As one of the units refuses to work. I have contacted Ruark and they have no spares. I suggested to Ruark that I may be able to source the 8 ohm version of this driver (M18WO-09-08), which appears to be more common and they didn't think there would be any issues in using a pair of these in-place of the original units. I have been to all the usual outlets without success for either driver and have pretty much given up. Is there anybody who has or knows somebody who may be willing to part with a pair, or are there any other drivers which will perform the task as well..? 😕 Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks... D
I have recently purchased a pair of Ruark Equinox speakers in piano black. They are fantastic looking speakers but unfortunately, were damaged during transit. I am trying to source a pair of Vifa drivers, model number M18WO-09-06. As one of the units refuses to work. I have contacted Ruark and they have no spares. I suggested to Ruark that I may be able to source the 8 ohm version of this driver (M18WO-09-08), which appears to be more common and they didn't think there would be any issues in using a pair of these in-place of the original units. I have been to all the usual outlets without success for either driver and have pretty much given up. Is there anybody who has or knows somebody who may be willing to part with a pair, or are there any other drivers which will perform the task as well..? 😕 Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks... D
Update: Well after researching a whole host of drivers that may have equalled or improved on the original sound of the Equinox speakers, I have now chosen and purchased a pair of Seas drivers from Audio Components, who were very helpful and patient in dealing with a novice like me. The drivers are from the Excel range; model WN18NX001. My reasoning behind this decision was twofold; minimal cabinet disruption and improvement on the original design / sound. Although I did have my eye on the Scan-speak Revelator; 18W/8531G00, but heavy cabinet modifications were required for installation, which was a non-starter. The critical cabinet dimensions were; 180mmÆ baffle rebate, 147mmÆ cut-out and 166mm PCD (6 x 5mmÆ fasteners). Some features of the original Vifa driver M18WO-09-06 were; 35-4000Hz frequency range, 35Hz resonant frequency, 87.5dB sensitivity, 40mm voice coil diameter, 0.39 Qes and 7.5Txm force factor. A number of Seas drivers would probably have been sufficient, namely CA18RLY and U18RNX both from the Prestige Series and use the same chassis dimensions, but I was influenced by the accuracy / clarity of the WN18NX001 and that it competes with the Scan-speak Revelator at its price-point. The tweeter used in the Equinox is the Scan-speak D2095/9000, which I believe is a very good unit. The drivers will arrive on Thursday and I hope to have them installed over this coming weekend. I hope the results justify the expense..!
I can’t believe nobody has offered any comments on the situation with the Equinoxes, maybe I’m being too impatient…😕 The only worrying thing I have with this approach (aside it being completely the wrong way of doing things) is the recommended frequency range of the SEAS driver and the crossover point. The driver has a recommended top end range of 3kHz and the crossover point is set at 2.8kHz. There may be a hole in the frequency response around this region..? Am I right to be concerned and if so, can the crossover be modified to accommodate this driver..? But, will such a change impact on tweeter performance..? Any advice would be appreciated… Thanks
You posted this in the full range forum so many here may not be familiar the drivers you have. For what it's worth, rather than bring the speaker you have back to stock you've entered the world of DIY. You might want to consider calling the place you purchased the woofer and ask them to recommend a tweeter that will work really great with it that will fit the opening of the existing tweeter. The woofer you chose will make music but probably wont have the sound the designer intended. Does not mean you will end up with something bad, just different.
Good luck.
Good luck.
Damski -
No offense intended here but 1st thought in my mind is Hold the Horses!!!
2nd thought is 'hear, hear DIY'.
It would take a heck of an accomplished Designer/Modeler a whole lot of time to work backwards around a pre existing XO to bring about a sound that you've simply envisioned and found 'similiar drivers' based upon some charts.
To my mind the Manufacturer is simply blowing you off because they know it themselves.
That speaker had a review less than a year ago...... they've got no parts?
I'm thinking you'll be lucky if someone is willing to go to the work to get an answer to this one.
No offense intended here but 1st thought in my mind is Hold the Horses!!!
2nd thought is 'hear, hear DIY'.
It would take a heck of an accomplished Designer/Modeler a whole lot of time to work backwards around a pre existing XO to bring about a sound that you've simply envisioned and found 'similiar drivers' based upon some charts.
To my mind the Manufacturer is simply blowing you off because they know it themselves.
That speaker had a review less than a year ago...... they've got no parts?
