Majik 109 Modification

[acaro]

I thought I would pass on some information with regards to a recent modification I made on my Majik 109s. I was having problems with the woofer rattling a wee bit when playing certain types of music. The problem was repeatable and the problems remained even after changing channels on my amp. Even though the speakers were still under warranty, I was worried they would only change only the faulty woofer and not the woofer on the other speaker. Some of the forums mentioned that speaker was made by SEAS and I was able to determine that the woofer was a modified CA15RLY. As I was searching woofers made by SEAS with the exact same footprint, I was able to identify 2 higher end woofers that would fit exactly with no modifications necessary to the cabinets. I asked someone at Linn (no mention of names) if this was a good idea and he responded that one of the woofers I identified was an excellent choice - the SEAS Excel W15LY001. Now that I have had the opportunity to listen to these new woofers for over 4 months, I have to say that this is more than a significant improvement. The bass is on a completely different level - tight and responsive and way more musical. I put back the old woofers to compare and can now really appreciate the difference that this modification has made.

[moog_man]

Good to know, cheers

Was it an easy fit, swapping in the new woofer? An inexpensive upgrade, or?
~ Looks good in the pic.
Finally, what is your M109 sitting on.... interesting..

[acaro]

It was a very easy swap. The screw alignment on the new woofers are exactly the same as the originals. Very easy to swap out. Each woofer was US $140. They are a big upgrade to the originals. My 109s are sitting on a pair of recoil stabilizers made by Primacoustic. They are essential for when you are not using stands such as a bookcase in my situation.

[Discodave]

Just seeing this thread....has anyone else taken this step and can report back?

I can't see me changing speakers for quite a while (famous last words) so upgrading what I feel is a truly wonderful speaker is very interesting :)

[Matteo]

yes, interesting

Can the upgrade woofers accomodate the original grill?

M.

[paolo]

Just seeing this thread....has anyone else taken this step and can report back?

I can't see me changing speakers for quite a while (famous last words) so upgrading what I feel is a truly wonderful speaker is very interesting :)

Hi, I have done it on a couple of M109s and I can confirm it is a worthwhile upgrade, with the new woofers there's better integration with the 2K array, articulation and control. The upgraded woofer can be perfectly accomodated with the original screws' holes and grills. A correctly made soldering if of course needed to get good performance.

Paolo

[Discodave]

Thanks Paolo

[Matteo]

Thanks Paolo

Considering my situation (see the attached pic), I'm also curious about Primacoustica recoil stabilizer or similar platform.

M.

[Charlie1]

Considering my situation (see the attached pic), I'm also curious about Primacoustica recoil stabilizer or similar platform.

Very smart looking setup Matteo!

I found the perfect onesie for you to relax in :) ...

[Matteo]

not bad ...

[Matteo]

Marco, did you try the M109 woofers modification?

M.

[mrco99]

Hi Matteo!

I have the drivers here but still no opportunity came by on finding a - dirt - cheap pair of 109s to give this a try.
If anyone has a pair of 109s - possibly even with broken bass/mid drivers then let me know.

If you are willing to take a chance and if you can miss them, then you may send me your pair and I can put them in without any extra labour costs.

Cordiali Saluti e Ciao,

Marco

[Matteo]

Hi Matteo!

I have the drivers here but still no opportunity came by on finding a - dirt - cheap pair of 109s to give this a try.
If anyone has a pair of 109s - possibly even with broken bass/mid drivers then let me know.

If you are willing to take a chance and if you can miss them, then you may send me your pair and I can put them in without any extra labour costs.

Cordiali Saluti e Ciao,

Marco

Thanks Marco

I've just sent you an e-mail.

M.

[Matteo]

Marco

Any news on the woofers modifications?

Thanks

M.

[Matteo]

Just listen seriously to the modified 109s (after 24h of continuously playing).

First impressions are highly positive and similar to those from acaro.

I guess that they need more run-in, but I suspect that they could only improve.

A well-worth modification, that I can easily recommend to all the 109s owners

M.

