Mackie SWA1801z: Blown Subwoofer

[Jetfire]

I'm helping out a buddy with his blown sub. I'm way more familiar with home audio and car audio..... so please help me out. It's self-powered, so not sure how they blew it. Here's the sub and here's the specs.

Is there another brand speaker I can drop in (Dayton or other)? I found the recone kit here for $140 and the replacement Mackie sub here for $226. He wanted to keep the costs down. Do I go with a recone or pick up a new driver?

[jefffluker]

Re: Mackie SWA1801z: Blown Subwoofer

Silly question--are you certain it's the woofer?

[Jetfire]

Re: Mackie SWA1801z: Blown Subwoofer

Silly question--are you certain it's the woofer?

Cone is ripped.

[billfitzmaurice]

Re: Mackie SWA1801z: Blown Subwoofer

here's the specs.

Those aren't specs. This explains what specs are:

http://www.eminence.com/support/understanding-loudspeaker-data/

This data is what you need to match up to replace the driver. If you can't get the Mackie data then your best bet is to recone.

[Chris Roemer]

Re: Mackie SWA1801z: Blown Subwoofer

I don't see any specs on the box being vented. Those LOOK like vents to me near the bottom of the pic. To reach an F3 of 45Hz in a sealed box would require EQ being built into the amp. W/out knowing their boost curve specifics, it'll be next to impossible to match the old driver's output curve w/a different driver.

If you feel as though the box IS vented, just let us know the T/S parameters of the old woofer (and point us to a link of its response graph) and we can help you pick the proper 18" driver from PE's stock.

[Sydney]

Re: Mackie SWA1801z: Blown Subwoofer

Cone is ripped.

How badly? Is that the only damage?
( Take a picture )
I've repaired many a ripped cone

[Paul O]

Re: Mackie SWA1801z: Blown Subwoofer

Recone the original driver.. you will not find a cheaper replacement that will last more that a few minutes. A ripped cone suggests the sub way badly overdriven so recommend the owner add more subs or upgrade to higher performing units to prevent a re-occurance of the same problem.

[Jetfire]

Re: Mackie SWA1801z: Blown Subwoofer

I'll make some calls and look around for a recone kit. I've been wanting to build sub from scratch for awhile, should be fun.

Thanks guys.

[Jetfire]

Re: Mackie SWA1801z: Blown Subwoofer

Those aren't specs. This explains what specs are:

http://www.eminence.com/support/understanding-loudspeaker-data/

This data is what you need to match up to replace the driver. If you can't get the Mackie data then your best bet is to recone.

Got ya, I guess I didn't look closely at the PDF I linked to. Thats a great summary link by the way.

[Jetfire]

Re: Mackie SWA1801z: Blown Subwoofer

How badly? Is that the only damage?
( Take a picture )
I've repaired many a ripped cone

Haven't actually seen the unit yet. I'll stop by this week and take a look.

[Sydney]

Re: Mackie SWA1801z: Blown Subwoofer

I thought perhaps it was mere physical damage ( something got shoved into the cone ).
If it tore during heavy use it's likely other damage occured ( Voice Coil for instance )
Images of the replacement driver ( Mackie 0012184 ) reveal it was sourced in Thailand, has a vented pole piece and a 4" V.C.
Unfortunately couldn't find T/S specs on the driver itself.
Using the given dimensions and subtracting for panel thickness - Internal dimensions and Volume can be approximated.
And from that approximate determine what other woofers might be suitable replacements.

Looking at Professional 18" woofers and their price vs performance: Note that $226 is near the low end of the scale.
At this point I would be inclined to recone or replace rather than insert a lesser woofer in place - or perhaps you can find a better suitable used driver for a reasonable figure.

Be sure to take a pocket meter that measures DC resistance and you can check the Voice Coil for continuity.