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Radial Failure

When I had to replace one in 2005 it cost £83.25 including postage directly from Harbeth but I am in the UK and that was nearly two decades ago.

The 5" Radial woofer was £159 in 2018.

I'm sure prices for Harbeth spares in the UK are far more reasonable than they are on this side of the ocean. The couriers and the importer will certainly be wanting their taste.

At least the price hasn't gone up, I paid the same for the last one 2-3 years ago.
 
No, the basket ist from RADIAL.
http://www.highfidelity.pl/@main-579&lang=en
"SHL5Plus is a three-way speaker, although main job is done by two larger drivers. It's a 25 mm aluminum cone tweeter custom made by a Norwegian SEAS and a 200mm woofer made by Harbeth. It sports cone made of RADIAL2 material – type of polypropylene. Also its basket is made of plastic."
 
EtShXle.jpg


The evidence against the cats is adding up.

(I have a new pair of grills hidden in a box, the ones on the speakers are "sacrificial".)
 
Have you contacted Harbeth, and what did they say? How old are the speakers (still under warranty)?
 
Have you contacted Harbeth, and what did they say? How old are the speakers (still under warranty)?

I contacted Harbeth's US importer, in order to acquire a replacement. I had not noticed the crack at that time though, and haven't been back in touch. I am not the original owner of these speakers, so there's no warranty.
 
Hi,
Old Shatterhand, injection moulding might be expensive, for some items, but for a simple cone, NO, i used to be a tool maker many years ago, and i could of knocked a simple cone tool off in a couple of days, after that with the right material beads, you could make one every 40 seconds ish, on an injection moulding machine, very cheap process,
sorry about the font, :)
 
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Morning,
You don't need to shout.;)
I'm a tool maker too with a further education as a "technician" (in Germany it is called: staatlich geprüfter Techniker Fachrichtung Konstruktionstechnik). Compare this 40 seconds and this more expansive tool, more expansive machine, more expansive energy and maintenance costs with the process of vacuum forming.:)
 
EtShXle.jpg


The evidence against the cats is adding up.

(I have a new pair of grills hidden in a box, the ones on the speakers are "sacrificial".)

The ‘evidence’ suggests the cats have scratched the grills and also walked on them when they weren’t fitted. Maybe Harbeths aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, har har. Whatever, I’m sure Harbeth would be able to tell what caused the crack if you sent the photo of it to them. Seems silly to speculate further in this thread without at least asking them.
 
They are intentionally stiff and brittle afaik. I don't think it would happen from playing music. My wife was practicing her golf swing (without the club) but she had her mobile in one hand. It flew out of her hand and hit the grilles, leaving a crack on the driver. Daft but true. A member of staff at Harbeth told me if you push the driver in it may crack. He said he lost one, by pushing it in too much when cleaning his speakers. Most likely your cat put too much pressure on it in the wrong place.
 
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I've just replaced my second Harbeth woofer in three years, both from the same affliction - a cracked cone:

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Does anyone familiar with Harbeth know if this is the "usual" failure mode for these speakers?

I was amused that it's a radial crack...



Going by the rough condition of the screws, I would guess that the previous owner of these SHL5+ had replaced the woofer at least once before.

I think Alan Shaw should be reminded of this on a daily basis for until he steps up and honors himself, his product and his brand. He certainly spends a lot of time explaining how his speakers are God's gift to all music lovers in the known universe.
 
I think Alan Shaw should be reminded of this on a daily basis for until he steps up and honors himself, his product and his brand. He certainly spends a lot of time explaining how his speakers are God's gift to all music lovers in the known universe.

He does, but even he does not claim them to be cat-proof.
 
I can understand why Alan thinks highly of his product, the level of enthusiasm in various owners groups is astonishing. One of the many FB groups regularly has hundreds joining in Asia and all over the world

Personally I think my tannoys are way better :D
 
There has been no opportunity for that to happen.
No, they just got up on their hind legs and patted the grilles before starting to scratch. Fairly typical cat behavior. I do think you have gotten to the bottom of it. Replace the drivers and keep said kitties away from them, if possible.
 


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