Partial volume loss from speaker possible?

[xtian]

My main cab is a 2x12 with one Eminence Man-o-War and one Eminence Texas Heat. Similar sensitivity (101.6 vs 100.2 dB). 230 watts total power handling. I've been playing this cabinet for several years.

Recently went to play, quietly at home, and noticed the sound now seems shifted away from the center, toward the Man-o-war. It's definitely louder than the Texas Heat now.

Is it possible to damage a speaker mildly, so it shows a reduction in volume but no other ill effects? I hear no rubbing, distortion or fizz.

[Leo_Gnardo]

Is it possible Tex has become disconnected or worse open VC? I'd do a battery pop test & see what you see, bright flashlight to the grille if you can't remove it. Ohm meter on speaker cable will tell you if you're reading one VC or 2, another quick test.

Ceramic magnets rarely lose their magnetism. Sometimes there's another failure mechanism like magnet breaking off, stupid stuff like that. Let's hope it's a loose wire at most.

[xtian]

Thanks Leo, I think it's brain fart. I opened the cab, checked it out, played it at a variety of volumes. Really sounds good, just centered differently than I remembered.

I'm going to claim boy who cried wolf.

[Leo_Gnardo]

Flip the cab upside down? Sometimes room reflections play hob with our perception.

[pops]

One speaker could take more power to drive it so at low volumes it just wasn't enough to keep up. At normal volume you most likely won't hear the difference as much.

[Reeltarded]

Don't mix speakers.

[rp]

You said home now and previously gigging. Maybe you never really heard it at moderate volume sitting close to it in a small room? In such a case you will definitely hear a sensitivity mismatch that you missed before. Though the ratings don't seem like difference much to hear.

[Stevem]

I would bet that what you are hearing is a lack of upper mids to highs now.
This would take place due to the play hours on the than your other speaker.
This allows more cone travel from the speaker, and more cone travel makes for more lower mids and lows which you may be preciving as less highs which are ears are more sensivitve to.
In regards to using, as was posted "miss matched speakers", let me just say that some of the best sounding amps I have ever heard did such.
One such amp being my own 76 Fender proreverb in which I have a one Eninence 12" red fang and a 12" pioneer driver for musical instruments That I do not think they make any more.

[xtian]

Yeah, 'tard gonna 'tard.

That's a very interesting theory about break-in changing the tone of the speKers differently.

[Leo_Gnardo]

Distance & direction from which you're listening too. Seems you're parked in front of the cab, facing it from not too far away maybe 4 to 8 feet, and nose right down the middle. The brighter speaker will grab your attention more, every time. Remember also that manufacturer's efficiency/sensitivity spec will be averaged over a spread of frequencies, also averaged over a number of speakers (I hope...). So - a "brighter" speaker isn't accounted for in this averaging, and an individual speaker could be easily + or - 2 dB from the spec.

As you increase distance from the cab, also not focus on it so much, like have your head turned 180 degrees away from it as most band members do, the less likely you'll be able to discern the difference, and more likely you'll appreciate the summation of tones.

[xtian]

Distance & direction

I'm totally with you, Leo, but my perspective on this cab has been sitting three feet from it for home practice. And in this arrangement, all the physical objects in my space are in the same places as they have been for years.

Also, for those that mentioned changes in hearing, I'm certainly aware. But I am often reminded that my hearing is, while not the same as 10 years ago, at least still balanced. I have a pair of Mackie HR824s at my desk, and there's a faulty switch on one that makes the volume drop. I always notice when the stereo image is not centered.

Na worries, though! Cab is sounding great, and I've got a gig this Friday at the happiest place in town: Sierra Nevada's Big Room! Whoo!

[JazzGuitarGimp]

We just saw a story on the news last night about Sierra Nevada. My wife and looked at each other and said wow, I didn't know they were that close to us! Close as in a 2.5 hour drive away -we went to the chico state fair a few years ago to see Grand Funk Railroad. Have fun at your gig!

[Structo]

Yeah, when you are used to the bedroom gig, big difference playing out.
You can pretty much throw out your settings.

[xtian]

Yeah, when you are used to the bedroom gig, big difference playing out.

Oh, I play live regularly, so no stage fright or unfamiliarity here. But what WILL be weird is having a green room with no vomit on the carpet or graffiti on the walls!

[LeftyStrat]

But what WILL be weird is having a green room with no vomit on the carpet or graffiti on the walls!

LOL. I remember a place where the bar stools stuck to the carpet. It was like walking on velcro.