Well, my 8 year True Sub's active woofer has started to blat on low tones. It has developed a big wart on the driver where I believe years of misting of the plant sitting next to it has taken it's toll. In reading other accounts it looks like Sunfire will want $600 for the replacement woofer since it's custom. Has anyone tried fitting in an off the shelf 10" driver in a True Sub? I'm willing to try that first before running off and getting an SVS or Hsu.

Well, my 8 year True Sub's active woofer has started to blat on low tones. It has developed a big wart on the driver where I believe years of misting of the plant sitting next to it has taken it's toll. In reading other accounts it looks like Sunfire will want $600 for the replacement woofer since it's custom. Has anyone tried fitting in an off the shelf 10" driver in a True Sub? I'm willing to try that first before running off and getting an SVS or Hsu.


First, you should confirm the price with Sunfire. Sunfire is charging a flat $450 fee, however, I never heard that the True Sub MK II cost more to repair. It sounds a little strange.

Second. The Sunfires had very high excursion drivers with very large surrounds. I would think that finding a driver with the excursion needed in a small diameter would be difficult.

I see that you would go for a 10 inch driver and forget about finding an 8 inch driver with a huge surround.

Other members can give better advice about dropping a 10 inch driver in.

First, you should confirm the price with Sunfire. Sunfire is charging a flat $450 fee, however, I never heard that the True Sub MK II cost more to repair. It sounds a little strange.

Second. The Sunfires had very high excursion drivers with very large surrounds. I would think that finding a driver with the excursion needed in a small diameter would be difficult.

I see that you would go for a 10 inch driver and forget about finding an 8 inch driver with a huge surround.

Other members can give better advice about dropping a 10 inch driver in.

I'll double check with Sunfire. The thread where I heard it would cost $600 is on the AV-Rev-Forum (it's a blocked site). I'm aware they say $450 for an out of warranty sub, so that price may include the cost of shipping up & back.

The opening is 9.25" for a 10.25" driver, so a 10" should fit perfectly, but the mounting holes would likely have to be redrilled.

I think I saw the replacement driver at Parts Express for the Sunfire. Look under the 10" subwoofer section.

HiVi SP10?

how funny. I was just on Parts Express and found it myself! Yep, it's this one: http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=297-460

Now I need to decide whether to just order this or experiment with something like the Elemental 11Ov.2 (http://www.edesignaudio.com/product_info.php?t=2&products_id=34)

Received an SP10 replacement woofer, same "thud" happens periodically so it's not the driver, but the electronics. Wah. :( Not sure what I'll do with it now.

Check your passive radiator. Common issue with the Sunfires. Weight comes loose.

Received an SP10 replacement woofer, same "thud" happens periodically so it's not the driver, but the electronics. Wah. :( Not sure what I'll do with it now.

Check your passive radiator. Common issue with the Sunfires. Weight comes loose.
I wish that was it. It happens to the driver itself, even outside of the cabinet. I've tried two different woofers attached to the circuit and they have both done it. It's like a momentary "blat" of the driver, probably at a particular frequency. May be the servo circuit.

Hi eelpout

I have a Sunfire MK II True subwoofer (12 years old) that I'm looking to replace the driver with the same part from Parts Express. I now it been a while since you orginaly posted this, but I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions.

How hard is this part to swap out?

Does the Hi Vi sub fit without any modifacations?

Do I have to remove the amp plate to install?

Anything tricky I should look out for?

Any information you can provide will be greatly appreciated

Rafael

Been a while since I did this, so I may be a bit fuzzy on details. :)

I ordered the part (http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=297-460) and it was quite easy to drop in place as I remember. But after I did, it was clear that my problem wasn't the driver at all, it was the amp and supporting circuitry so I ended up sending the woofer back and bought a tSc.

I think if I had kept it I would have had to drill some mounting holes in the cabinet because the existing ones didn't quite line up. Also, there would have been some slight soldering for new wire clips. A pretty easy replacement.

I still have the carcass of the Sunfire laying around just in case my replacement tSc sub ever dies (may that company RIP). If it does I'll probably send my Sunfire back and get it redone. I think it's around $600 out of warranty for a refit and arguably, I probably couldn't buy something new for that price that would perform as well. I did say arguably. :rolleyes:

ps. i did notice on the Sunfire website (http://www.sunfire.com/warranty.asp) that the rate for repair is no longer listed, but it was under $600 early 2009.

