604-16x - Crack on HF magnet
Got a pair of Altec 604-16X today but much to my excitement of owning another pair of Altec speaker...I've noticed a crack of about 2" long on the HF magnet. I do not think this was inflicted during shipping as there was black gray paint painted over the crack.
My questions are.....Will this affect the HF response? I'm thinking of replacing the HF magnet assembly...Is this possible and how much work is involved?
Re: 604-16x - Crack on HF magnet
Without accurate measurements, it's hard to say, but my experience with magnets in general is that a crack often increases its performance. This happened so often in high performance apps with ceramic, AlNiCo, and cobalt that we began slicing magnets up into bars with the upside that not only did performance increase from a higher saturation point, but lighter weight and better cooling, with the trade-off of being a real #$%^& to assemble; so unless its HF is audibly rolled off from the other, I personally wouldn't try to fix what effectively isn't 'broke'.
GM
Re: 604-16x - Crack on HF magnet
Thank you very much for your reply.
Close observation seems to suggest that the crack appears to be orginated from factory. There was paint over the crack and does not appear to be from a later paint job. If this is the case, it surprises me that this defect, though minor could have left Altec factory.
The good news is that, based on hearing test, I'm not able to detect any significant difference in HF level.
I'll put this driver into the 620A cabinet or is there a better cab. design over the 620A?