captdef wrote: > I don't want to rain on anyone's parade with this post. Everyone is > entitled to repair their speakers with the materials they have most > easily available, but mctubster's findings reinforce what I've been > assuming with this method: This will degrade the speakers' dynamic > response. In practice it could be limiting the movement of the cone by > at least half if any semi-flexible adhesive is applied all the way up to > the peak of the rubber surround as most people have done. > > I have two Booms that I recently repaired using 'this re-foam kit' > (http://www.simplyspeakers.com/pioneer-speaker-foam-edge-repair-kit-fsk-3p.html) > that was mentioned earlier in the thread. Was it as easy as slapping on > some silicone? No. But the results were great. Both my units sound > like new. I did a quick comparison of sound after repairing the first > one against the one which had only a tiny, not-yet-rattling separation. > They sounded identical. > > The original plastic/rubber surrounds on the speakers do seem to have a > fatal flaw. The material is extremely thin, and seemingly most so right > at the transition from roll to basket edge where the splits are > occurring. They don't seem to be actual butyl rubber like you'd see on > better speakers. It's something more plastic-like, which might explain > why it's getting brittle and eventually cracking at this weak point. I > think the re-foams will hold up longer than the Boom will be viable. I > don't believe the bezel surrounding the speaker has anything to do with > the failures, as I've seen some people state. I looked very carefully > on both my units, and there is nowhere I could see that the bezel > touches the surround, even during full speaker incursion/excursion. > > If you love your Boom, repair it the right way, and get some serious > satisfaction in knowing it's probably better than factory now. > > Some tips I learned doing mine: > > > > > - Get a T10 long-shaft screwdriver. I had a ton of T10 bits, but > the holes in the chassis are so small that none of my drivers would > fit down inside. - Use a window scraper style razor blade to remove the surround from > the basket. Go slowly, and don't slip and slice your hand open. I > had a close call. You should be able to get it down almost to the > paint with a nice smooth surface to adhere the new surround. The > adhesive used on the basket is almost epoxy-like. It did not easily > soften with any solvents I had on hand. - I used 'this 3M solvent' > (http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/4153-3m-general-purpose-adhesive-cleaner-08984-p-10946.aspx) > (3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner) to remove the surround from > the cone. Saturate the foam rubber in one spot using a Q-tip soaked > in the solvent until you can work an edge up from the inside of the > cone using a toothpick, dental pick, or some other appropriate tool. > Once you get under it a little, applying more solvent underneath > that edge will release the adhesive fairly easily. Keep dabbing, > peeling, dabbing, peeling, and it will come right off. Clean up the > remaining adhesive on the cone using fresh Q-tips and lint-free > cloth. In my experience this solvent did not harm the cone in any > way. Just don't use more than necessary. - Watch the videos on Simply Speakers website before you start with > the new surround. Follow their method and you'll have great > results. - Take your time lining up and test-fitting the new surrounds. They > are a little bit smaller outside diameter than the originals, but > careful placement and centering on the cone will ensure you have > enough overhang on the basket to get good adhesion. The adhesive > provided with the Simply Speakers kit is really tacky and flexible > with a decent working time; far superior to some glues I've seen > with kits like this. This adhesive alone makes the extra cost of > these kits worth it over the other site mentioned. I am in no way > affiliated with any speaker repair supplier. > > >
Man, if anyone wanted to make a video of this for those of us terrified to take this on....it would be VERY appreciated. I just ordered my kit and am staring at my separated foam/woofer in despair. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ eellerto's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=56234 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=82497 _______________________________________________ Boom mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/boom