Hi eelpout

I have a Sunfire MK II True subwoofer (12 years old) that I'm looking to replace the driver with the same part from Parts Express. I now it been a while since you orginaly posted this, but I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions.

How hard is this part to swap out?

Does the Hi Vi sub fit without any modifacations?

Do I have to remove the amp plate to install?

Anything tricky I should look out for?

Any information you can provide will be greatly appreciated

Rafael

eelpout

Thank you for your quick reply. I really appreciate it.

I called Sunfire last week and because my sub was over 7 years old the had me call the their Washington State service dept. Their service dept is now in Kentucky. I spoke to a women that said they no longer had drivers for the sub. I don’t know if that’s the case in Kentucky.

I’m going to call again tomorrow just to confirm what she told me. If true I think I will give the Hi Vi sub a shot.


I would love to replace my old Sunfire with a new one, but that’s really not a option right now. Thank You again.

Rafael

Hi... is it safe to assume that this has long been resolved by now?

Freeman are you asking me?

I never changed the driver. Even tough it shows visable wear,it's still working fine. Replacing the driver with this part is still a option in the future.

Hello everyone;
I'm new here so I hope I don't violate any rules. Let me know if I do.

I repped Sunfire from day one until they were purchased--over a decade. In my experience, it's a mistake to use any other driver. The coil is part of the amplifier's circuitry and required for best performance. Besides, the driver must have the correct parameters for the cabinet volume (tiny) and passive radiator tuning. The stock driver also has big-time power handling capacity.

If anyone needs replacements, the new company is brutal on price. I do have one driver and and one passive radiator left I'd let go far cheaper. Feel free to email me at fmalitz@comcast.net even if you only have specific questions; I don't mind giving advice. I do have a hum trick for these.

Here's an important tip: Most of my dealers set the x-over at 80HZ on thier displayed subs. Big mistake! The processor or receiver has a crossover in place and mostly always on (unless you can defeat it). Therefore ALWAYS set your subwoofer crossovers to bypass or set as high as possible. You should not feed a crossover into another crossover. Okay?

The 10" and 12" SF subs are capable of audiophile levels of performance if set up properly. Correct set-up is more important than the brand! I am no longer affiliated with Sunfire.
Frank

Okay, it's me again--ex-Sunfire Rep. I became tired of the total lack of service at today's Sunfire so I did a ton of research and development. I can now fix your Sunfire woofer amps cheaper and better than anyone. Since I posted the note above, however, I've been inundated with people trying to find a replacement driver. The consensus is that the Parts Express replacement is immediately, obviously, inferior. I've never heard one so, as the man said, you pays your money and you takes your chances.

The driver is part of the amplifier's circuit. All parameters must be identical to original or you'll never get the power or the quality of sound you had when new. I've found a guy in my area who thinks he can re-cone these. I won't get involved unless I know he's reliable and does the exact work I'd demand. I hope to know something in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, if your amp is dead or humming, I can fix it for a flat rate. The freight is tiny because you'd only need to send the amp module; it's like a couple of pounds tops!

If I knew how, I'd include before and after shots. Email me if you want to see them. I'll send them as attachments. It's $250 plus freight for a total rebuild and you get a 90-day warranty. I do frequency sweeps, burn in the amp for days (on a real True Sub) and do it again before I ship it back. No one else will do that for you. By the way, this is also an upgrade. The single driver models pick up a few dB's below 30HZ and get closer to the dual driver models in deep bass extension. I don't bother to measure the improvement of the dual driver models since they needed no more output down there anyway. They will shake my workshop when upgraded--that's for certain. You guys ought to see these photos!

I'm no amateur having published over 30 technical articles read in 22 countries--primarily for pro sound--Google "The Gigologist". I currently rep Arcam, Totem, Energy, Yamaha, Sennheiser, etc. I've also repped Denon, Sonus Faber, AR, Counterpoint and dozens of others over a 40-year career. I'm also the founder of Onkyo USA Corp.
Frank Malitz
847-668-4519

Hello AVS community,

I have in my possetion six HiVI SP10 drives that are brand new and un opened.:D

I am selling them at $180AU each if any one wants them. They arrived to me shipped from the HiVi factory each in sealed in separate timber boxes inside card board carton for protection.

