I have a pair of Cerwin-Vega RE-30s in great condition. Today, I had the idea of playing the "In the Air Tonight" bass test version on them for the hell of it. Throughout the song, I heard this somewhat loud vibrate/hissing (hard to describe) coming from each cabinet. I figured it was just air coming from the port, but after further inspection, it seems that it is actually air escaping from around the fuse "box." I have never heard this before, probably because I have never played anything very bass heavy with soft-ish mids and highs. I thought that cabinets and boxes are suppose to be pretty air tight, or at least not let this much air out.

My question is, why is this happening? Is it just a flaw in the cabinet? Nothing appears to be wrong with anything on the back; the fuse, binding posts, or the back plate that holds both of those things on. Is there a way to fix this?

If you need any more info, just let me know.

Box is leaking at the seams most likely. Take out the woofer and run some sealent along the seams and let it cure for a day or so. That should take care of the problem.

Alright, sounds good. Easy enough. Thanks!

Yep, terminal boxes are stupid to use IMO. Build a stiff box then cut a hole in it and put a flimsy piece of plastic with a shitty seal. Not a good idea.

Titebond III would be best, not sealant. The Titebond would actually bind the wood together as one, if you have some.. gather some sawdust and sprinkle it on the Titebond after applying.

Titebond III would be best, not sealant. The Titebond would actually bind the wood together as one, if you have some.. gather some sawdust and sprinkle it on the Titebond after applying.

It's along the plastic speaker terminal housing that is causing the leaks. At least that is what I got from the thread. Silicone would be better since it's plastic.

I'd actually remove it, put a piece of MDF over the hole (take out the sub to get to it) and then just use post terminals drilled through the mdf or run the wire through the port.

Yeah, after some thought, I didn't think that sealant would be the best thing on that plate. Might do the MDF idea, but later. I don't have the time for that right now. I want to completely fix this because it sounds (and feels) like a LOT of air is escaping.

On a different note, since we are on the topic of my Cerwin-Vegas, and I don't want to start a new thread, I'm hearing distortion through them sometimes. It is more pronounced at lower volumes, and it seems like it is actually coming from the 4" mid. For example, in the "In the Air Tonight" bass test version, when the bass is pulsing, the Vegas are distorting on the peaks of the pulse. I bought these used, and have really had no problem with them except for now with the air thing and this. I want my Vegas to be top notch. Is there anything that I can do to test or make sure nothing is wrong with them? I have pushed them fairly hard at times, but nothing ridiculous. And like I said, the distortion is more pronounced at lower volumes (Maybe because there isn't loud music to cover it up?)

4" driver will distort VERY easily with any bass. You need to raise their HP point.

Yep, terminal boxes are stupid to use IMO. Build a stiff box then cut a hole in it and put a flimsy piece of plastic with a shitty seal. Not a good idea.

Real badasses just take bolts and screw them through the box. Passive woofer wins again.