I'm thinking you'll be lucky if someone is willing to go to the work to get an answer to this one.
You beat me Jeff- I had to make a Pit Stop in between thoughts.
Post does belong in multi way as well.
I'd personally be on the Manufacturer.
Post does belong in multi way as well.
I'd personally be on the Manufacturer.
Thanks guys, no offense taken. Yep, in hindsight I suppose I may have posted this in the wrong region of the forum. The Ruark Equinox Speaker was discontinued over 5 years or more now. The datasheet for the Vifa driver dates back to 1992. I had two options open to me when I took receipt of the speakers. 1. Return them because of the damage or 2. Repair them. With the help of the Seller I am seeking some compensation for the damage from the courier, which doesn’t cover my full costs but will pay for most of the repairs. I had been after a pair of these units for a while and was mortified when they arrived damaged, even though they were well packed in their original cartons. After many unsuccessful searches for the original Vifa driver (M18WO-09-06) I contacted Ruark and asked if they carried spares. They stated that they no longer manufactured speaker enclosures but would check their spares dept and for me to call back in a few days time. I did and they had nothing in-stock for the Equinox. Most of my searching led me to the Vifa (M18WO-09-08) driver which is the 8ohm variant. Ruark stated that this would be fine in place of the 6ohm and no audible difference would be discerned. Unfortunately, I have had no luck in tracking down a pair of the 8ohm items either. I contacted Audio Components to discuss my dilemma and they stated that they have now purchased all of Ruark’s electronic stock. We discussed the required driver and they stated if Ruark have already checked then it would be unlikely that any of these drivers would arrive at AC. So, I have a pair of speaker enclosures that do not work, I cannot obtain the original or similar drivers and was left with seeking an alternative driver. I discussed this with the helpful people at AC and 3 drivers were offered. One I immediately dismissed (mainly on cosmetic grounds), the other item was out-of-stock (although this was the more suited item – U18RNX) and the third and more expensive I bought (W18NX001). It was my decision to purchase this driver and I discussed the parameters with AC, my only concern being the crossover point which I was assured would be fine. If this is not the case then I can always return the drivers and look at something more suitable. I am aware that this is the wrong way round of doing things in a DIY situation, finishing with the driver after the cabinet and crossover already exist, but I’m hooked and ultimately would want to build a pair of enclosures which are better than anything else I have, which include: B&W 804, Dynaudio Finale, Ruark Paladin, Quad 12L, Quad 11L and Alesis ProLinear 820. Plus car audio components; Rockford Fosgate Type RF 6.5” & 5.25” (titanium Cone), RF Fanatic-Q and Fanatic-X series, MB Quart QSD series 6.5” & 5.25”. These are items I have collected over many years, most are in use (all the enclosures) and the Type RF system is installed in the car. But the best system out of all of these is the Type RF, it is crystal clear – but the sub does help in the lower frequencies. My point with mentioning the latter items is I’m already on the road to DIY and I’m learning. I have acquired a few books and am teaching myself. I don’t really want to return the Equinoxes as I feel they can be fixed and be good again as they are fantastic cabinets. I hope you can sympathise with wanting to fix a perfectly good cabinet design, but I’m also aware that I may appear impatient in not holding out for the right driver. Unfortunately, time is against me in resolving the issues with the Seller. If the crossover and tweeter need to be replaced with more suitable units then this may well be the direction I finally take. Thanks for responding… D 🙂
Damski, I take there is no viable damage to the Vifa woofer? and the reson for it not to give out any sound is because there is no connection through the voicecoil? It should meassure about 4-5 ohm with a ohmmeter.
It sounds strange if a voicecoil is damaged in transport....
It sounds strange if a voicecoil is damaged in transport....
Hi Hylle. When I spoke with Ruark regarding the damage they asked the same question; “was there any visible damage to the Vifa driver?” The answer is no there isn’t and it appears completely intact. They also remarked that it is unusual for a driver to be damaged during transport especially when there were no signs of damage to the cabinet. I had this out with the Seller stating that the damage to the driver may be as a result of system abuse and not physical damage through transit – this of course was denied. I have no way of proving otherwise unless the driver is examined for abuse by somebody who knows what the tell-tale signs are and I suspect this may involve stripping down the driver. I will check the impedance of the unit over the coming weekend and let you know. Thanks… D
Hi Hylle. I have measured the Vifa driver using an ohm meter and it registered 0 ohms. In comparison I measured the new SEAS driver and this returned a reading of 6.1 ohms, suggesting a failed connection in the voicecoil. What’s the most likely cause for a voicecoil to fail..?😕
Last edited:
Hi Damski,
It does not sound so good. Just to be sure you belive the voicecoil is shorted, meaning 0 ohm. I just need to make sure you dont mean no connection in the coil.
