Amp speaker question.

[Mike W]

How can you tell if a speaker in an amp is going bad or is bad? My Mesa/Boogie F-30 speaker just does not sound right - sometimes it sounds ok, for example on the clean channel, others not so good, sort of fuzzy sounding, not clear. Also, on the clean channel, when I adjust the gain it makes a crackling sound when I turn the knob around the 11 o'clock position. It does not do that on the other channel. My amp is only a few months old and I have never taken it out of my house.

If anybody thinks it could be a bad speaker, what could cause that? And how much does a decent speaker cost to replace it?

[Stratmeister]

That's a tough call based on your descriptions. But generally speaking, when a speaker goes bad, it's bad. No sometimes it's good, sometimes it bad. No tears I assume? Doesn't sound like a voice coil rub either. Any rate, figure $75-100 for a good speaker depending on brand and seller, shipping, etc...

Another thing that can cause this is a faulty or failing tube. But it sounds like you're not experienced in amp debugging, so I would suggest taking it back to the place you bought it and let them troubleshoot it for you.