Can you damage a tweeter?

GMK

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Running my new Tannoy V4 speakers in over the last few days whilst at work, I wired one speaker out of phase and placed them facing each other at a low volume (5/6 out of 80). To me, they sound worse than when they were out of the box, flat, sterile and unbalanced. They were very close to each other during this time. Could the tweeters have damaged one another firing at each other in close proximity?
 

Mooly

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Absolutely 100% no. And that's 100% guaranteed :)

The killer of tweeters is overdriving them such that the amplifier "clips". This burns them out.

The other killer is physical damage.
 

GMK

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Thanks. The reason I ask is that when I pulled them apart there was a high pitched noise (almost above the level of human hearing) that disappeared. I just can't fathom why they sound lifeless and worse since being supposedly run in. I just assumed placing them so close had ruined them. Damn
 

kevinJ

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Gibs_MK said:
Thanks. The reason I ask is that when I pulled them apart there was a high pitched noise (almost above the level of human hearing) that disappeared.

Why would they do that when moving them?
 

Crocodile

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Apologies for asking the obvious but have you returned the cabling to in phase?

Gibs_MK said:
Thanks. The reason I ask is that when I pulled them apart there was a high pitched noise (almost above the level of human hearing) that disappeared.

That almost sounds like feedback but I can't imagine how that would be introduced. What was connected to the Onkyo?
 

SteveR750

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why wire out of phase in the first place? To reduce volume when running in?

Wonder that if they are out of phase and very close then effectively they are operating in the same way as the old Linn Isobariks, there is effectively no pressure againt the drive unit when moving outwards, so a lot less "spring" resistance, so they could have been excited into overshooting hence physical damage. This might explain why you heard a high pitched resonance that disappeared when you separated them.

I could be and hope I'm wrong!
 

GMK

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Crocodile said:
Apologies for asking the obvious but have you returned the cabling to in phase?

Gibs_MK said:
Thanks. The reason I ask is that when I pulled them apart there was a high pitched noise (almost above the level of human hearing) that disappeared.

That almost sounds like feedback but I can't imagine how that would be introduced. What was connected to the Onkyo?

The high frequency noise was only when the speakers were very close and with one being wired out of phase. It's the subsequent proper testing with it all wired normally that sounds so disappointing. Connected to the Onkyo was the CD63 playing a cd at low volume
 

Crocodile

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Odd.

Try connecting the Ruarks up at low volume & see how they sound. That will prove whether something has happened to the amp or the speakers. I guess you also need to try another source on another input as well, or stream something. Just to be sure it's not the CDP.
 

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