skidder652003

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' timestamp='1380852549' post='2231589'] I agree to some extent, though it falls upon the customer to do the proper research to be sure that they are purchasing the correct driver for a particular application, not the retailer. I don't expect a retailer to have a high degree of engineering expertise. Of course, if the retailer does assume the position of giving applications advice, other than merely reposting manufacturer specs and data, then they have the obligation to be sure that they get it right. In short, don't offer expert advise if you're not an expert. Still, I put the onus on the OP in this case. I'd be curious to see exactly what research he did. For instance, did he ask here before making his purchase? [/quote] I had a good discussion with you all here!!!! [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/186836-eminence-kappa-pro-15-vs-eminence-kappalite-3015lf/page__st__80__p__1915135__hl__kappalite__fromsearch__1#entry1915135"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/186836-eminence-kappa-pro-15-vs-eminence-kappalite-3015lf/page__st__80__p__1915135__hl__kappalite__fromsearch__1#entry1915135[/url]

So, Andy as a representative of Blue Aran, any chance you could put this up on your companys webste or something along similar lines so as some of us might be a bit forewarned before we blow near on 200 quid on something that doesn't last 12 months? Don't think it would take much, just a bit of copy and paste.. [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]""3. Replace with a driver thats suitable for your application, whilst all 15" drivers are capable of reproducing bass frequencies, some do it better than others, and some 15" drivers are tweaked for bass heavy applications, some are tweaked for general purpose application. A general purpose full range 15 is usually designed for use in a 2-way system in conjunction with a HF devices to run in a box for playback of prerecorded music and/or live vocals, etc where there is a mix of bass and mid evenly spread across the frequency spectrum. General purpose 15s are usually not designed for bass only applications. In this instance it would bhe prudent to note that there exists a Kappalite 3015 and a Kappalite 3015LF, the LF signifying Low Frequency suitability. The 3015LF has a maximum mechanical excursion of 17mm against 11mm of the 3015, this is significantly more distance before the voice coil/cone reach their limits. It is also normal in a LF model to have a stiffer suspension, which can reduce the cone movement for a given level of input power. A very lightweight cone, with high sensitivity and lighter suspensions as found in the 3015 is more suited to mid and high frequencies, the lighter cone and stiffer suspension can move quicker and faster, usually giving a cleaner sound and less distortion in vocals and mid frequencies. However, a lightweight cone will also be very responsive to the dynamics of live music, and the twang of a bass guitar will send the cone flying forwards very fast to the point it can easily go past its mechanical limitations. So in this instance you should be aware there is a significant difference between the 3015 and the 3015LF which is more than just a serial number""[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Thanks.[/font][/color]

well thank you all for the informative contributions everyone has taken the time to place on this post. I've made Blue Aran aware of whats going on here and i hope they may take the time to reflect on whats been said. I would hope that in time they might like to add a small caveat to their website about the importance of matching cabs to speakers for all us non techie types who assumed from advice given here on earlier posts that replacing speakers with upgrades wasn't a risky (and expensive) business! For my part I don't think I'll go through all the hassle of a speaker replacement and it's associated risks in future and just get a 2nd hand cab with speaker from a well known brand on here that at least should be matched. A bit bitter about the whole thing to be honest, as my ashdown and warwick cabs are still going strong, but hey ho, you live and learn. ...

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1380707873' post='2229172'] Interesting that there was a thread on here a while ago about how "easy" it was to just whack an upgraded driver in some commodity cab and thereby avoid having to pay big $ for a "proper" high end cab. Well this just demonstrate the folly of doing that. A cab and driver is a tuned mutually resonant system, a bit like the spring-and-damper system on a cars suspension. Having said that it might be possible to re-tune the cab to the new driver by adjusting the internal volume and/or the port area and depth but youd certainly need to run some equations. [/quote] I think that must have been the post i read!

Guess Im sc*wed... We have given you an explanation of the reason this driver has failed, and this is not covered under warranty. There are a number of factors which have led to the failure, and it is not purely down to operating frequency or power. It is a combination of factors which has caused the driver cone to move further than its design limitations, which are specified on the website: Maximum Linear Excursion (Xmax) 5.9mm Maximum Mechanical Limit (Xlim) 11mm The driver has been used BEYOND its designed parameters, and we accept no liability for the failure of this driver and we will not be providing a refund or a replacement speaker. [color="#666666"]1 Oct 2013 2:45 pm [color="#000000"]From: [b]Blue Aran[/b][/color][/color] In answer to one of your other points, it is not feasible for us to list every possible application for such a product, and how it will perfom in any given situation. The information regarding a 5 string bass was purely as an example of how it might be possible to overload the speaker. There are numerous possibilities, including the fact that the speaker simply was not compatible with the cabinet you put it in. The failure has been caused by over excursion of the driver beyond its designed limitation, and not any manufacturing defect. We have been selling and installing Eminence speaker for 18 years, and as a company we have over 50 years combined experience amongst our staff of using these products. It is very easy for us to ascertain what is and what isnt a warranty failure. Anything that is a warranty failure is promptly replaced by us, and both Eminence, and their European distributor have 100% faith in us to do this to the point they allow us to disassemble and assess warranty failures ourselves as we have the skills in house to do this. In fact we have more experience an expertise in this that Eminence's European distributor.

