I have a pair of nice of B&W 601 speaker. However, one of the speaker has given me some problem., the sound is distorted when play with slighly higher volume.

After hunting high and low for B&W service center in Malaysia, I finally found that TMT Service is service center for B&W product. I have sent my speaker to them and they found that the problem is caused by the circuit board/cross-over and it cannot be replaced as the spare part for this old model speaker is no longer available, even from B&W HQ is UK.

I still like this pair of speaker. As such, I'm seeking other alternative trying solve this problem.

Does anyone know any other people who can repair B&W speaker?

or

Does anyone have the similar speaker and is not fully functional and would like to sell for the part?

Appreciate anyone who can help me on this.

Thank you.

If its the crossover, I think you buy other brand crossover it might work but the sound might be different.

Try check out which part of crossover having problem. If it is capacitor then you can find the similar rating to replace.

pierreye.

Do you know any technician who can help me to check which part/component of the crossover that is fail?

You can try out some hifi shop. Previously I had an old surround mission speaker and they manage to fix it. I'm from Penang and normally go to Watts Hifi.

I have an B&W sub which also the capacitor problem. Brought to a hifi shop and they say cannot repair. Eventually brought to those real electronics repair shop where you see piles and piles of tv and electronics and the manage to fix it. Just change capacitor.

it is so simple like a piece of cake.

I modded my KEF crossover and the sound opens out more than u can imagine using Jantzen cap. Some have try VCAP and the cap itself cost more than ytour B&W speaker.

I have a pair DM602 S3.

by changing the cross over compnent, u can achieve specific sound char that u like. and it is 'sap sap sui'

what is inside your cross over is a cheap RM 10 WIMA capacitor and pls dont call that nice sound.

The crossover problem in B&W loudspeaker, Well it is simple to find part if there are value state at the capacitor component, as for the coil I think it will never broken since it only a piece of copper enameled coild.

The capacitor you can find it a local car audio shop that sometimes sell high grade capacitor type MKT high voltage. Look for a same size of capacitor. The size will determinde the watt and quality of the caps, Next if you cannot find a same as the old value (in uF), you can easily using a paralell connection or series of caps to get the same value. The value must be the same as old broken caps or it will hardly make you B&W sound like a rubbish or damage your speaker. This is the crossover is to desing according to speaker specs and box specs + with speacial calculation by the manufacture. Overall B&W is a great speaker.



I am one of custom hand made loudspeaker and amplifier designer. I also have a pair of acoustic energy eagis one but with have been tuned and modified by me.

Hi Nanhifi,

When I opened up the back panel of the speaker, I saw an electrical plate that have a few 'electrical components' and a coil on it. Honestly, I do not know how diagnose and identified which component that has problem.

Just curious, do you help people to repair speaker? If you do, please PM me.

I am really busy now. But from your explanation, the speaker only distort during high drive right. Maybe the woffer have a intermitance (there are ribbon wire that connected to the inside coil in the driver). This just only can be repair by change the driver with the new one that have a same model. Not a same model... it will make not a B&W speaker sound.

The crossover network as far I know it will never broken (mostly not happend to branded speaker). I seen one the capacitor get blown or the tweeter get burn in non branded speaker.

Can you tell me more is the distorted sound appear at woofer or the tweeter? moreover have you try to swap the amplifier to comfirm the speaker really distorted.

If you comfirm that it form the speaker it self maybe this can help you by try to solder back the crossover circuit (maybe here there are dry joint). You also can take the picture and show it to me so i can tell the component. For your information, the cap will loose it capacitance when drive it loud. It you can get a capacitance meter, u will able to checked it. it will only vary arounf 5% of the stated value. Mostly it will degrade when play it hard in time being.

ok..

Do some experiment. Maybe swap the crossover from left to right speaker then listen. If still sound broken, then most likely speaker issue.

Hi Nanhifi and Pierreye,

Thanks for the advise. Over the weekend, I have done some experiment trying to isolate the real cause of the problem. Here is what I did:-

1. Connect the faulty speaker (left) to the right amplifier channel and vice versa. Found the distortion is still there but this time it is on the right side.
2. Open and inspect the driver of the faulty speaker. Did not see any problem like torn, unglue of part and etc. See below photo.










3. Swap the driver. Connect the suspected faulty driver to the right speaker (the okay one) and vice versa. Did a test on it. I found that the same suspected faulty driver giving distortion sound even it has been swapped.

Front the above experiment, if I may assess it correctly, I can conclude that it is my driver that cause the problem and not the cross-over unit. (Now I really doubt the capability of TMT Service, the 'authorised' service center for B&W)

Now that I have isolated the cause of the problem, what else can i do? Can the driver be repaired? or can it be replace?

I really hope can find a solution for this.

Bro,
If you in KL I suggest you bring the speaker to Ampang Park. There is one shop 2nd floor I forgot the shop name but I think you can ask around. Last time I also got problem(cross-over) with my B&W center speaker finally fix by him.

Send it back to Expert Group's B&W showroom in Jaya One for advice.

Hi htkaki and MeeR,

Thanks for the advise. Will try to go there one day.

If the driver intermitten between the ribbon copper wire that connected to the inner coil or the inner coil itself intermittent. This is very critical and as far my experience, I still cannot repaired it. So the solution is to get the same model. Hopely you can get it.

Mostly, it happend to the driver when we drive it at very high volume. Maybe you can find the driver at ebay?

Glad you found the faulty yourselft.

regards

nanhifi