One of my Mackie HR824 (mk1) studio monitors has started distorting in the HF driver. It's intermittent and sounds like a rattle. Initially I thought maybe the titanium dome had a crack in it, but after disassembling it, the diaphragm and coil look to be in perfect condition. To my surprise, I found the HF drivers use ferrofluid, which is my first exposure to the stuff. I think I've heard that sometimes the ferrofluid can get contaminated and the junk can cause the coil to rub, which would seem like it could cause the noise I'm hearing.
Can the ferrofluid be replaced? What is the function of the ferrofluid? Cooling? Any frequency response changes?
Looking around it seems these drivers are no longer available (some 3rd party has a compatible driver but they want $90 each and claim they "sound more present", which I take to mean "not the same as the original", and I'm hoping to not have to dig out a DSP to put in my desk to correct the "extra presence"), and since mine aren't actually blown or damaged in any visible way, I'd love to figure out how to continue using them.
Can the ferrofluid be replaced? What is the function of the ferrofluid? Cooling? Any frequency response changes?
Looking around it seems these drivers are no longer available (some 3rd party has a compatible driver but they want $90 each and claim they "sound more present", which I take to mean "not the same as the original", and I'm hoping to not have to dig out a DSP to put in my desk to correct the "extra presence"), and since mine aren't actually blown or damaged in any visible way, I'd love to figure out how to continue using them.