Replacement speakers in a P.A.

**Mark Levesque** · Jul-28-2012, 10:00am

I have a 13 year old Yamaha Club series PA and the 12" speakers don't sound as good as they used to.
I can't seem to google the right thing thing to find replacement speakers.

Does anyone have experience with this?

Thank you,

**Tim2723** · Jul-28-2012, 10:08am

Try contacting pssl.com for replacment drivers. They carry a bunch.

**EdHanrahan** · Jul-28-2012, 10:34am

Carvin carries an array of drivers. Haven't looked in some time, but do note that PA maybe not be interchangeable, sound-wise, w/ instrument speakers.

**llg** · Jul-28-2012, 10:45am

American Musical Supply is another good source. Just look at the speaker. Check the watts and ohm values and try to match.
google replacement speakers for the yamaha club series and you should have no trouble. (FYI, I replaced a completely blown speaker for a Yamaha Club series enclosure with one ordered from AMS and it's been better than the original. That was at least five years ago. Mine were the 15 inch speakers but I know you can find replacements for the 12 inch variety no problem.

**almeriastrings** · Jul-28-2012, 10:53am

Get the speakers checked by an experienced engineer. It may not be the drivers. The crossovers also need checking - the capacitors in those do degrade over time and if they do, it will profoundly affect how the cabinet sounds. There can be other issues too.. dry joints, etc. An accurate diagnosis is essential - and much cheaper than switching components based on guesswork.

**Tim2723** · Jul-28-2012, 11:28am

Great catch. I think we all assumed that the OP had determined the speakers were the culprit, I know I did.

**Mark Levesque** · Jul-29-2012, 7:46am

Thank you everyone.
I have 3 speakers that sound fine and one that buzzes on the low notes. I'll get the buzzy one checked now that I have more information.

Best wishes,

**Avi Ziv** · Jul-29-2012, 8:20am

If the speakers are old, it's possible that the woofer cone has separated from the frame. It can result in buzzing and distortion. This happened to me on a pair of fine home speakers. Sometimes the surround (the rubber or foam part between the cone and the frame) deteriorates and breaks. Depending on the brand, you may be able to get them re-coned rather than buy new drivers. Sometimes (on expensive units) that can save you money. That was the case for me.

**Tim2723** · Jul-29-2012, 8:30am

A buzz on only the lowest notes doesn't always mean a blown driver. More likely something is just rattling. Look for loose screws holding components in place. I'll bet you can fix it with a turn of the screwdriver. Vibrating things shake themselves to pieces if you don't keep up with them.

If you do find out that something was only loose, check all the others as well. They're like headlights on a car: When one burns out the other isn't far behind.

**mandroid** · Jul-29-2012, 11:27pm

Another speaker & crossover, etc. seller: parts-express.com in Ohio.

**Steve Ostrander** · Jul-31-2012, 1:47pm

I would just buy new speaker cabs, probably won't cost that much more, less hassle, all new parts, etc.

**mandroid** · Jul-31-2012, 4:13pm

The new Plastic cabinets do allow the tweeter dispersion horn
to be made out of the cabinet itself. and weigh less overall.

**Charlieshafer** · Jul-31-2012, 4:22pm

It's probably an easy fix, but the scary part is how many great upgrades that are out there that can unfortunately range in price from reasonable to downright unaffordable. I'd check for lose screws and such as was suggested by Tim before I got excited about replacement drivers or total speaker systems. The fact that it's just buzzing on a low note implies less of a driver issue and more of a lose part.

Of course, if I were to start over, some of the newer line array speakers (similar to Bose, but without needing the amplifier/mixer part) sound amazing, especially for acoustic music where low-end thump is less critical, and accuracy and speed and timing are really what's important.