Checking a tweeter is simple enough if the op has a multimeter. As Ben stated checking the crossovers would be a good idea under the circumstances. With minimal effort we should be able to help monkeyplasm figure out the issue and from there the cause. From what I have read of the 2150 I see the speakers going before the receiver but failures do happen.

I would hope the op has never turned the 2150 to max volume but from some of the posts it sounds like op feels it would be alright to do so.

I blew a mid-range driver in one of my Totem Arro's one time when I was playing music loud (so 12-1 o'clock on volume dial) through low impedance outdoor speakers hooked up to the B terminals and switched them inside to the A terminals without lowering the volume. Cost $120 to replace the driver...didn't make that mistake again.

However, if you're in the habit of playing music loud I would recommend getting something like a NAD amp/receiver that has a soft clipping switch for when you play the music really loud to protect your speakers.

The RR2150 is a great sounding receiver but it's not a crank-it-up party receiver, in my experience anyways. [EDIT] On second thought it's probably more the RR2150/Totem Arro combination that isn't well suited for levels loud enough to damage your hearing.

Looking at the specs the Totem speakers seem more geared to critical listening as opposed to hard core jamming. With the 80 watt max recommended power rating I can see how easy it could be to over extend a driver under the circumstances you described. With the 4 ohm rating of your RR2150 it should have no difficulty proving the Totem's with all the clean power they could ever want.

It would seem monkeyplasm has left the thread due to no one agreeing with him the issue is all Outlaws fault. Kind of a bummer as we could have helped to ensure the issue did not occur in the future. I would still like to see dcr numbers for the thought dead tweeters. Over driving the amp to past clipping levels could also cause crossover failures we could have helped diagnose and repair.

My CS experiences with Ben have been first rate. I realise op did not get the answers he/she (I am guessing he) wanted and then seemed to get upset when no one jumped on the bash Outlaw/Ben bandwagon.

If you read this monkeyplasm just because a person may not agree with your thoughts in this does not make their reply a personal attack.

Stephen B,

The RR2150/Totem Arro sound great together, but you do have to keep an eye on the volume level and any tone adjustments for sure. It was a mental lapse on my part to play them so loud...when I spoke to the Totem representative he was willing to replace the driver, no questions asked, if it was within the 5 year warranty period. Unfortunately, I was a bit past this period and I knew full well it was my own fault. I did mention that I was driving them with the RR2150 rated 100w/8 ohms and 160w/ 4 ohms, he did not think this should be a problem, within reason, and that the Arro's only dipped down to 4 ohms for a short part of the frequency range (probably not wording that part right).

Someday, I'll hook the RR2150 up to my AR 310HO speakers with a 95dB sensitivity rating and 200W rated power handling. They may be more suited to absurd volume levels ;-) If I do, I'll report back here on whether or not the sound quality suffered or not at higher volumes.

-John

""It would seem monkeyplasm has left the thread due to no one agreeing with him the issue is all Outlaws fault.""

As it turns out the OP did not leave the thread, he was just busy over the weekend with some non-profit work. <end of 3rd person silliness>

""My CS experiences with Ben have been first rate. I realise op did not get the answers he/she (I am guessing he) wanted and then seemed to get upset when no one jumped on the bash Outlaw/Ben bandwagon.""

No bandwagon was being loaded. I don't think I bashed Outlaw or Ben, who was both helpful and quite pleasant to speak with. I'm really not sure where all the defensiveness-by-proxy is coming from. As previously noted there was no histrionics on my nor Outlaw's part.

""If you read this monkeyplasm just because a person may not agree with your thoughts in this does not make their reply a personal attack.""

The only post I responded to negatively was the post that immediately rushed to provide a pedantic and rather inane "Rule #1" about how it's all my fault and therefore blah, blah, blah. Since that poster has declined to re-post indicating I was mistaken in discerning his purpose, then, yeah.


I said earlier that *I* cranked up the volume. I'm not sure why that's a point that needed illumination or why it might be mysterious. Really, who else would it be, Peter Tribeman? Of course it's ultimately "my fault" and not "Outlaw's fault". However, I *am* trying to determine the bad actor so I know where to make adjustments or replacements. I *am* disappointed that, seemingly unlike the Luxman product, the Outlaw product will allow the user to push the RR2150 too far and output an unruly signal. C'est la vie (or however the Frenchies spell it).

The replacement tweeters arrived today. They were well packaged. Be careful to not set them down on their faces as the dome sits slightly proud of the mounting plate surface.

I'll try to embed pictures.

Here's the LCR with old tweeter unmounted:


Here's the new tweeter:



As a side note, the screws holding in the tweeter mounting plates are Torx #9 (dinky little things), and they are in there TIGHT. Strangely, the screws holding the actual tweeters to the mounting plates are Hex (unsure the size as I don't have hex that small): Freakin' engineers that can't be bothered to standardize.

Anyway, you'll want to press down very hard and very orthogonal, and apply only just enough pressure to get the screw turning. You can just tell the screw heads are dying to strip out on you, so Torx was probably the only viable option.

