agedhorse

Erm, no it’s not. A DI takes an unbalanced ground referenced signal and balances it. It also floats the signal from ground. It requires a TS input cable, not TRS. that amp has the balancing circuitry built into the amp, so all that’s needed is a TRS to XLR male adapter cable.

This is what you want, the terminations are standard.

No idea, I never saw that. Peavey used a black MEK glue that was really tough and hard. Usually the aluminum fractured at the edge of the dust cap where it became the lip that fit over the top edge of the bobbin. Once it stated cracking, the fracture would travel and the dust cap would kind of come apart. It's possible that Peavey used a different glue for the European market, the MEK glue was quite toxic and for the most part it's been phased out in the favor on more advanced adhesives. At one point, the industry tried CA adhesives, they didn't work all that well until new formulations came into being, and now some manufacturers use UV cure adhesives. Also, at one point, Peavey used a one piece dust cap/bobbin assembly, that was also problematic and expensive to form. These also fractured right at the edge:

Where the joint at the cone neck fails, if you do an analysis of the failure you will find that the glue itself was fine but the paper of the cone neck itself fails. This was before the industry recognized the need for reinforcing the cone necks in higher powered speakers, especially those with shallow cone profiles. Other manufacturers encountered the same thing, and one of my projects was the development of revised cones with reinforced necks for drivers that we had originally used throughout the company I worked for at the time. The surround separating from the basket is more likely a production problem rather than a glue problem, this is also something that every manufacturer has to deal with. The dust cap separating from the cone is also likely a production problem since the glue used for that bond was completely different from the other glues. Back then, there were 3 different adhesives used. There were also issues with the aluminum dust cap fatiguing and actually fracturing around the glue line because the MEK glue was so hard and there was too aggressive heat treatment of the aluminum. This too was an industry wide issue, and one reason why manufacturers moved away from aluminum dust caps. They must be very thin (IIRC it's about 0.003" (0.07mm) aluminum and it must be very stiff, therefore it must be heat treated to a high degree which makes it vulnerable to stress cracking. Even JBL had some issues over the years, and they were the first to successfully perfect the process.

It's possible that there's a bit of magnetic debris stuck in the gap, or just as common would be bits of deteriorating foam from the magnet structure vent. To remedy this, two different methods are used depending on what the problem is. 1. Magnetic debris requires the use of folded over masking tape (sticky side out), and patiently running around the gap. It may take 5 or 6 iterations of doing this before it's clean. 2. Foam residue requires the use of a business card type paper stock, wet it with mineral spirits, and run that around the gap again and again, changing cards as needed. It may take a dozen iterations of this before it['s clean. Also, very gently clean the inside and outside of the voice coil to remove any foam debris that may have melted to the surfaces. I have never heard of the defective glue issue, nor have I seen it, and I serviced a lot of BW drivers (both in and out of warranty). The assembly is generally very well done. IF you need to buy a replacement basket, be sure to use the same part number that was originally used with the motor, there are some newer baskets that are not fully compatible with the old motors. They may physically fit (sort-of), but the power handling is no greater and the sensitivity ends up being significantly lower. You can always email Peavey support to verify that your basket and motor are compatible. IIRC, there were 3 different motor series.

Generally it has to do with timing issues, but with the protect LED on, it sounds like either something g else, or multiple problems simultaneously.

The lube residue is a very thin, almost microscopic layer. The D-5 is a 5% solution of Deoxit (red) and 95% carrier. If you were to place one drop on the surface and then remove 95%, you can see how little we are talking about.

There's noting inherently wrong with SMPS, they just require a lot more knowledge, skill and test equipment to repair. It's a trade-off for smaller size and weight and greater performance. Because SMPS (not unlike transformers) area custom product, there's only so much support available when the parts are no longer available. This is one reason why we went with the more expensive ICEPower platform, they build these by the tens of thousands because they are used by other bass amp manufacturers and in other industries as well. This means that the parts are stocked by many more sources. Without being able to identify what exactly is not working properly, it's hard to suggest a solution.

