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So my Focal Aria 948 is dead

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delta76

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So, was there evidence of the speakers being dropped or banged around?
I am so glad you found some help, and got things working.
I was worried you dove into these too quickly, but am happy for you now that you found the problem and got them working.

Do you have any pictures of the broken crossover? I am intrigued.
The outer looks completely fine. One of the crossover had a bad soldered point (which my neighbor guessed could be a bad manufacturing process). The other one was essentially two parts (which explains why it was only 4ohm and no bass). I had photos of it somewhere.

And yes I knew I was screwed from the beginning. But it turned out fine
 

MAB

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The outer looks completely fine. One of the crossover had a bad soldered point (which my neighbor guessed could be a bad manufacturing process). The other one was essentially two parts (which explains why it was only 4ohm and no bass). I had photos of it somewhere.

And yes I knew I was screwed from the beginning. But it turned out fine
Bad solder joint and the other broken. You got double-unlucky! I am glad you have a good neighbor and got it resolved.
 

Penelinfi

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If they are working fine now, do you really need the replacement? Then again if you can afford 7k I guess it gives peace of mind that it's correct and neat looking :)
I'm surprised that the crossovers broke but the drivers are ok.
 

MrOtto

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So Focal sent you a speaker with a crossover board snapped in half? That's terrible quality control, if they even did any control.
 
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delta76

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If they are working fine now, do you really need the replacement? Then again if you can afford 7k I guess it gives peace of mind that it's correct and neat looking :)
I'm surprised that the crossovers broke but the drivers are ok.
I am going to order a replacement. my neighbor fixed it temporarily and it has been working since
 

audio2920

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Not that it's relevant, but I'm sure in France these will be more like $3500 normal price. Still, even at that price it's surprising to find such significant damage to the guts of the thing.

Glad it's (mostly) sorted.
 
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delta76

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I bought them for 1500$ (in a whole package). still a quite a lot money for me but well, I can stomach the loss.
Here is the crossover :)

1656257502011.png
 

cavedriver

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$1500 a pair? That's a very suspicious price. I would have had almost no trust that such a seller was trustworthy. Sorry, just my impression based on other seller scenarios. Ultimately if you get them to work and there is no lasting damage then it's a good deal, but there was probably a reason they were cheap and now you know why.
 
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delta76

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$1500 a pair? That's a very suspicious price. I would have had almost no trust that such a seller was trustworthy. Sorry, just my impression based on other seller scenarios. Ultimately if you get them to work and there is no lasting damage then it's a good deal, but there was probably a reason they were cheap and now you know why.
it's a good price yes, but not unusual. the seller is a very big and reputable one, although their customer service is quite crappy :)
should I have kept the boxes and I can ship back to them, they would have exchanged new. so it's just me who get a bad lemon
 

MAB

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I bought them for 1500$ (in a whole package). still a quite a lot money for me but well, I can stomach the loss.
Here is the crossover :)

View attachment 214858
Looks like drop-damage, which is what you suspected... The inductors are heavy, the PC board appears totally unsupported where the inductors are mounted. This assembly looks a bit fragile and susceptible to shipping and handling damages.
 

MrOtto

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it's a good price yes, but not unusual. the seller is a very big and reputable one, although their customer service is quite crappy :)
should I have kept the boxes and I can ship back to them, they would have exchanged new. so it's just me who get a bad lemon
So they are not new from Focal and was working when you bought them used? Then this kind of thing could happen if speaker is transported not in original boxes and by untrained persons. Still, that inductor looks heavy and the board tiny.
 
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delta76

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So they are not new from Focal and was working when you bought them used? Then this kind of thing could happen if speaker is transported not in original boxes and by untrained persons. Still, that inductor looks heavy and the board tiny.
they are new, in original boxes. I broke the boxes when I unboxed them and threw one away. please read the previous messages.
 

MAB

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Still, that inductor looks heavy and the board tiny.
Yes, and the board is totally unsupported where the inductor is mounted. And, while I can't tell for sure, the PCB looks really thin! The manufacturer has built a very shock-sensitive assembly here; I imagine that there are other customers with exactly the same transport damage!.
 
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delta76

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I sent photo above to the seller, with some strong disappointment. Not that they care or I expect they will do anything about it, just want to show them.
 
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delta76

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Yes, and the board is totally unsupported where the inductor is mounted. And, while I can't tell for sure, the PCB looks really thin! The manufacturer has built a very shock-sensitive assembly here; I imagine that there are other customers with exactly the same transport damage!.
I have no idea about board but it looks like a reasonable thickness to me. yes it can definitely be better, but that's with support (or even better, some MDF board?), but not to increase the thickness.
I feel I should buy something more for my neighbor :)
 

MAB

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I have no idea about board but it looks like a reasonable thickness to me. yes it can definitely be better, but that's with support (or even better, some MDF board?), but not to increase the thickness.
I feel I should buy something more for my neighbor :)
It is reasonable for many applications. But this application appears to need additional support for the inductors, or a thicker board, or both.
Yes, Focal either needed to sport the inductors more, or provide more support for your good neighbor!
And, perhaps, the courier needs to not drop the boxes next time too!!!
 
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delta76

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It is reasonable for many applications. But this application appears to need additional support for the inductors, or a thicker board, or both.
Yes, Focal either needed to sport the inductors more, or provide more support for your good neighbor!
And, perhaps, the courier needs to not drop the boxes next time too!!!
now I wonder why when I contacted the courier they asked about the content and the value of the boxes. hmm
 

Stiffmeister

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Hello everyone. I’m suspecting the upper bass driver is blown of my left Aria 948. When doing the battery test, the upper bass driver doesn’t move inwards (read somewhere else that the two bass drivers are connected in reverse polarity with respect to the midrange driver and tweeter). Now my question to you Aria 948 owners is: how many Ohms do you measure with a multimeter connecting it to the speaker terminals? My left speaker measures 9,3ohms and my right speaker measures 5,3/5,4ohms. This difference disturbs me. On a side note: my surround speakers (Aria 906) measure 4,8ohms while the specifications state its an 8ohm speaker. Is that difference normal?
 

restorer-john

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Hello everyone. I’m suspecting the upper bass driver is blown of my left Aria 948. When doing the battery test, the upper bass driver doesn’t move inwards (read somewhere else that the two bass drivers are connected in reverse polarity with respect to the midrange driver and tweeter). Now my question to you Aria 948 owners is: how many Ohms do you measure with a multimeter connecting it to the speaker terminals? My left speaker measures 9,3ohms and my right speaker measures 5,3/5,4ohms. This difference disturbs me. On a side note: my surround speakers (Aria 906) measure 4,8ohms while the specifications state its an 8ohm speaker. Is that difference normal?

I would say the left speaker has one driver not making contact and/or is open circuit. The drivers are likely in parallel electrically, hence the readings you get on your DMM for DCR.
 
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Stiffmeister

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I would say the left speaker has one driver not making contact and/or is open circuit. The drivers are likely in parallel electrically, hence the readings you get on your DMM for DCR.
Thanks for the fast reply! So my other speakers measuring lower than the specified 8 ohms is totally normal?
 
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