# repairing hi fi speakers



## stewart (4 Aug 2010)

hi all

just got back from me hols - teenage daughter left alone in house for a few days - speakers broken! Grrr.... Just when I got me enthusiasm back for a spot of woodworking...

Before she returns from her holiday tomorrow and I kill her does anyone know if speakers can be repaired and places for parts? It looks like the rubber/foam disk that connects the cone to the rest of the speaker housing has disintegrated. The centre of the cone also is a bit crumpled...


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## cambournepete (4 Aug 2010)

If it's a recognised speaker brand then contact the manufacturers for spares.
Otherwise try Maplin or similar.

If the speaker surround has disintegrated then I wouldn't blame her - sounds like old age to me...


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## stewart (4 Aug 2010)

Thanks, Pete
Will root around on the net and try Maplins too.


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## misterfish (5 Aug 2010)

I've repaired a set of B&W speakers when one of the tweeters blew. As they were already an 'old' design the only replacements available were similar but not identical (apparently had a higher quality output). I replaced the unit in both speakers without any problems.

It's worth removing the damaged speaker to see if it is marked with a part number and then searching for that as some manufacturers use standard parts and may well add a premium if you buy from them.

Misterfish


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## Olwyn (5 Aug 2010)

Try C P C think they are at Preston in Lancs used them a few years ago and very good Olwyn


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## Racers (5 Aug 2010)

Hi,

You can get repair kits for speaker surrounds there are usually some on Ebay.


Pete


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## tekno.mage (5 Aug 2010)

You can get replacement foam surrounds for loudspeakers (try a google or ebay search) but replacing them can be a job & a half and needs a lot of research before you start. It's probably not worth it unless the speakers are valuable/collectable/of great sentimental value. I did replace the foam surrounds on a pair of Tannoy HPDs a while back, but after that job I wouldn't bother doing it on most loudspeakers, I'd just replace the actual loudspeaker in the box. 

If your speakers are Tannoys, they can be repaired by Tannoy or a company called Lockwood Audio who are based in London - at a large cost! If not take a look on ebay for replacement speaker drivers (you may even find someone selling the correct part for your speakers), or as already been suggested try CPC for a third party replacement.

BTW the degredation of the foam surround is definitely caused by age, but I imagine your daughter cranked the volume up rather more than you ususally do and this will have been the final straw that caused the disintegration.

The crumple middle part is nothing to worry about, except aesthetically, BTW, it's just a dust cover. *Very* careful application of a vacuum cleaner hose (with the vacuum cleaner set to low sucking) can pull out a crumpled or squashed dust cover and restore it's looks . Some hi-fi buffs even maintain that removal of the dust cover improves the sound (but this will of course allow dust ingress into the important gap between the magnet & the coil whhich the dust cover is there to protect.)

tekno.mage


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## Racers (5 Aug 2010)

Hi, Mage

Removal of the dust cap can turn your spealer in to a ported one, which can affect the sound, it might help the power handling by cooling the voice coil. But as you say not something that is recommended.

You can also kiss out dents in yout dust caps or use double sided tape.


Pete


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## Russell (5 Aug 2010)

I fitted a foam/cone repair on my speakers the jit cost £20 the repair took and evening and it work perfectly. The foam just glues into place with glue supplied. Bought my kit off ebay


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## bugbear (5 Aug 2010)

stewart":1lbdk9uw said:


> hi all
> 
> just got back from me hols - teenage daughter left alone in house for a few days - speakers broken!



Are you *sure* there wasn't a party?

BugBear


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## stewart (5 Aug 2010)

bugbear":2yal1kx2 said:


> stewart":2yal1kx2 said:
> 
> 
> > hi all
> ...



There was a party - I've seen the photos! To be honest it looked fairly good natured and not too many people in attendance!

I have looked around and found some foam surrounds but it does look a bit of a fiddle so I'm thinking of replacing the speaker in the case as this looks more manageable. Just a bit baffled by the range of choice - the speakers are Jamo Dynamite D3 which doesn't mean much to me as they were free from freecycle but they are the nicest sounding speakers (were the nicest sounding!) I've had. Any ballpark figures for a new woofer speaker that might match them in quality?

Thanks for all the replies and advice so far.


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## cjp (5 Aug 2010)

Rapid Electronics also have range of speakers: http://www.rapidonline.com/Electrical-P ... o/Speakers, if yours doesn't have any details on the speaker itself, post a pic of it and we might be able to help you choose.

Charlie


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## Eric The Viking (5 Aug 2010)

Assuming the bass drive units are installed from the front...

There's usually only a few screws holding the bass unit in (four or more, usually, sometimes behind a covering ring). If you undo them, and gently prise it out (the seal to the cabinet is often adhesive these days so be careful), it should have its impedance (measured in Ohms, "Ω"), and, if you're lucky, a maker's name on the magnet assembly.

If they're installed from the back it's a lot more awkward, but the principle is similar. You have to remove the back and probably the crossover and some padding to get at the back of the drive unit. then go through the routine as above. It may be held in with nuts and washers on studs, in which case you'll need a socket set or a small box spanner. If you dislike magnetized tools, mind the magnet, as it's big!

It's old fashioned, I know, but the drive units are usually measured in inches, and that's the diameter of the moving part. So as a starting point to spec out replacements, you need:

-- Drive unit impedance (Ω or Ohms)
-- Diameter (inches)
-- Power handling ('continuous' on the back of the speaker, usually, in Watts or just W.)
-- Sensitivity (dBA/W, from their web site. if you can find the ref.)

Note that the drive unit impedance is not necessarily the same as the entire speaker's impedance, but is probably 4Ohm, 6Ohm, or 8Ohm (it's unlikely to be more). If you're lucky, one of the well-known drive unit manufacturers makes for Jamo, in which case you might find a maker's name too. Audax is popular amongst European speaker makers but there are a number of others.

The sensitivity tells you how robust the units are - insensitive ones are for tecno/in-car/drum+bass/musical instrument amps and PA, sensitive ones for home cinema and hi-fi. You can't put the wrong sort of drive unit in and expect good results.

With those three or four bits of info, you're empowered to go shopping!

Jamo look to be quite big (at least, they do a lot of different models) and they're in Denmark, so they might help if you email them the model number.

Note: matching drive units is a lot more complicated than that, but for general purposes, the ear is pretty tolerant. As long as the drive unit matches the crossover fairly well (impedance and power handling tend to put it into the right ballpark), it'll work. You did say these were from Freecycle! If you want 'as new' sound, you may have to go to Jamo though, and pay accordingly.

HTH,

E.


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## matt (5 Aug 2010)

http://garlandsaudio.co.uk was always the first destination for speaker parts in the days when I meddled with such things.


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