I belive the most common failure like this is if the woofer is overdriven, had to much amplifire power, and the voicoul becomes shorted and looking(smelling burned)
I guess there is nothing unusually to see on the litze wires going from the terminals to the cone? they do not touch each other right?
If you move the cone up and down and look at the voicecoil, above the magnetic system, does the voicecoil look black(brown and burned?
It does not sound so good. Just to be sure you belive the voicecoil is shorted, meaning 0 ohm. I just need to make sure you dont mean no connection in the coil.
I belive the most common failure like this is if the woofer is overdriven, had to much amplifire power, and the voicoul becomes shorted and looking(smelling burned)
I guess there is nothing unusually to see on the litze wires going from the terminals to the cone? they do not touch each other right?
If you move the cone up and down and look at the voicecoil, above the magnetic system, does the voicecoil look black(brown and burned?
Hi Hylle,
With regards to the damaged Vifa driver, the wires attached to the cone are intact with no visible signs of damage. The voicecoil is enclosed in the motor system and cannot be viewed without dismantling the unit. Therefore, I cannot ascertain its condition. I have taken a photograph of this. The thing that I have noticed is when the cone is moved forward (normal direction of travel) it seems to jam as though something was restricting its travel. It even got stuck in this condition and again I have taken photos with the driver in a jammed position and normal position. Clearly there is something wrong with the unit. Any thoughts..? 🙁
With regards to the damaged Vifa driver, the wires attached to the cone are intact with no visible signs of damage. The voicecoil is enclosed in the motor system and cannot be viewed without dismantling the unit. Therefore, I cannot ascertain its condition. I have taken a photograph of this. The thing that I have noticed is when the cone is moved forward (normal direction of travel) it seems to jam as though something was restricting its travel. It even got stuck in this condition and again I have taken photos with the driver in a jammed position and normal position. Clearly there is something wrong with the unit. Any thoughts..? 🙁
Attachments
No thinking necessary, the woofer is fried/cooked/done/dead/kaput.
The ScanSpeak 18W/8434G00 looks like it might be a good (better) substitute.
Last edited:
Hi AEIOU and thanks for your response.
I have actually purchased a pair of SEAS WN18NX001 woofers from Audio Components in the UK. I have replaced the blown Vifa driver with one of the new SEAS units and carried out a side-by-side comparison test with the other enclosure using the standard Vifa unit. What a difference..! There is now much more clarity in the midrange and everything appears to have space. Bass is solid, well balanced and has depth. The overriding aspect to the test and something I noticed immediately was the rather flat-sounding Vifa unit in comparison with the SEAS unit, and even my missus commented on the difference in sound clarity between the speakers..! 😱 Maybe I’ve just been extremely lucky in the fact that the new driver has worked so well (to my ears), as I was limited to only a few SEAS units given that I did not want to alter the cabinet to fit the driver or vice-versa. I have included a couple of photos that show the standard cabinet with the Vifa unit and the SEAS equipped cabinet – not bad for a novice, but I did have help from numerous sources including you guys. Thanks… D
I have actually purchased a pair of SEAS WN18NX001 woofers from Audio Components in the UK. I have replaced the blown Vifa driver with one of the new SEAS units and carried out a side-by-side comparison test with the other enclosure using the standard Vifa unit. What a difference..! There is now much more clarity in the midrange and everything appears to have space. Bass is solid, well balanced and has depth. The overriding aspect to the test and something I noticed immediately was the rather flat-sounding Vifa unit in comparison with the SEAS unit, and even my missus commented on the difference in sound clarity between the speakers..! 😱 Maybe I’ve just been extremely lucky in the fact that the new driver has worked so well (to my ears), as I was limited to only a few SEAS units given that I did not want to alter the cabinet to fit the driver or vice-versa. I have included a couple of photos that show the standard cabinet with the Vifa unit and the SEAS equipped cabinet – not bad for a novice, but I did have help from numerous sources including you guys. Thanks… D
Attachments
Yes, it sounds like this Vifa driver is burned! You can take it apart and see for yourself.