well thats whats weird cos i promise you there was absoloutely no distortion, it just stopped midway through the gig while the "crappy" ashdown 15 kept on going (and still is BTW). I guess Ford Mondeo's arent fast or glamorous but at least they dont Fri88ing cost 10 times as much and break after 11 months!

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1380622683' post='2227879'] @skidder652003 - in what cab did this driver die? [/quote] This one [url="http://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifiers-effects/warwick-115-pro-400w-speaker-cabinet"]http://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifiers-effects/warwick-115-pro-400w-speaker-cabinet[/url]

just tried it, seems to work!

I should add perhaps that they state its not suitable for chucking in any old cab without probably doing some research first!

Following on from this topic whereby a rather expensive speaker died on me after 11 months of apparent over -excursion and is therefore not under warranty.. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/217597-speaker-dies-on-me-under-12-months-any-rights/page__fromsearch__1"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/217597-speaker-dies-on-me-under-12-months-any-rights/page__fromsearch__1[/url] I have been politely informed that this particular lightweight speaker is not in fact designed to be used with a bass amp, so please be warned!! [color=#000000][font=Calibri][size=4] [font="Times New Roman"]Further to your communication with Michael, I would like to offer the following diagnosis of your loudspeaker driver's failure. I have attached photographs illustrating the particular symptoms of your driver's failure - unfortunately, the characteristics here are rather clear-cut. The impact damage to the rear end of the voice coil is quite evident, along with the heat discolouration to the voice coil windings. Creasing to the outer edge of the cone is also visible around the entire of its circumference serves to reinforce overexcursion as the only credible source of driver failure in this instance. It is worth noting that in their application guidelines for the Kappalite 3015, Eminence state that this driver is “Recommended for vented professional audio enclosures for full-range or as mids.”. The driver is not recommended for low frequency use, or for bass guitar applications, and using it as such is using the driver for a purpose other than intended. Whilst the Kappalite 3015 is capable of reproducing frequencies as low as 40Hz, Bottom E on a bass guitar in standard tuning is a touch over 41Hz (41.323), already dangerously close to the stated lower limit for the driver, and even at moderate power levels capable of pushing the driver to significant levels of excursion. A semitone down from this – very easily achieved when playing live – is more than adequate to take the speaker outside of this. Drop D tuning will take things down to under 37Hz, open C on a 5-string is a little under 31Hz. Put simply, this is intended as – and described and sold as – a mid-range/full-range driver, and is unsuitable for use in the application you have chosen. As you have fitted this driver to an existing enclosure, it should be borne in mind that this enclosure will have been designed around a different driver, with a different suspension, and different excursion characteristics. Port tuning of a bass reflex enclosure (as many 15” bass guitar cabinets tend to be) has a massive impact on the driver itself, and as a result driver selection is something which has to be given careful consideration and calculation beforehand (there are many online resources to help in this matter), precisely to avoid driver failures of this nature. Your assertion that the SWR700 has never been driven past 65% of its capacity is somewhat of a moot point. Whilst I would quite happily concur that you may well not have had the gain/master controls on the amp turned up fully – or even past 65% - this actually has only a limited bearing on the actual output voltage from the amplifier (which will determine the Wattage delivered to the driver). Two-thirds of the rotation of a gain pot will not equate to two-thirds of maximum gain – i.e., setting your level controls to this will not by any means affirm that, for example, a 450W amplifier is delivering (even approximately) 300W into its load. Additionally, the actual output witnessed by the driver is entirely dependent on the level of the input signal, and the use of offboard equipment such as effects pedals (or use of active pickups) will vary this input signal level enormously. Incidentally, sub-bass is broadly defined and accepted as frequencies below 60Hz (some definitions of sub-bass start significantly higher than this) – the bottom two strings of a four-string bass guitar in standard tuning fall into this category; avoiding running sub-bass through the enclosure would involve not using the bottom string below the sixth fret, or the third string in the open or 1st fret positions – which I would hazard is probably not a practical option.[/font][/size][/font][/color] [font="Times New Roman"][color=#000000][size=4]In light of the above information, unfortunately the failure of the driver is in this instance not a warranty issue - nor is it an issue regarding a manufacturing defect, but regrettably of the item being used for a purpose other than intended. Accordingly, we are unable to offer a refund or replacement for this item. Kind regards, Jon Harriman Blue Aran Limited[/size][/color][/font]

speak to John [url="http://www.bravewoodguitars.co.uk/"]http://www.bravewoodguitars.co.uk/[/url]

didnt see it before!

