Me Royds is on their way out...

Gromit

Been noticing over the past few weeks that I was getting some resonant
buzzing from my speakers - nothing I was too worried about, as I'd
thought the stands' spikes had perhaps worked loose. Got round to tightening everything
up properly, along with nipping up the driver mounting screws on the
speakers.



No difference, so I pulled each bass unit out to ensure nothing was
loose inside ie the crossover boards rattling/cables loose etc. Nothing
loose - everything nice and tightly bolted down.



I've borrowed a tonesweep test CD from work and found that it's the
drivers which are rattling. Use the low frequency tone and the cones are
making far more noise than is healthy (do the same with my little JPW's
and all is quiet, even with the bass driver being pushed near to its
limit). On the Royds, pushing the edge of the cone very gently with my
thumb, with the low freq tone playing, and it goes quiet so I'm thinking
something deep within the speaker is rubbing. Trouble is, it's a
loudish 'tap' sound which is coming with each extension of the driver -
not a 'crack' as one gets when the driver's been over-driven though.



Does anyone know of a repairer who has experience of repairing Royd
drivers? I'm going to phone Wembley Loudspeaker tomorrow to see if they
can help in any way. I'd be gutted - genuinely gutted - if I
can't fix my wee Royds. The thought of finding something to replace them
would be a nightmare, seeing as they've served me so wonderfully well
for several years now.

uglymusic

Oh dear. Too much Death Metal, perchance?

Seriously, though, @Alan had details of a company (in the west country, I think) who had purportedly bought up Royd's stock of parts. I'm sure he'll be along very soon.

Gromit

Dave - I've been informed that Phil at Phonography (who used to be just outside Bournemouth I think) bought up a load of the old drivers when the factory closed, although this was obviously some time ago. I'm not holding out too much hope of getting replacement drivers though, simply because it's been a long time since production ceased. Thing is, I don't want to spend out on getting them repaired as I'd be wary of them losing their magic if not done properly.

Other alternatives speaker-wise? Apart from another pair of Royds I really wouldn't know where to start. It took a long time to find a speaker that worked and integrated really well into my room so the thought of going through all that again isn't something I'd relish.

Alan

It was phonography, in Winchester, but the revelation parts are all gone I'm afraid - I don't know about the Merlins. If it's the same drivers as the Minstrel you may have an avenue to cannibalise there - That's where I would be looking to go. (I have a surplus pair with one slightly dodgy driver & one perfect - perhaps a good basis for a repair workshop to start from)

The problem is though, each model had a very very specific amount of doping which can't really be swapped, though Phil (I think it's Phil) @ phongraphy knows a little more about it.

Wembley are a good bet, chat to Steve (Bourney) as well. I'd not be surprised if Arthur Yarwood (ARFA) might put up an SOS on RoydAudio.com for you.

Gromit

Thanks Alan - I too had heard about the 'goo' being added in just such a way to make each driver integrate properly into its 'pair'.

Docfoster

I had a similar sounding problem with a pair of mission speakers about 15 years ago. In the end I worked out that every time the cone pulled back it struck its own short integral connecting wires leading from the driver's binding posts to its central coil. This caused a buzzing/clicking during loud/bassy passages.
Not sure if that's a new possible lead.
Ben

Alan

You could experiment with other Royds, your new room is big enough for floorstanders...though your Merlins were special. Apex, Abbot, Doublet / RR2....Convince your mate to sell you his Sintra II?

Alan

Have you seem these?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Pair-Royd-5-Bass-Midrange-Drivers-Eden-More-/270689120012?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item3f06542f0c

Gromit

Hi Alan - yup, I'd seen those. I'm not sure how they'd have worked in the Merlins boxes, as they're not the doped drivers, and the Edens have a much higher efficiency rating than the Merlins (90 vs 86db/w). Would've been nice to get those Edens re-furbed though, the tweeters are much easier to come by and the cabinets would be an easy fix.

Still, we're sorted now - a certain fine gentleman of this very parish has come to my rescue: Arise Sir Jim - guardian angel to Roydists (and who obviously can't stand to see a grown man weep).

uglymusic

Nothing to do with a certain pair of Minstrels, I suppose? 

Alan

The 'village bicycle' Minstrels?

:-)

I am very glad you are sorted Richard - you may get lucky with the Merlin drivers in the future. They are good...

uglymusic

Jim Kempton, Hammer of the Royds  :-D

Gromit

Je suis un VERY happy bunny!

Got to the root of the rattling problem - the drivers (fingers crossed!) are ok. I was doing some fiddling around down behind the speakers and noticed the rattle was louder from the back so, I grabbed hold of the plugs going into the speaker sockets and hey presto! Rattle stopped! There's so much vibration, when being played at a decent volume, that it was cuasing the plastic shrouds on the speaker plugs to buzz.

Knowing from experience of playing one on a regular basis how much a piano loudly can set off resonances in a room, I really sould have looked a lot harder for sources of the vibrational noise. Big rubber band, tightly wrapped around the speaker plugs and all is well again, and I can get back to being a happy Roydist again.

Time for a bottle of red methinks...well, it is 7.30pm in France, where the wine came from.

Gromit

Oh Jim - I'll still have the Minskies if that's ok, will be interested to see how they go in our room, plus whichever I end up using long term, I'll have a source of spares.

Jim

They've still got your name on them mate.

See you next week.