Good to hear that you like the Seas driver, even though without cross over changes!!!
Good to hear that you like the Seas driver, even though without cross over changes!!!
Damski,
I too have Ruark Equinox's, 1997 vintage, cherry veneer cabinets.
Having read your post I am interested in replacing my orginal Vifa drivers as a sound quality upgrade. There is nothing wrong with them, but I imagine that on a value for money basis this would be a very good upgrade.
Can you give me an idea of the cost for the drivers?
It seems from what you have written there were cheaper alternatives, but you decided to go for the best drivers that were a standard fit. Is this true, or where they potentially even better drivers?
Now that you've had plenty of time with your modifed Equinox's and everythings bedded in, would you still recommend this as an upgrade?
Regards
Paul
I too have Ruark Equinox's, 1997 vintage, cherry veneer cabinets.
Having read your post I am interested in replacing my orginal Vifa drivers as a sound quality upgrade. There is nothing wrong with them, but I imagine that on a value for money basis this would be a very good upgrade.
Can you give me an idea of the cost for the drivers?
It seems from what you have written there were cheaper alternatives, but you decided to go for the best drivers that were a standard fit. Is this true, or where they potentially even better drivers?
Now that you've had plenty of time with your modifed Equinox's and everythings bedded in, would you still recommend this as an upgrade?
Regards
Paul
Hi Paul,
Firstly, I apologise for my delay in responding.
Secondly, I still have a big satisfied grin on my face every time I see and fire these puppies up – does this answer your question..? 😀
My upgraded Ruark Equinoxes sound fantastic with the new SEAS drivers (W18NX001) installed. It’s over a year now since the upgrade and I listen to these the most. I also own a pair of Ruark Solus which use the Scanspeak Revelator albeit with a slightly smaller cabinet/driver, but the Equinoxes are far superior. I recently upgraded my amplification to a Myryad pre and power combo and this has further enhanced the detail and balance of the system. The difference is chalk and cheese. The Vifa units were terrible in the upper midrange frequencies, they sounded dull and lifeless as though there was a hole in the response in this range. I did not notice this until I bought the new units and installed one driver and compared them side by side. At first I thought it may be a stereo issue and how the music had been mixed. But after switching the speakers over it was clear that this was a driver issue. After installation of the second SEAS driver the overall sound was immediately more detailed. The bass was still present but the difference was in the midrange and the sound more balanced and natural.
The SEAS drivers were £150 each from Audio Components in the UK. As mentioned previously there were cheaper alternatives in the SEAS range which I thought would not have done the speakers justice and there were more expensive items as well. The more expensive items I looked at were all magnesium coned as opposed to paper coned and I thought I may be straying too far away from the design intent of the Equinox. Especially, as I was not intending to carry out any further changes (crossover network mods etc). As luck would have it the driver I chose was ideal and required no cabinet modifications or crossover changes, which didn’t go down too well with the DIY community as I was effectively working backwards way round. I was just lucky I guess as I based my decision mainly on comparing driver performance specifications.
I feel my speakers have been given a new leash of life and aesthetically the cabinet appearance has greatly benefited from using the SEAS drivers. Especially, with the satin chrome-plated phase plug against the gloss black. Although the copper-plated phase plug in the magnesium coned driver is to die for... Maybe one day, when funds permit, I’ll try the W18EX001 at £180 each, but I suspect further upgrades will be necessary to the crossover network.
If you decide to take the plunge, make sure you post your upgrade be it for the better or worse. A balanced view is always the best approach.
Good luck... D
Thank you for your reply to my question
Damski,
Thank you for replying to my post so long after your project ended.
Okay, I'm convinced, it's a significant improvement for relatively small outlay.
I say that as the person who has been through some expensive and in my opinion small gain upgrades in the last 5 years:
Musical Fidelity A1 integrated amp (original 1986 version) to Naim 42.5 and Naim 140 pre/power combination (+£400, 2/10 improvement)
Heybrook HB1 (original 80's version) to Rega Ela Mk2 (+£200, 6/10 improvement)
Then I added a Naim HiCap power supply (+£300, 4/10 improvement)
Rega Ela to Ruark Equinox (+£650, 6/10 improvement)
Replaced Naim 140 with 250.2 power amp (+£1,500, 2/10 improvement)
Then I replaced my Arcam CD92 with a Naim DAC playing from high quality USB rips of my CD's (+1,600, 2/10 improvement).