[Matteo]

After a few days with an awful sound, last night I was listening to Bill Evans Trio - Waltz for Debby at very low volume and the sound was very musical, not congested as with the original woofers.

I noticed also that the new woofers are less sensitive (86.5 instead of 88), so you have to turn up a bit the volume to reach the same level as before.

M.

[sunbeamgls]

After a few days with an awful sound, last night I was listening to Bill Evans Trio - Waltz for Debby at very low volume and the sound was very musical, not congested as with the original woofers.

I noticed also that the new woofers are less sensitive (86.5 instead of 88), so you have to turn up a bit the volume to reach the same level as before.

M.

Does this not make them sound rather bright?

[Matteo]

After a few days with an awful sound, last night I was listening to Bill Evans Trio - Waltz for Debby at very low volume and the sound was very musical, not congested as with the original woofers.

I noticed also that the new woofers are less sensitive (86.5 instead of 88), so you have to turn up a bit the volume to reach the same level as before.

M.

Does this not make them sound rather bright?

yes, a bit, but maybe it's also due to the run-in process ...

M.

[Charlie1]

...last night I was listening to Bill Evans Trio - Waltz for Debby at very low volume and the sound was very musical, not congested as with the original woofers.

Glad to hear it.

Have you got any before/after clips you can share? ;)

[Matteo]

Have you got any before/after clips you can share? ;)

Unfortunately, I don't.

Not easy to do with 3 kids around though :)

[Charlie1]

Not easy to do with 3 kids around though :)

As long as it's the same three kids in each clip then i don't see an problem :D

[Spannko]

Have you got any before/after clips you can share? ;)

Unfortunately, I don't.

Not easy to do with 3 kids around though :)

I know the feeling! We had 3 grandchildren with us over the weekend which totally buggered up my weekend of fun!

[Ferdydurke]

Great posting, acaro, very interesting for someone who like me was just looking for something to replace his 109ers...

Mine are playing "active", driven by Linn's 6100-D, and I wonder wether this is an advantage or a no-go for your recomended woofer-modification? At least you could compensate the difference of 1dB (86,5 compared to 87,5 of the original woofer). Any idea?

cheers,
Ferdy
(new in this forum; will introduce myself asap where this is meant to be posted)

[Ferdydurke]

Hi there

I did some investigating and came across a website of danish constructeur Troels Gravesen, who started a project with 3 different SEAS 5" Woofers, two of them mentioned above from acaro. I hope he won't mind when I quote from what he himself put online:

"The CA15RLY and W15LY001 versions from this project are finished and I'm left with the task of writing something about these drivers? Hmm...they're all good, but for various reasons. From the CA15RLY you get a dynamic little speaker that I'm sure will satisfy most if you know what you can expect from 75 cm^2 cone area. The W15LY001 costs more than twice the CA15RLY price and as always we apply to the law of diminishing return. The W15LY001 is a better driver. It provides a tad deeper bass and it can be driven a harder without noticeable distortion. But some may prefer the more vivid presentation from the cheaper brother.

The CA15CY001 system is the "Joe-Cool" of the gang presented here. With 83 dB sensitivity it's slightly less dynamic compared to the other two, but the lack of colouration from the magnesium cone is hard to ignore. This speaker tells you very much what's on the recording, but in a non-aggressive way as can be the case from speakers with an elevated upper midrange or treble voicing.

Overall there's a steadily progression in clarity and naturalness going from the CA15RLY over the W15LY001 to the W15CY001 driver, with a wider gap between the CA15 and the W15LY compared to W15LY and W15CY. The latter two are close with the increased sensitivity of the W15LY being the key difference."

From: http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/SEAS_5INCH.htm

His observation "some may prefer the more vivid presentation from the cheaper brother" could explain why Linn chose the cheaper Woofer for their "small" Majik System.
Still unsure wether it's a good idea to change the well-balanced configuration of the 109-as-is...

Thanks

Ferdy

[Matteo]

Maybe yes, maybe no

Mine are still in run-in process, so it takes a lot of more hours to reach a definitive comment.

M