ESU Loksound 5 issue

[jdcolombo]

There is definitely an issue if the sound isn't loud enough.  I've used LS5 micros in my Berkshires, and I have to turn the main volume DOWN to avoid ear-splitting sound levels. 

Note that in addition to the master sound volume CV, each sound in a LokSound has its own volume level.  If these somehow got turned down, maxing out the master volume won't help.  I think it highly unlikely this could have happened, though.

Also, the speaker needs to be sealed to the enclosure for proper volume level.  If you can take the tender shell off, you could check to make sure the speaker didn't come loose from the enclosure.  SBS speakers generally sit on top of the enclosure, with the front of the speaker firing down into the enclosure, and the speaker needs to be glued to the enclosure to provide an air-tight seal.  If that didn't happen and the speaker is just "floating" on top of the enclosure, the sound will be terrible.

John C.

[Hatchet]

Thanks, John. I’ll check that out.

Mark

[nightmare0331]

dumb question....what's your elevation?

Over the years I've had a few units that the speaker housing was sealed well on and for some reason high elevation messed with the speaker pressure.  Say like up in the Rockies somewhere.

If so, take a pin vise and drill a small hole (like 78 or something) into the housing to relieve the pressure.

Enjoy!

Kelley.
www.dufordmodelworks.com

[peteski]

dumb question....what's your elevation?

Over the years I've had a few units that the speaker housing was sealed well on and for some reason high elevation messed with the speaker pressure.  Say like up in the Rockies somewhere.

If so, take a pin vise and drill a small hole (like 78 or something) into the housing to relieve the pressure.

Enjoy!

Kelley.
www.dufordmodelworks.com

That is a very good point!
The average atmospheric pressure is quite different between somewhere close to sea level and in the mile-high city. If you open a sealed bottle (like shampoo) going from one location to the other, you can actually hear the air escaping out, or flowing into the bottle.

 If the speaker enclosure  is truly airtight, that could either push out or pull in the flat speaker cone (for lack of a better term) past its limits, preventing it from working properly.

[Hatchet]

Elevation here is 6185 feet. Will have to try that as well.

Mark

[tehachapifan]

dumb question....what's your elevation?

Over the years I've had a few units that the speaker housing was sealed well on and for some reason high elevation messed with the speaker pressure.  Say like up in the Rockies somewhere.

If so, take a pin vise and drill a small hole (like 78 or something) into the housing to relieve the pressure.

Enjoy!

Kelley.
www.dufordmodelworks.com

Interesting theory! I would imagine this hole would need to be sealed back up afterwards and you would need to take care not to pierce any part of the diaphragm.

[nightmare0331]

Interesting theory! I would imagine this hole would need to be sealed back up afterwards and you would need to take care not to pierce any part of the diaphragm.

Not really necessary to get it sealed back up.  a small hole isn't going to make much of a difference except to relieve the pressure.

Had a couple of people in higher elevations that this manifested itself in over the years.

And of course you are drilling through the housing...not the diaphragm...I figured that would go without saying.

Kelley.
www.dufordmodelworks.com

[davefoxx]

Just seal the hole with a dab of CA.  I hope relieving the air pressure works, because my experience, like John Colombo’s, is always needing to turn the volume down on a new installation.

DFF

[peteski]

I agree with Kelly that a very small hole (like #80 or #78) will be small enough to equalize (bleed) the enclosure's air pressure to the ambient air pressure without affecting the quality of the sound.  Still not sure? Try it. 

[Hatchet]

In the works when I get a chance to get to it. We had a windstorm with gusts to 105 mph here in Colorado Springs last night soI have been on outside clean up duty.

Mark

[tehachapifan]

I agree with Kelly that a very small hole (like #80 or #78) will be small enough to equalize (bleed) the enclosure's air pressure to the ambient air pressure without affecting the quality of the sound.  Still not sure? Try it. 

Funny, I've done installs where adding a #80 hole to the enclosure improved the sound quality and others where it degraded it (I'll play around with adding or removing this hole if I have some subtle background crackling). I remember doing an install that had some crackling, so I added the #80 hole and it went away completely. Then on the next install, I added the hole right off the bat and had some crackling until I sealed up the hole. Seems every install is its own, unique animal.

[Steveruger45]

Funny, I've done installs where adding a #80 hole to the enclosure improved the sound quality and others where it degraded it (I'll play around with adding or removing this hole if I have some subtle background crackling). I remember doing an install that had some crackling, so I added the #80 hole and it went away completely. Then on the next install, I added the hole right off the bat and had some crackling until I sealed up the hole. Seems every install is its own, unique animal.

FWIW, this has been my exact same experience too.

[Hatchet]

Here’s the update on my speaker issue. My installer and I discussed it and we decided to put in a new speaker just in case it was a speaker issue. Got it back today and volume was a little better but still not as loud as we expected. Took out the pin vise with a #78 drill bit and went through the housing with a hole as you all had suggested. Stuck it back on track and voila, expected sound volume! So happy ending thanks to all here who suggested solutions. My installer said he had that issue only once before and it was here in C Springs. Now I can spend the rest of the week figuring out all the capacity of the ESU Loksound 5. Thanks again!

Mark