As you can see from my perceived improvement scale the speaker upgrades were by far the most noticeable. Like me I'm sure you've heard the traditional "source is the most important advice". When I posted for upgrade advice on Pink Fish I got was told to keep the 20 year old Heybrook budget speakers and get rid of the 5 yr old £1,000 CD player. I asked for confirmation and got told rudely that if wasn’t prepared to take their advice without question I should stop posting on Pink Fish by one contributor!
The 2 speaker upgrades were great, absolutely clear improvements. The far more expensive CD to DAC upgrade was so small I nearly returned the DAC. And that was after I already had the rest of the system upgraded, so in theory it was able to exploit the difference the DAC should bring.
So, from now on I will only upgrade speakers. I trust my ears. I know the Equinox's will require a significant outlay to be bettered. I reckon I'll get the same sort of improvement for only £300 going your way.
Various large outlays on many fronts have been required this year. Normally £300 for new drivers would not be a deterrent. For the rest of this year I'm going to have to back off on non-essentials spends. So unfortunately I'll not make the changes until next year.
I don't want to risk a cone change that has different frequency characteristics. Whilst I'm sure I could eventually work out the crossover's inductance/capacitance changes, I'm aware that cabinet natural frequency, port size etc have a part to play in a matched system. So I will follow your lead.
I gather the spec of the W18NX001 is closer to the original VIFA than the W18EX001 or W18E001. Would you agree?
Anyway, thank you very much for getting in touch.
Regards
Paul
Damski,
Thank you for replying to my post so long after your project ended.
Okay, I'm convinced, it's a significant improvement for relatively small outlay.
I say that as the person who has been through some expensive and in my opinion small gain upgrades in the last 5 years:
Musical Fidelity A1 integrated amp (original 1986 version) to Naim 42.5 and Naim 140 pre/power combination (+£400, 2/10 improvement)
Heybrook HB1 (original 80's version) to Rega Ela Mk2 (+£200, 6/10 improvement)
Then I added a Naim HiCap power supply (+£300, 4/10 improvement)
Rega Ela to Ruark Equinox (+£650, 6/10 improvement)
Replaced Naim 140 with 250.2 power amp (+£1,500, 2/10 improvement)
Then I replaced my Arcam CD92 with a Naim DAC playing from high quality USB rips of my CD's (+1,600, 2/10 improvement).
As you can see from my perceived improvement scale the speaker upgrades were by far the most noticeable. Like me I'm sure you've heard the traditional "source is the most important advice". When I posted for upgrade advice on Pink Fish I got was told to keep the 20 year old Heybrook budget speakers and get rid of the 5 yr old £1,000 CD player. I asked for confirmation and got told rudely that if wasn’t prepared to take their advice without question I should stop posting on Pink Fish by one contributor!
The 2 speaker upgrades were great, absolutely clear improvements. The far more expensive CD to DAC upgrade was so small I nearly returned the DAC. And that was after I already had the rest of the system upgraded, so in theory it was able to exploit the difference the DAC should bring.
So, from now on I will only upgrade speakers. I trust my ears. I know the Equinox's will require a significant outlay to be bettered. I reckon I'll get the same sort of improvement for only £300 going your way.
Various large outlays on many fronts have been required this year. Normally £300 for new drivers would not be a deterrent. For the rest of this year I'm going to have to back off on non-essentials spends. So unfortunately I'll not make the changes until next year.
I don't want to risk a cone change that has different frequency characteristics. Whilst I'm sure I could eventually work out the crossover's inductance/capacitance changes, I'm aware that cabinet natural frequency, port size etc have a part to play in a matched system. So I will follow your lead.
I gather the spec of the W18NX001 is closer to the original VIFA than the W18EX001 or W18E001. Would you agree?
Anyway, thank you very much for getting in touch.
Regards
Paul
Hi
How difficult is it to replace the drivers?
I have never done this bevore.
Is it just undoing the front hex bolts, pulling out the drivers and pulling off the wires?
And tnen reversing to install the new ones?
Os is there soldering etc involved instead of push/pull on connectors?
Is it easy to do on tne equinox?
Thank you
How difficult is it to replace the drivers?
I have never done this bevore.
Is it just undoing the front hex bolts, pulling out the drivers and pulling off the wires?
And tnen reversing to install the new ones?
Os is there soldering etc involved instead of push/pull on connectors?
Is it easy to do on tne equinox?
Thank you
- Status
- Not open for further replies.