One of the biggest issues with the coiled cords is that they are usually manufactured with twisted "foil wrapped around a fiber core" tinsel wire which has a smaller than expected cross sectional area. What appears to be say 18 AWG may in fact be 22 AWG in reality. (AWG = American Wire Gauge). Because of the cylindrical wrapping and twisting in the tinsel wire fabrication, the inductance can also be higher and depending on how it's fabricated (twisted or braided), even the capacitance can be higher too.

Unfortunately, I see thing often enough to suggest that your next step is a new set of pots. They will probably continue to deteriorate due to the element being damaged. D5 contains all the lubricant necessary for regular rotary pots, just the tiniest amount possible is plenty. The F5 is for faders, it's way more oily and frankly doesn't work well on fader or rotary pots. Faders, being so exposed, are particularly vulnerable to debris and all that lube does is attract more debris.

The problem has nothing to do with tubes or anything like that. Generally the power supplies are not repairable because the safety certification (especially in the EU) depends on many critical factors within the power supply itself. It's no different than trying to repair a conventional power transformer that fails... it can't be rewound without break-down voltage testing and re-certifying as the EU safety regulations view these parts as critical to safety. This is true of all SMPS (including those integrated into class D power amps, mostly designed in the EU by the way, we are not allowed to repair except for a limited number of specific faults). That said, I see a failed NeoPak SMPS maybe once a year at the most, and I'm the factory service guy (the brand is still supported, but sometimes it's not economical to do so outside of N. America. Generally I can repair most defects, but some components are no longer manufactured and as of the beginning of this year I don't have any of those components left. I did have a few replacement supplies, but none are left. The amp was discontinued 18 years ago, and though I still support just about everything with the amp except the parts (specifically the power supply) that I do not have. I can support any Fender authorized service center in the EU that is willing to work on it though. They are not easy to work on however (even with the factory test fixtures), they are tricky and depend on critical timing throughout the circuit. They can also be very dangerous without a transformer isolated test bench and equipment. Most techs don't work on SMPS for these reasons. Regarding the more recent amps that use the ICEPower modules, these are all still in stock (still a current part) and available to any Fender authorized service center through the Fender EU parts network. For those in N. America, there's an $85 flat rate factory service program for all of these amps. I know that doesn't help you, but those members in N. America may find this useful. If you message me, I can look to see who in your area might be an option. The challenge is that the cost of repair is likely more than the amp is worth because of the amount of labor involved. If you were in the US, I certainly look at it, but even if I couldn't fix it, I would make you an offer because it still has value as a boneyard piece.

That's exactly what you don't want to use (actually one of the two worst kinds, especially for pots). Contact cleaner is like brake cleaner, it dissolves "stuff" and washes it away. It's fine for electrical switch contacts, connectors and contactors/power relays and such, but it's not intended for electronics. That's why they call it "electrical" rather than "electronic". It's intended for automotive use (they distribute brake cleaner, car polish and such), where pots are not used (or fully sealed for things like servo feedback or sensor applications). 1. The solvent is formulated for dissolving grease... the grease needs to stay exactly where it's been placed inside the pot, because it's an essential component to how the pot is supposed to operate. 2. There's no lubricant... that leaves the carbon track and wiper assembly vulnerable to rapid wear. The lubricants used for the pot's conductive element surface is specially formulated for the application, and when properly applied is microscopically thin (in the angstrom range). 3. Only use the tiniest amount possible, this application is an instance of "less is more". A can of DeOxit D-5 lasts a couple of years in a busy commercial service shop.

They use a switch mode power supply combined with a class D amplifier, designed by ICEPower in Denmark.

What’s ironic about your post is that the class D (has nothing to do with digital) power amp modules are far more available than the earlier class AB parts. They are still a current part stocked by Fender (the last owner of SWR), and it’s a part that I also stock as we used the same part in some Genz Benz amps.

