AL-III+ popping sound

I have a set of AL-III+ and occaisionally as they are playing along there will be a click or pop then they will continue normally. CD, DVR, MP3 sources all have the same symptom. Anyone else experience this?
Tom

I would say it's not the speakers... Look into your amp or preamp....

I have a set of AL-III+ and occaisionally as they are playing along there will be a click or pop then they will continue normally. CD, DVR, MP3 sources all have the same symptom. Anyone else experience this?
Tom

What amp are you running Tom?

I have an ADA Cinema Rhapsody preamp feeding a Yamaha crossover into 2 x 100WPC @ 4ohm Alesis RA-100 Reference Studio amplifiers. I realize this is a little lean in the power department but I'm working on that! Each amp feeds one AL-III+, one channel for lows and one for highs. Xover point set at 150hz. It seems weak in the bass, even with a full 100W to each sub alone. I know I am getting the full amp output because I crank until the amps peak light just winks, then back off a bit. The subs are working OK, they rumble the floor but are not tight. My $150 Sony 15" sub blows them away. The ribbons are unreal, they sound SOOO good! I want to get this thing working even better!

Hookup is like this:

Rhapsody---XoverIn(L)----XoverOut(L)Lo---AlesisAmpA(Ch1)---ALIII+(L)Sub
| |--XoverOut(L)Hi---AlesisAmpA(Ch2)---ALIII+(L)Ribbon
|
--XoverIn(R)----XoverOut(R)Lo---AlesisAmpB(Ch1)---ALIII+(R)Sub
|--XoverOut(R)Hi---AlesisAmpB(Ch2)---ALIII+(R)Ribbon

My diagram got messed up when the leading spaces were removed...

PM TnRabbit, He's our resident AL-III guru. Do the + have the adjustment pots on the back of the speaker? I know Rabbit replaced the woofers in his and could tell you why he did so. I had AL-III's and had no lack of bass, but I was bi-amping them with a pair of M-500t's. Rabbit powers his with a Sunfire signature 400wpc.

Im using a TFM 35 to my ribbons ( AL III ) then a NAD 2400 to the woofers ( 200 watts per Chanel to the woofs )....the woofs are a bit weak and also clip the NAD amp , I added a Paradigm PW 2400 to the mix . I have always know the AL-III,s are a bit weak( woofers ) ( rabbit addad an upgrade that works for him )

If you're getting a "popping", I first suspect your amp is having issues driving the load. Although 4 ohms nominal, they are a WORKOUT for an amp that doesn't like less than 4 ohm loads. I have an amp reserve of 800 wpc into 4 ohms, one channel of that into each ribbon & each woofer (4 channels). Plus, the Sunfire amps will drive into a vanishing ohm load with ease.

I also converted to the Infinity Perfect 10.1 woofer (the OLD model, not the newer, crappier models). The old 10.1 has a frequency response down to 18 hz and up to 200 hz, plus has a sensitivity of 94 dB @ 1 watt. The new ones only go down to 25 hz and have a sensitivity of only 87 dB.

This will give you an idea of their excursion capability (crappy song/recording, but you get the idea,,,they are VERY clean):

I seriously think I'm just gonna build an IB subwoofer with 4x15s and disable the 10s in the AL-IIIS. Can't decide if I should keep them for just the 80-150hz range or just use the IB sub from 10-150hz.

I seriously think I'm just gonna build an IB subwoofer with 4x15s and disable the 10s in the AL-IIIS. Can't decide if I should keep them for just the 80-150hz range or just use the IB sub from 10-150hz.

Are you sure you can get reliable bass that high from 15" speakers? You're WELL into the "can tell where it's coming from" range there. I'd keep the AL-III woofers for the 40-50 hz and up range and use a sub for below that. IBs are FANTASTIC, btw...

Thanks for the replies Rabbit.

I agree, IB subs are cool. The crawlspace under my room is perfect for the back side of an "outie" type IB. Ever seen www.aespeakers.com? Their awesome 15" IB subs are only $125 each. A month ago they were on sale for $100 each if you bought 4.

When using home theater in THX mode, 80hz and under is sent out the subwoofer output from the preamp. This could be fed to the IB sub, then 80 hz up from L and R would go to a crossover. From the crossover, send 80-200hz to the woofers in the AL-III+ and 200hz-20khz to the ribbons. This requires 5 channels of amplification and removal of the 150hz low-pass filter section in the AL-III. I don't think my preamp has adjustments for sub crossover point so I seem to be stuck with the 80hz unless I upgrade the preamp. THX is pretty much designed for 80hz anyway as I understand it.

Just so you know; THX ain't "ALL THAT".....

I agree THX is just a method of equalization. If a movie is encoded with THX, it should be played back in THX. For music listening THX is nearly useless.

THX is a set of guide lines for minimum spec a device should have. THX is a copy righted item, so everyone that wants to use it has to pay a fee. This does not mean a device does not meet those specs but that somebody did not want to pay for the logo.

Starting new thread on THX.