Anyone have a similar problem with banana connector going loose? The connector is a base for the banana plug. It links internally with a nut that has a wire attached to it. The nut is inside the cabinet and unfortunately it has fallen in and I can’t screw the connector back in. Does anyone know how to get that fixed? Or does anyone know how to get inside the cabinet or take that plastic bracket off?
Cheers
MJ
My opinion of Focal just went down another notch.
Seriously though, forum experience and wisdom aside, I’d just take them to a Focal dealer and make it their problem to deal with.
I know @feeling_zen (big sigh!) It is so embarrassing that such a beautifully finished product has the most important part the least reliable.
Isn’t the only Focal dealer/distributor in the UK the one in Salisbury, though?
AFAIK there are absolutely loads of Focal dealers in the UK. It’s a major international brand.
I would advise you to get in touch with your Focal dealer.
A quick trip to the Focal website should enable you to find a local dealer, assuming you aren’t able to go back to the vending party?
When I had a pair of 1037s on dem many years ago, one of the banana speaker terminals snapped - it did look very well used and had the usual hole cut through the thread for use a s a binding post which can’t have helped. IIRC, the back plate came free via some screws and the interesting bit for me was the very thin gauge of the speakers’ internal wiring, compared to all the speaker cabling and other system I/C’s.
Can you feel any screwheads under the product/serial number plate, which might give you some idea of how to gain entry should this turn in to a DIY job?
Unless the plastic housing is screwed in (or can be carefully loosened if just pressed into place) you would probably need to unscrew a drive unit on the front to get access from the other side. Under normal circumstances not a big issue, but if you can’t locate the nut that has fallen off then your efforts would be in vain and there’s always the risk of something going wrong. As others have said, a trip to a dealer is probably the best option here.
Thank you all for brilliant response. I can all update you that my local dealer has just said to me that they wouldn’t fix it for me. If anything, they’d send it over to Focal at my cost, even though the speakers are still under 2 year warranty. Not very helpful.
I like the idea of getting inside the speaker via unscrewed driver. Anyone ever unscrewed Focal drivers?
I think you should insist on the warranty being observed by your dealer. Get Focal involved if your dealer continues to be difficult. Surely it cannot be in Focal’s interest to have such “unhelpful” dealers…
I’m intrigued as to how you know the nut has a wire attached, and why both connectors are removed. Did you deliberately unscrew them?
I would e-mail Focal direct and see what they say.
By the look of the terminal (I think it screws downwards in to the nut?), one would think there should be a locking mechanism to prevent any twisting of the terminal (i.e. doing up etc,) releasing the nut - e.g. I would expect 2 nuts to be used or a simple lock-nut.
Strikes me (unless you have doing something untoward per HH’s query?) this could be a design/production fault - and your normal consumer rights should be respected.
Can you get access from underneath?
Dear @anon4489532
Whether the nut has a wire attached to it is my great assumption because I can’t imagine how else it could be connected. Basically, you’ve got that connector I showed that screws into the bracket. Internally, I saw through a little hole a tooth lock washer and a nut. I presume the wire has to be attached/soldered to it because that is the only connection. I couldn’t screw it back in, once the connector came off because the nut was lying too far. The speaker came with loose connectors and basically I plugged the banana end in and out and the connector came off.
Marvellous!
I would expect the stud on the back of the terminal to pass through the back plate, washer and nut to hold it in place then a tag (to which the cables are attached) then another washer, lock washer and retaining nut.
Question is, is it possible to tilt the speaker and listen for loose parts moving in side. If there is a lot of quilting this may not show up. Looks like you are going to have to get in to the enclosure to reattach said parts. From your response you describe from your dealer they don’t seem to be very helpful.
If your Focal dealer is unwilling then it’s probably well worth getting in touch with Focal’s UK distributor, who just so happen to be based in Salisbury…
p.s. I have messaged you some contact details.
In that case, that’s terrible. Things shouldn’t just drop off. You certainly shouldn’t start unscrewing the bass units and poking around inside as you could void any warranty. Speaking of which, are they under warranty? If so you dealer has a responsibility to resolve the matter.
Yes, they are still under 2 year warranty. Just got them 3 weeks ago. Good to hear that the dealer who sold me these, should fix it for me. The problem is they are 400 miles away. I’m in Edinburgh. Am I suppose to pay for the delivery? That’s not going to be cheap.
There is at least one Focal dealer in Edinburgh. You’ll either have to eat humble pie and go local, or pay postage to get them to the supplying dealer. Presumably if you got them from a distance you got them cheap? It seems entirely reasonable that you pay to return them. The dealer may have an arrangement with a courier who could collect them for much less than you’d pay if you sent them.
Precisely, they were cheaper than anywhere else but if something is advertised as new with 2 year warranty then that shouldn’t make a difference.
Quite so. But you’ll need to pay to return them. Maybe you should have asked your local dealer to price match. With hifi it’s a good idea to build a relationship with a local dealer.
