DGBass Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 Something else to consider if you are planning to replace with a new driver, and while not as sonically important, is whether whatever driver you choose will actually fit the existing cutout hole in the speaker box. For example, the Faital Pro 15PR-400 won't fit these types of TE combo cabs or the standard similar 1153 cabs. The cast frame basket on the FP is decidely larger than the original pressed steel Trace Eliot branded Celestion speakers. The Faital Pro does however work perfectly as a drop in replacement to the bigger 1518 TE cabs. The FP might fit your cab with a bit of woodwork ( removal ) to increase the cutout size, however the front mounting flange is also very much deeper which means there is precious little space between the speaker and the grille. A large cone excursion might actually contact the steel grille. The SICA/JENSEN driver mentioned also has a slightly larger basket diameter and mounting circle than typical Celestion or Eminence pressed steel baskets. Lavoce interestingly have a wide range of pressed steel basket drivers in traditional and neo magnet configurations and these are much nearer or similar to Celestion dimensions. I was wondering why Ashdown suggested the Pulse 15 and one reason may have been that it will probably drop right in the hole and the mounting screw holes will line up. There may be other Celestions or even Eminence units that might be more suitable sonically and will fit( sorry can't suggest any!). Basically, not all 15 inch drivers are the same size🙄 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted July 16 Author Share Posted July 16 On 04/07/2024 at 17:15, DGBass said: Something else to consider if you are planning to replace with a new driver, and while not as sonically important, is whether whatever driver you choose will actually fit the existing cutout hole in the speaker box. For example, the Faital Pro 15PR-400 won't fit these types of TE combo cabs or the standard similar 1153 cabs. The cast frame basket on the FP is decidely larger than the original pressed steel Trace Eliot branded Celestion speakers. The Faital Pro does however work perfectly as a drop in replacement to the bigger 1518 TE cabs. The FP might fit your cab with a bit of woodwork ( removal ) to increase the cutout size, however the front mounting flange is also very much deeper which means there is precious little space between the speaker and the grille. A large cone excursion might actually contact the steel grille. The SICA/JENSEN driver mentioned also has a slightly larger basket diameter and mounting circle than typical Celestion or Eminence pressed steel baskets. Lavoce interestingly have a wide range of pressed steel basket drivers in traditional and neo magnet configurations and these are much nearer or similar to Celestion dimensions. I was wondering why Ashdown suggested the Pulse 15 and one reason may have been that it will probably drop right in the hole and the mounting screw holes will line up. There may be other Celestions or even Eminence units that might be more suitable sonically and will fit( sorry can't suggest any!). Basically, not all 15 inch drivers are the same size🙄 Sorry for the delayed response, thanks for this, it's really helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted July 16 Author Share Posted July 16 I plugged the cab in again last night, and the noise was pretty bad, almost like I had a fuzz pedal on at a low level... The weird thing is, when I gently touch my finger on the edge of the cone, the noise goes away and it sounds great! Could it be micro tears in the cone or the suspension? I can't visibly see anything. Just wondering if there's any way way to test this? I'm convinced the speaker isn't shot, but there's something up with it..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 It could be a suspension separation from the cone, it could also be the voice coil is rubbing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 Your best bet might be to just wait it out for a used driver of your choice to show up on eBay, I scored the Basslite in my little 1x10 for £24 by doing this and breathed a massive sigh of relief when I won it! Sucks that you put so much effort in to make a nice cab on the cheap only to be stuck with either using a rubbish replacment driver or spending more than the cab is worth on a decent one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 On 15/04/2024 at 16:54, stevie said: The internal volume of the Trace 1153 is approximately 90 litres and and it's tuned to 45Hz. I modelled both drivers before recommending the Faital Pro. It's a good, modern driver. If you can get it for a good price, you should. Modelling is only useful if you know what you're aiming for. Otherwise, it's a trip down a rabbit hole. Uh... That box isn't a 1153 carcass. I had a H122smx combo, and it was slimmer than a 2103h and slimmer than the 1153 upon which it often stood. Same drivers (originally) in the combos as the cabs, but the ports are shorter. Reasons for shallower box? Twofold. 1) You'd never find the connections on the rear of the amp even in daylight; they'd be buried 5" into the sleeve in which the amp sits 2) That TE Achilles' heel. Weight. The H122smx was already brutally heavy. Any more MDF and no one would be able to move it at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted July 16 Author Share Posted July 16 21 minutes ago, Lfalex v1.1 said: Uh... That box isn't a 1153 carcass. I had a H122smx combo, and it was slimmer than a 2103h and slimmer than the 1153 upon which it often stood. Same drivers (originally) in the combos as the cabs, but the ports are shorter. Reasons for shallower box? Twofold. 1) You'd never find the connections on the rear of the amp even in daylight; they'd be buried 5" into the sleeve in which the amp sits 2) That TE Achilles' heel. Weight. The H122smx was already brutally heavy. Any more MDF and no one would be able to move it at all. You're quite right of course. If you read the thread further, I took measurements and we calculated it to be just under 60L, tuned to around 60hz 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted August 4 Author Share Posted August 4 Right, bit of an update! 🤞 I decided to dismantle and check everything thorough one last time this morning, before admitting defeat and buying a new speaker. Wiring, solder joints etc all good, checked all around the speaker again for any signs of splits, delamination where bonded, etc, and I can still find nothing wrong.... Now, some people had suggested rotating the speaker, so last time I had it out I turned it 45° to where I had it before. It made no difference, maybe even worse. When I reassembled everything today, I turned the speaker a further 45°, which although it's sideways to the floor, is back to the original orientation from when it was a combo .... And bugger me it sounds fine! Not a hint of distorting or weirdness! Whether it is due to orientation, or is just a complete fluke I don't know, but it's working for the time being. 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted August 14 Author Share Posted August 14 (edited) Okay, so the noise is back 😅😭 I'm convinced now that there must be some debris in the voice coil, so I'm currently trawlig YouTube videos to see how I go about removing the dust cap and cleaning it out. It's no use to me as it is, so I've nothing to lose. If I make a mess of it (likely), I'll order the LaVoce speaker recommended by Bill. 👍 Edited August 14 by TRBboy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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