Subjective I know, but any comments/thoughts,?? just want to do some noodling at home into PC. Couple of Inputs, decent Pre amps for the price? Possible? Thanks!

By the way, there was absoloutely no farting sound before it died, it just stopped working, full stop.

Thanks guys, Im going to question them about their assumptions regarding using it as sub etc and see what happens. Many thanks for your input. I'll let you know what happens.

Hi Guys wonder if anybody might be able to offer me some advice? I bought an Eminence Kappalite 15" speaker from a well known and respected (on here) supplier. 2 weeks ago it stopped working. Luckily (or so i thought!) for me it still had a month to go on a 12 month warranty. I contacted the supplier [color=#000000][font=arial, sans-serif][size=3]hello[/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=arial, sans-serif][size=3] i received an eminaence kappalite 3015 450W 15" Driver last year. The[/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=arial, sans-serif][size=3]order date was 27/09/2012. This speaker has stopped working. I have[/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=arial, sans-serif][size=3]tested it in several working cabs but it is still broken. Am I able to[/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=arial, sans-serif][size=3]have this item replaced under any 12 month warranty/ I t has been used[/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=arial, sans-serif][size=3]perhaps 12 times in the last year, always at 8 ohm loads.[/size][/font][/color] So they asked me to send it back which i did and this was the reply after emailing them yesterday as i hadn't heard anything [color=#000000][font=arial, sans-serif][size=3]Hello Mr Marks,[/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=arial, sans-serif][size=3]We have recieved the returned speaker and it has been assessed under warranty by our speaker department. Unfortunately the speaker failure appears to be due to over excursion of the cone. This has resulted in creases to the front of the cone anddamage to the rear of the voicecoil consistent with it hitting the stop at the back of the magnet gap. This is usually caused by Excess sub-bass being fed to the speaker. The usual method to prevent this is to have a hi-pass filter which prevents the harmful very low frequencies from reaching the driver.[/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=arial, sans-serif][size=3]Unfortunately this damage is not covered under the warranty. I can pass the driver to our reconing department to see if it is possible to repair the driver and put together a quote for the cost of this if you would like.[/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=arial, sans-serif]Ok, so my problem is this. This speaker has only ever been used with an SWR 700 working Pro, [/font][/color] [url="http://www.swramps.com/en-GB/products/search.php/?partno=4450000010"]http://www.swramps.com/en-GB/products/search.php/?partno=4450000010[/url] [color=#000000][font=arial, sans-serif]and to the best of my knowledge this is not a sub bass, although to be fair it does have a bass boost![/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=arial, sans-serif]I have never driven it beyond 65% either with the one speaker at 8 ohms or 2 8ohm speakers ie at 4 ohms. So do i have a leg to stand on here guys? Or do i have to bite the bullet and pay for a recone, if thats even possible or get a new one (£180 quid..ouch!). Are my statutory rights affected etc?...[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=arial, sans-serif]Any advice really appreciated, pretty skint at the moment like most people.[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=arial, sans-serif]Thanks.[/font][/color]

Yep, didnt hurt Bobby none! [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx2lza1Rb0U"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx2lza1Rb0U[/url]

great list! Check out 69 to 73!!

just pulled the trigger on these guys for 50 T shirts at £4 each inc postage dunno what they're like but it was a recommendation from a mate with his own printing company who has a son in a band so we'll see.. [url="http://www.pinsandknucklesclothing.com/"]http://www.pinsandknucklesclothing.com/[/url]

brilliant! Jaco next!

as above, fancy trying to flog some worthless tat to pissed up punters at gigs to supplement useless pub gig money. Ta....

Im sorry, but these keep drawing me in, I cant help thinking these will be worth a mint in a few years.. damn, wish i could try one out.. . [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1979-Vintage-Peavey-T40-American-Made-legendary-bass-guitar-and-deluxe-gigbag-/161064825905?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Other&hash=item2580363431"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1979-Vintage-Peavey-T40-American-Made-legendary-bass-guitar-and-deluxe-gigbag-/161064825905?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Other&hash=item2580363431[/url]

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1377209938' post='2184959'] Nah, [url="http://s1221.photobucket.com/user/paul_510/media/wpa1b6dffc_0f_zpsdb8bd222.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://www.davehallamps.co.uk/page37.html"]http://www.davehalla....uk/page37.html[/url] THAT'S a preamp pedal... [/quote] THIS!!!!