Push test? :)

dutchtowner

Would someone mind leading me by the hand?

I've had some Monitor 10B's since the eighties. Like others, I've never been happy with the bass response. Most say they have no issues with the bass, so I started searching around here yesterday and came across "PUSH TEST"
Evidently, this is a test where you push in on the passive radiator and watch the midrangers reaction once you release the pressure from the passive.
I saw posts yesterday that state that if the midrangers retract immediately when you're letting up on the passives, then there's a cabinet leak and that the leak will have a neg effect on the bass response?
Well guess what? My midrange speakers retract immediately.
My question is, what does this mean? Is the pressure test an old wives tale? To be honest, what I read yesterday about the immediate reaction of the cones is counterintuitive to me. It would seem that in a airtight environment, a stimulus (pushing/releasing the passive) should have an immediate and opposite reaction (movement of the mids)??? Seems a delay in the retraction of the mids would suggest a leak.
Does anyone know the truth?


Thanks!!
Dutchtowner

ben62670

You have to push and hold the passive in

dutchtowner

ben62670 wrote: »

You have to push and hold the passive in

LOL Ben, that could explain it.
:biggrin:

Thanks

ben62670

No problem.
Enjoy
Ben

dutchtowner

ben62670 wrote: »

No problem.
Enjoy
Ben

Ben, when I push and hold, I do get some immediate retraction.....prob about 3/4 of the way back. The mids stop then and don't fully retract until I release the passive. Sound leaky? If so, can you point me to the best remedy? Can replacing tweeters have an effect on airtightness? (I did replace then about 15 yrs ago)

Thanks!

cnh

Local Hardware store...buy some Mortite (rope Caulk). Open up the mids/passives and line the cabinet hole rims with it. Reseat the speaker and screw back in slowly all the way around till you have a fairly airtight seal. Won't cost you more than 5 or 6 bucks!

You can also try Larry's {TOOLFORLIFEFAN) rings...but I think he may no longer be producing them.

Good Luck...

cnh

AudioGenics

The Monitor 10 may not be perfectly Air tight to begin with
but
You may want to do a AIR Leak Down Test
if you have access to the equipment
to measure the rate of pressure that is relieved when pressing the
passive radiator at a preset distance.

That will tell you if any of the components are suspect and may need to be
replaced, repaired or modified.

Personally... as long as all the drivers have good compliance, and there are no
obvious signs of damage or sound distortions.... then just enjoy.

If you are into it alot There are modifications that you can do
that may or may not improve the speakers
additional sealing / gaskets / mortite
dynamat
JB Weld Magnets
Xover upgrades.
additional bracing.
and so on.......

Vette C6.r

Some air leak through the dust caps is normal.

F1nut

Push the PR in and hold. The mid-drivers should slowly retract after a few seconds. They will not fully retract until the PR is released.

Lack of bass can be caused by a number of other factors including room placement. The 10's will have better bass closer to the back wall. Placed out in the room will net poor bass. The amp or receiver will also affect the bass response. Loose driver/tweeter/PR screws will also cause a lack of bass.

Audioquest

dutchtowner wrote: »

Ben, when I push and hold, I do get some immediate retraction.....prob about 3/4 of the way back. The mids stop then and don't fully retract until I release the passive. Sound leaky? If so, can you point me to the best remedy? Can replacing tweeters have an effect on airtightness? (I did replace then about 15 yrs ago)

Thanks!

Try tightening the screws in the drivers first. They vibrate loose over years of use and you may get some leakage where the criver and gasket contact the cabinet. There is always some air leakage through the driver spider and dust cover. Push the PR in and the drivers will extend and will slowly retract. If any of them react radically different than the others and the screws are tight, that particular driver may have a fault. It can't be 100% airtight as mentioned.
An upgrade as pointed out is to use Mortite and seal the driver to the cabinet or buy the available securing rings, or both.
The important thing is that they all move and none are frozen in place.

Schurkey

dutchtowner wrote: »

Ben, when I push and hold, I do get some immediate retraction.....prob about 3/4 of the way back. The mids stop then and don't fully retract until I release the passive. Sound leaky? If so, can you point me to the best remedy? Can replacing tweeters have an effect on airtightness? (I did replace then about 15 yrs ago)

Thanks!

Vette C6.r wrote: »

Some air leak through the dust caps is normal.

F1nut wrote: »

Push the PR in and hold. The mid-drivers should slowly retract after a few seconds. They will not fully retract until the PR is released.

Not to over-complicate this, but keep in mind that when you release the passive, the mids are going to retract BEYOND thier static, no-load position.

Once the passive is released, all the air that leaked out under pressure now has to leak back IN due to the partial vacuum you've created.

The considerable inward excursion of the mids when the passive is released does NOT mean that the speakers are "air tight".