WetSounds Icon 8 issues

[MOA_Chaser]

I'm having some trouble with the pair of Icons I installed on my waketower. They worked fine last year, and I am pretty sure they were working when I got it out of storage this year. Now the tweeter is the only thing working... both speakers have no output from the woofer.

Since there are only two wires going to each speaker (+ and -), it's odd that the tweeters are working but the woofers aren't on these. What troubleshooting steps should I take with them? The speakers inside the boat work fine, full range coming through them.

 

[tdonoughue]

What is your head unit and amp?

I agree it is odd that the single wire in gives you half the speakers. Also odd that both crossovers should go at one time. I would check the input side, namely amp and head unit.

 

[MOA_Chaser]

Clarion M309 head unit and JL XD600/6 amplifier. One pair of outputs for the JL runs the in-boat speakers. The other four channels are bridged into two channels for the ICONs. I haven't changed any of the wiring at all concerning the head unit or amplifier.

 

[tdonoughue]

I have the same amp, wired differently. I assume you did not turn on one of the hi/low pass filters on the amp? Or the switch got knocked? Both of them. To each channel. Simultaneously. Er...

Ok, I got nuthin.

Guess I would check the amp settings and then try swapping the inboard channel with an ICON to see if you get bass there. That would eliminate input as a cause. Then you are off to the speakers. But that would be mighty wierd.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Do you have a spare speaker or one from the boat to hook up and see if it's your speakers?

 

[David Analog]

I'm having some trouble with the pair of Icons I installed on my waketower. They worked fine last year, and I am pretty sure they were working when I got it out of storage this year. Now the tweeter is the only thing working... both speakers have no output from the woofer.

Since there are only two wires going to each speaker (+ and -), it's odd that the tweeters are working but the woofers aren't on these. What troubleshooting steps should I take with them? The speakers inside the boat work fine, full range coming through them.

Typically when this happens the amplifier highpass mode was accidentally switched to "X10" but you don't have that feature. I'm not familiar with the Clarion HU but check the owners manual to see if there is any default mode when memory power is lost long term....unlikely but just to be thorough.
Just switch a tower speaker and in-boat speaker at the amplifier output terminals to verify if the issue is upstream or downstream in the signal path. You can do the same test with the amplifier RCA inputs.
Chances are it is downstream and inside the speaker pods.
If it is within the speakers it can be both midbass drivers, both passive crossovers, or disconnected wires from the crossover to midbass drivers, or a combination of any of these. A good guess would suggest that it is the same problem common to both sides.
On the lowpass side of the passive Xover the only series device is an inductor (coil) and you can't burn those out. However, with enough shock and vibration it is possible to break such a heavy component leads off the circuit board. Not likely but possible. An easy visual inspection inside the pod.
A disconnected jumper from the passive crossover to midbass driver would be easy to spot.
That leaves the midbass drivers. If both are blown then you must determine the cause before replacing them so you do not have a repeat performance. The tower speakers MUST be run in the highpass mode and 110 Hz is as low as I would go on the setting. There should be NO added bass equalization or accentuation from the HU controls. The JL Audio amplifier provides you with a safe gain level for a bridged 4-ohm load based on the measured output AC voltage. When you are out on the water with competing engine noise, wind noise, sound-masking movement, and traumatized ears, then you must always trust the numeric value on the volume control that you arrived at during system tuning as the maximum whether or not it sounds loud or not, distorted or not, to you at that moment.
That's a start.

 

[MOA_Chaser]

Sigh. So I swapped the inputs, no dice... and I got sound out of the in-boat speakers from the tower channel so it wasn't the signal.

I took down the ICONs, and disassembled them. Everything looks fine, but no separations, etc. But I took out the mid drivers completely and attached them to the in-boat speaker wires... nothing. No distortion or anything, just no response at all. The driver looks fine, it's just not responding.

I had these set up last year without the high pass filter on, and set up the gain to protect the speakers. HU volume down, gain on the amp down. Turn up the HU all the way, slowly increase gain on the amp until there is some slight audible distortion and then back off a bit. This spring when I got it out of storage, I simply turned on the HP filter and didn't touch anything else. Don't know what could have possibly fried them...

 

[David Analog]

From your description the voice coil will measure 'open' or has seized. 'Open' means burnt through and disconnected at some point. 'Seized' means that the voice coil enamel insulation coating has melted and when the speaker cools the VC is a deformed slinky pressed into the voice coil gap so it no longer moves.
A speaker voice coil is simple. A solid single strand of wire wrapped in a coil and insulated with an enamel coating so the windings do not touch. If the enamel coating gets burnt then the voice coil windings begin to touch, especially when the speaker heats, and further deterioration ensues. Or, you can burn the fine VC wire. Either of these constitute thermal damage. From builder to builder copper is pretty much copper and enamel is pretty much enamel. A larger voice coil size can dissipate more heat but it also becomes less efficient (the exact opposite of what you want in a tower speaker) or the adding inductance of a larger voice coil kills the high frequency response (not exactly what you want when mating to a 1-inch dome tweeter).
Mechanical damage can happen as well, like when the flexible tinsel leads are jerked off the speaker terminal from too much excursion. You can't make the leads longer or they will come in contact with and buzz against the cone.
There are other forms of thermal or mechanical damage that are not visible. The weakest link will eventually be exposed if over-driven.
So from your description, I wouldn't hesitate and would immediately get the speakers returned to your vendor for service. Send the entire speaker in so they can check all components. And start fresh with the correct amplifier settings. Also, go over the set-up and tuning procedures with your dealer one more time.

 

[MOA_Chaser]

Just measured the resistance, there's no continuity through the speaker. Digital multimeter reads "1".

 

[Earmark Marine]

Sounds like it could be a blown speaker. Send me an email or PM with your info and I'll look up your invoice and go to work on getting you back up and running ASAP.

Odin

 

[MOA_Chaser]

Thanks Odin, just responded in depth to your email from the website submission I sent earlier.

 

[Earmark Marine]

Got it, working on it now.

 

[tdonoughue]

I love a happy ending.

 

[MOA_Chaser]

I love a happy ending.

Haha, a happy ending wouldn't have been my boat almost sinking, losing my small box anchor and blowing a pair of WetSound speakers in one weekend!

 

[tdonoughue]

Well, yeah.

But the speaker part will turn out ok and no one got hurt.

Maybe happy is a relative term.

 

[MOA_Chaser]

OK so after talking to both Odin and WetSounds directly, WetSounds is sending me the replacement drivers. I tested out the rest of the pod using another, known to be good speaker and the tweeters and crossovers are working fine; just the mid range drivers are toast.

Has anyone looked into getting burnt speakers repaired? I know it's possible, but I don't know if it's cost-effective. It might be nice to have a spare set laying around if I can get it done for less money than new components.

 

[David Analog]

Has anyone looked into getting burnt speakers repaired? I know it's possible, but I don't know if it's cost-effective. It might be nice to have a spare set laying around if I can get it done for less money than new components.

There are plenty of speaker rebuilders. You can even get a kit and do your own. And it is very inexpensive. But in the case of a Wetsounds driver, you couldn't get the same speaker. No Kevlar/glass cone. A different surround that wouldn't stand up to UV the same. They can give you the same voice coil diameter and impedance, but not the same impedance curve or the same inductance which is important in the way it interacts with the crossover and tweeter. So a general rebuild is fine for some speakers but not one with proprietary components.

 

[MOA_Chaser]

Thanks David, I didn't think so... and the drivers aren't THAT expensive so I doubted it would be worth it anyways...