There should be no difference between connecting from amp to cab to cab versus amp to cab x 2. If there is a difference, either the cable is absurdly undersized or there is a defective termination. One problem with driving any 4 ohm 210 with a Subway amp is that the amp is capable of overdriving (and likely damaging long term) every cabinet that I have ever tested. The woolly sound from the 210 might be due to this. Another possible and even likely cause is if the cabinet is really 12 ohms with the drivers switched into series mode, it will be ~3 ohms when the drivers are switched into “4 ohm mode”. If the amp is set to 8/4 ohm mode, it will try to deliver over 1000 watts the the cabinet and internal protection circuitry will limit this power which will not be a good sounding result. The amp should be set to the 2 ohm position, which will limit the power to ~600 watts into a real 4 ohm load, and ~800 into a 3 ohm load. Running all cabinets in parallel from the amp will result in a load of ~1.5 ohms which is NOT an appropriate or safe load.

This is the best and most accurate answer posted. Note that the tiniest spray possible is best, less is more. I see a fair number of repairs that come through the shop that need a new set of pots and thorough PCB cleaning because somebody used “miracle cure-all spray”, turning a simple inexpensive repair into a much more expensive repair.

When players go out to buy a cable, they are generally buying from the general/pro audio market, and the pro audio cable market is MUCH larger, bridging cables are more common in that market. There were quite a few bridgable bass amps, mostly older lead sled designs by companies like Carvin, Ampeg, Matrix, Eiche, Peavey, etc. I run into this from time to time while helping players troubleshoot their rigs. Almost always the assumption is that the amp or speaker is defective when the real problem is that they mistakenly used a bridging cable wired 1+/2+ at the amp end and 1+/1- at the speaker end.

For accuracy's sake, there are some conventions with SpeakOn that are being mis-understood: 1. NL2 or NL4 plugs will fit NL4 jacks 2. Only NL2 plugs will fit NL2 jacks 3. Bridge mode wiring for conventional stereo amps are generally wired 1+/1- at the speaker end but 1+/2+ at the amp end. This is specific to bridging where both audio channels are available on the SpeakOn jack (QSC & Crown for example). Other amps with a DEDICATED SpeakOn bridged output jack will typically be wired 1+/1- at both ends. This is why it's important to read and understand how the amp is intended to be connected to, and the mode of operation for those with dual channel power amps.

The most likely cause is simply an intermittent speaker cable or connection.

I assure you that it CAN be a very real thing. Getting away with it is quite different from good practices. There are 2 possible problems, the first being that the conductors themselves may be too small to carry the necessary current, and the other being that with some instrument cables the capacitance presented to the amp can create an illegal load (a load that the amp was not designed to handle safely) and damage the amp. There are other benefits that can be attributed directly to SpeakOns, but that's a different topic.

No, do not over-tighten the screws, the maximum torque is clearly specified in the assembly instructions. Over-tightening of the screws distort the machined saddle assembly and can actually crack the material (or strip the threads if you don't twist the had off the screw first). The screw can also cut the conductors in half if you d get it that tight. https://www.neutrik.com/media/11062/download/bda-114---speakon-nl4fx--nl4frx.pdf?v=1

One of the biggest causes for intermittent failures of SpeakOn plugs is using non-Neutrik branded parts, or knock-offs or counterfeit plugs that are sold mail order as the real thing. The second biggest cause, is the wires loosening up because the plugs were assembled incorrectly by tinning the wires. Never tin the wire of a pressure type connection, the solder will cold flow under pressure and loosen. This is actually addressed in Neutrik's OEM notes to manufacturers of cables. Of course, knock-off and off brand plugs probably won't have this information, in addition to being poor plugs.

Standard SpeakOn (non-bridging) are in fact all wired the same... 1+ to 1+ and 1- to 1- You need to be using a standard SpeakOn cable. They are not a pain to test if you have the proper equipment. Bypassing all the extraneous "stuff" is one of the most fundamental parts of structured troubleshooting. Panic is not part of the process. Before screwing with anything else, just plug straight into the amp and verify that the basic system is working properly.

If the preamp is what’s clipping, and lowering the input gain on the preamp doesn’t help, the next thing to try is to lower the volume on the bass a little and see if that resolves the symptoms.

Virtually everything in transducer and speaker cabinet design is all about balancing multiple tradeoffs simultaneously without leaving real world performance on the table.