[mdubrow]

I've been a lurker here for some time, but I have a dilemma that I wanted some input on.

I have a 5.1 system--5 Emeralds plus a Force.  I bought the front 3 Emeralds (clear oak finish) used for about the cost of 2, was very impressed with how good these little speakers sound (I live in a NYC apartment, so (miniature) size matters a lot), and bought a pair of Emeralds as surround from ACI along with the Force (in rose walnut to better match our woodwork).

The problem is that the front center channel speaker has a bit of resonance to it, and I confirmed that it was the speaker and not the location/receiver/speaker wire by swapping the center channel with one of the other 4 Emeralds in my system and observing that the resonance had disappeared.

My dilemma is this: since the problem speaker is one of those I bought used and is not under warranty, I would pay for shipping both ways plus the cost of repairs and hope the problem is fixed.  On the other hand, I could just buy a new Emerald (I only need one) with the current 10% discount or wait for a B-stock speaker to become available, which I guesstimate would cost only nominally more than repair and I would get the 5-year warranty.

What would you do in this situation?

Mike

[JackStraw]

I've been a lurker here for some time, but I have a dilemma that I wanted some input on.

I have a 5.1 system--5 Emeralds plus a Force.  I bought the front 3 Emeralds (clear oak finish) used for about the cost of 2, was very impressed with how good these little speakers sound (I live in a NYC apartment, so (miniature) size matters a lot), and bought a pair of Emeralds as surround from ACI along with the Force (in rose walnut to better match our woodwork).

The problem is that the front center channel sp ...

Have you taken the woofer off to have a look? I would -- just be careful with the screwdriver as those magnets get grabby sometimes. There might be an obvious problem that would save shipping one way at least.

Also, there's a clear oak Protege on ACI's web site.... have a look to see if you might have space.

[mdubrow]

Jack,
Up to now I hadn't given serious thought to opening up the Emerald in case I fouled things up beyond repair.  My chief concern is whether I would be able to put the speaker back together again.  Your bold suggestion has inspired me, however, and I may try that this evening.  Worst case scenario: I have to buy a new speaker.

I did see the Protege on the B-stock specials, but in addition to movies and such I have come to enjoy multichannel music, so I'd prefer to keep matched speakers all the way around.  (I'm also concerned about the weight of the Protoge.)  The Emerald as a center channel for movies works very well.

Thanks for the suggestions,
Mike

[Harry P]

I'd definitely pull the woofer. Its only 4 screws. Just take your time. Worth a look. If you can't find anything, email or call ACI and see how much it would cost for them to take a look. Shipping shouldn't be too bad on one emerald

[mdubrow]

I did pull the woofer last night, but I did not see anything amiss (not that I would recognize a whole lot, but the wires were securely attached and the woofer appeared to be solid and in one piece, no rodents living inside the cabinet, etc.).  Incidentally, I had no problems with magnets, I guess because the Emerald is magnetically shielded.  

Put everything back together, but no change in sound.  As I was listening, it occurred to me that I probably am mis-describing what I'm hearing as resonance, but I'm not sure what else to call it.

In any case, it's time to call ACI.  Thanks for the suggestions,
Mike