I am located in Melbourne Australia so if any one is interested in purchasing these beasty 13Kg drives please post me your zipp code so I can get a quote for the shipping cost.

Hello ,
Any of those HiVi sp 10's left?

Okay, it's me again--ex-Sunfire Rep. I became tired of the total lack of service at today's Sunfire so I did a ton of research and development. I can now fix your Sunfire woofer amps cheaper and better than anyone. Since I posted the note above, however, I've been inundated with people trying to find a replacement driver. The consensus is that the Parts Express replacement is immediately, obviously, inferior. I've never heard one so, as the man said, you pays your money and you takes your chances.

The driver is part of the amplifier's circuit. All parameters must be identical to original or you'll never get the power or the quality of sound you had when new. I've found a guy in my area who thinks he can re-cone these. I won't get involved unless I know he's reliable and does the exact work I'd demand. I hope to know something in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, if your amp is dead or humming, I can fix it for a flat rate. The freight is tiny because you'd only need to send the amp module; it's like a couple of pounds tops!

If I knew how, I'd include before and after shots. Email me if you want to see them. I'll send them as attachments. It's $250 plus freight for a total rebuild and you get a 90-day warranty. I do frequency sweeps, burn in the amp for days (on a real True Sub) and do it again before I ship it back. No one else will do that for you. By the way, this is also an upgrade. The single driver models pick up a few dB's below 30HZ and get closer to the dual driver models in deep bass extension. I don't bother to measure the improvement of the dual driver models since they needed no more output down there anyway. They will shake my workshop when upgraded--that's for certain. You guys ought to see these photos!

I'm no amateur having published over 30 technical articles read in 22 countries--primarily for pro sound--Google "The Gigologist". I currently rep Arcam, Totem, Energy, Yamaha, Sennheiser, etc. I've also repped Denon, Sonus Faber, AR, Counterpoint and dozens of others over a 40-year career. I'm also the founder of Onkyo USA Corp.
Frank Malitz
847-668-4519

Frank - I have a Carver Dominator D-8 that just stopped working. The driver has no visible damage, actually it looks flawless. The line level outputs work, passing signal to another sub. when I pulled the driver its terminals show 0 ohms - open circuit. I am sure you could repair the amp circuit if it had failed, but doesn't the open circuit point to a fried voice coil? I would like to repair the D-8 but can't locate a new driver, and don't want ship you the circuits and spend $250 unless I know the driver is good. Am I missing something? What else can I do to test the driver (and circuits)?

Regards,
John

Hello Everyone.
I've gotten a lot of correspondence on these issues so I'll reply with some random thoughts:
1) If your sub hums and did so from day one or you've added a component to the system recently, lift the ground on the AC plug. Don't clip it off, just buy a 99 cent adapter at the hardware store.
2) If the sub starts humming, tighten the nuts that hold the potentiometers. If that does not work, STOP USING IT AT ONCE. I've encountered extra costs due to extra damage caused by using a failing sub-woofer. So far, I've not passed any extra charges on to you guys, so help me out here. Humming? Unplug it and contact me at once.
3) We will begin repairing drivers this week! First, we'll start with 10's and see how they measure up to my test mule. If a tinsel lead is broken, it won't be expensive to repair. If it's a complete rebuild, figure around $225 for a 10 and 250 for a 12. Sunfire was charging $675 at one point!!! I'm trying to source 12" parts and should know in a few days. Same for 8s. If you have a non-flat 8, I might have the parts but email or call me to find out.
4) A blown voice coil will measure zero ohms but total failure is rare. It's usually an indication that the amp burned the coil as it failed and both would need repair! Hope you merely need a tinsel lead repair. You can test the amp by hooking the amp to any speaker. Set the x-over as high as possible, open the amp, disconnect the Sunfire driver, hook up the test speaker and if the speaker plays loud without hum, the amp may be fine.
John, I'm looking into the D8 later today. I need to know if it's a flat driver or cone shaped. I assume it has a fat surround like the higher-preformance models.
Frank Malitz
fmalitz@comcast.net
847-668-4519