The actual tweeter/plate just falls out of the routed recess by turning the cabinet over. That's not to say the fit is loose, it's rather some nice router work.

New Tweeter #1 measures 3.5/3.6 ohm on the "200" scale (.003 ohm on the '+' scale)
Speaker #1 tweeter measures nothing at all (open circuit)
New Tweeter #2 measures 3.4/3.5 ohm on the "200" scale (.003 ohm on the '+' scale)
Speaker #2 tweeter measures nothing at all (open circuit)

MultiMeter: Crappy Harbor Freight thing.

Note that the tweeters connect via push-on type connectors so there's no soldering. Be aware they are on very tight and you'll probably want to hold the speaker tab with pliers when pulling off the connector/wire, lest ye rip the speaker tab right off the speaker.

The crossover seems to be mounted perpendicular to the front plane of the speaker cabinet, just behind the back panel. You might not be able to see it well in the pictures. The cabinet is otherwise filled with the expected bum-fluff poly-fill-floss-stuff to break up back waves from the mids.

I played the RR2150 through some total garbage speakers and they sounded fine (for what there are), Test #1 passed. I then played my third LCR and it sounds fine, cautiously 'good'. The new tweeters are installed and they sound like the old ones used to (that it to say 'fine' as well). OK, speakers are back to normal, just gotta keep the volume down for now.

Another poster above mentioned using a pro-audio amp. I used a Crown Powerbase 1 for home audio many years ago (as well as a Peavey I can't recall the model). I found the Pro-audio stuff to have a poor noise floor: Fine for the stage but crap for the living room. Plus it was a pain in the ass to keep un/connecting and dragging it in/out of the house.

Not sure where to go from here but at least things are back to normal for now. This absolute vs. relative volume was an unknown to me thing but I certainly think from a blowout-avoidance perspective relative volume might be a preferable idea. I expect such a mechanism might require one or more feedback circuits to clamp down the output as necessary, thus requiring a pre-power setup that talks to each other, or another receiver so pre- and power- are in the same chassis.

Thank you for your participation in this thread.

Bonus from the Odd and Unexpected Detail file: Did you know the little Outlaw logo on the grill not only sits int a small indentation in the metal grill, but it is spring loaded and can be rotated into any 90/180/270 degrees?

It stinks the tweeters let go but better the tweeters than the crossovers or amp outputs. As Ben stated had your RR2150 output full rail voltage the level of carnage could have been much greater.

I am not sure what might be involved in adjusting the volume control to never allow the amp to output past rated output. Ben should be able to tell us what might be involved.

Being used to the volume control in your Luxman I understand how this could happen. I did the same thing way back when taking out a tweeter as well as the crossover in one speaker. I feel your pain.

I agree with you when it comes to pro amps in the home. Cheap power for subwoofers but not much else. If I were shopping for a used two channel amp I would hunt for an Adcom GFA-555. Nelson Pass designed class AB high current with no issue driving 4ohm loads. Parasound is also a well regarded brand.

I would be hesitant to add more power to the system until I knew what happened the first time or I had some length of time to satisfy myself it was something that won't occur again. I would run the 2150 hard with those garbage speakers (4 ohm) to make sure it is not the problem.. One thing you could do is ask Outlaw to check it out for you to make sure it is good to go. While I don't think the 2150 is at fault it never hurts to be cautious.

If music is your prime use of the 2150 why not connect your PC directly to the 2150s USB port?

Yeah, I need to source a pair of speakers that I can blow without worry rather than a borrowed set (no matter how crappy). Maybe a trip to the junkyard for some $2 car speakers. Need to find something that at least 'says' it can handle the rr2150 rated output. Blowing a 25 watt pair of speakers won't tell me a thing.

The computer is in another room, hence the xbox to receive files over ethernet. It would take a pile of USB extender cables to reach the rr2150.

Another poster noted the mains cable being an audibly discernable factor in power availability. Interestingly I had noted way back when that it was odd that the RR2150 had a much thicker power cord than the LFM-1 EX. Of course that may have just been insulation and not conductor. Eventually on that path you'll go larger than the romex in the wall and there should be no additional benefit. However, I think typical house wiring is 10 guage so you'd have a ways to go for that.

One thing I should have mentioned to Ben is completely unrelated is a thought I had regarding remote controls. I wonder how much it really costs to manufacture a remote control (on the margin). That is to say since you're already making them, and including them in the product, how much cost would it add to include a second in the box?

Used equipment of all kinds very frequently says "no remote included" since it's been lost or broken. Or, it's being sold separately for $$ since everyone else's remote is lost or broken. I lose my remotes all the time and I expect others do too. I'm sure as hell not spending $300 freaking dollars on a harmony and then losing or breaking that as well.

I wonder if there might be a gain issue going through the XBox via the wifi? Do you notice any difference in volume when using a direct input or the tuner?

Did the new tweeters fix the speakers?

Quick FYI:
15 Amp circuits in your house use 14 gauge.
20 Amp circuits use 12 gauge.