You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
refoaming speakers
- Thread starter Spider
- Start date
Martin Clark covered this in the Reference section some time ago:-
https://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/threads/replacing-foam-speaker-surrounds.134619/
"Good HiFi" in Holland can supply almost any surround you could need and give superb service.
To give credit where it's due I must mention my experience of Good HiFi several years ago when I first noticed the foam surrounds of my AE1s were deteriorating. I looked on their website and, finding that they supplied new surrounds for AE1s I ordered a pair online. When they arrived I put them on the shelf and left them for about 3 years before the AE1s were so bad (they were doing service in the "office" on the end of a mini system that my wife listened to Radio 4 on whilst on the computer - so not urgent!) until one weekend I decided it was time to tackle the job.
Having removed the drivers from the cabinet and removed the old perished foam I was dismayed to find the surrounds didn't seem to fit properly.
Although it was a Saturday I emailed Good HiFi to ask if the foams could have lost their shape during storage. Over the course of the weekend I received several replies asking for the detailed dimensions of the surrounds, with full instructions of what to measure, and the upshot was that it appeared I had got AE109 surrounds. They asked if I might have ordered 109 surrounds by mistake and, after 3 years, I couldn't be sure and I told them I couldn't check my old order as I'd changed my computer and lost mo old records.
At that point I thought I'd have to re-order due entirely to my own fault.
They replied that they would check their order archives, but they were in their office and so it would have to wait until Monday morning.
When I started up the computer Monday morning (about 8 am) I saw I already had an email from Good HiFi saying that they'd checked their archives and found that my old order was indeed for AE1 surrounds (and attaching a copy of my order in confirmation) and it was their error and a new pair of the correct surrounds would be in the post that day. They were received a day or 2 later and were fitted with 100% satisfactory results.
They could have easily have fobbed me off but instead went over & above what I considered excellent service, highly recommended!
https://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/threads/replacing-foam-speaker-surrounds.134619/
"Good HiFi" in Holland can supply almost any surround you could need and give superb service.
To give credit where it's due I must mention my experience of Good HiFi several years ago when I first noticed the foam surrounds of my AE1s were deteriorating. I looked on their website and, finding that they supplied new surrounds for AE1s I ordered a pair online. When they arrived I put them on the shelf and left them for about 3 years before the AE1s were so bad (they were doing service in the "office" on the end of a mini system that my wife listened to Radio 4 on whilst on the computer - so not urgent!) until one weekend I decided it was time to tackle the job.
Having removed the drivers from the cabinet and removed the old perished foam I was dismayed to find the surrounds didn't seem to fit properly.
Although it was a Saturday I emailed Good HiFi to ask if the foams could have lost their shape during storage. Over the course of the weekend I received several replies asking for the detailed dimensions of the surrounds, with full instructions of what to measure, and the upshot was that it appeared I had got AE109 surrounds. They asked if I might have ordered 109 surrounds by mistake and, after 3 years, I couldn't be sure and I told them I couldn't check my old order as I'd changed my computer and lost mo old records.
At that point I thought I'd have to re-order due entirely to my own fault.
They replied that they would check their order archives, but they were in their office and so it would have to wait until Monday morning.
When I started up the computer Monday morning (about 8 am) I saw I already had an email from Good HiFi saying that they'd checked their archives and found that my old order was indeed for AE1 surrounds (and attaching a copy of my order in confirmation) and it was their error and a new pair of the correct surrounds would be in the post that day. They were received a day or 2 later and were fitted with 100% satisfactory results.
They could have easily have fobbed me off but instead went over & above what I considered excellent service, highly recommended!
mark121211
pfm Member
I've just finished re-foaming a pair of JBL Control 1's (the 5th pair of drive unit i've re-foamed) so here are some observations from a DIY perspective, re-foamng paper cone speakers.
- If your foam hasn't completely disintegrated used a small pair of scissors to cut through the foam. Cut in the centre and be careful not to cut though lead out wires. I do this to seperate the foam glued to the cone from that glued to the chassis as it helps the removal / cleaning process.
- If your drive unit is fitted with paper blocks that mount against a baffle run a craft knife or plastic blade betwween the chassis and block to separate the foam from the chassis. I tendd to use a plastic blade to scrape the worst off the foam off the chassis as it does not scratch. White spirit or alcohol will help to remove stubborn spots along with some heat from a hair-dryer.
- If the surround is glued to the back of the come do not be tempted to bend the cone for access esp if it is doped paper. You will not get a crease out and risk damage distorting the coil former.
- On paper cones where the foam glued to the back of the cone I use cotton buds dipped in alcohol to remove the old foam. Be careful not to get the cone wet. If you do let it dry before proceeding.
- I Hi-Tack Fast Tack PVA glue to glue foam surrounds and tend to glue the foam to the cone then the foam to the chassis.
- I apply a thin film of adhesive to the foam and the cone, again with cotton buds. Allow to dry for a minute or 2 then stick together. I then run a clean cotton bud over the glue joint to ensure the foam has adhered to the cone.
- If you drive unit has no dust you can shim the voice coil gap with appropriately sized paper during the cleaning / gluing process to ensure the gap is maintained.
- If your drive units have dust caps you will need to decide if you think the benefits outweigh the difficulty to remove / replace. Some drive units run wider coil gaps than others. Naim IBL for instance are very tight.
If this is your first go and you value your drive units you may want to re-foam some stunt speakers first.
- If your foam hasn't completely disintegrated used a small pair of scissors to cut through the foam. Cut in the centre and be careful not to cut though lead out wires. I do this to seperate the foam glued to the cone from that glued to the chassis as it helps the removal / cleaning process.
- If your drive unit is fitted with paper blocks that mount against a baffle run a craft knife or plastic blade betwween the chassis and block to separate the foam from the chassis. I tendd to use a plastic blade to scrape the worst off the foam off the chassis as it does not scratch. White spirit or alcohol will help to remove stubborn spots along with some heat from a hair-dryer.
- If the surround is glued to the back of the come do not be tempted to bend the cone for access esp if it is doped paper. You will not get a crease out and risk damage distorting the coil former.
- On paper cones where the foam glued to the back of the cone I use cotton buds dipped in alcohol to remove the old foam. Be careful not to get the cone wet. If you do let it dry before proceeding.
- I Hi-Tack Fast Tack PVA glue to glue foam surrounds and tend to glue the foam to the cone then the foam to the chassis.
- I apply a thin film of adhesive to the foam and the cone, again with cotton buds. Allow to dry for a minute or 2 then stick together. I then run a clean cotton bud over the glue joint to ensure the foam has adhered to the cone.
- If you drive unit has no dust you can shim the voice coil gap with appropriately sized paper during the cleaning / gluing process to ensure the gap is maintained.
- If your drive units have dust caps you will need to decide if you think the benefits outweigh the difficulty to remove / replace. Some drive units run wider coil gaps than others. Naim IBL for instance are very tight.
If this is your first go and you value your drive units you may want to re-foam some stunt speakers first.