I have a nice working Zenith 6D510 radio, but the speaker is shot. Sound is very distorted unless you put your finger on the cone at about 1" above the voice coil. Does anyone know where I can get the exact replacement or have it re-coned? It is a 4" Electro-Dynamic speaker, with a 560-ohm speaker field.

Hi Dennis

Try putting some cotton between cone and frame, behind the speaker. Try different places. This often cures a problem by helping align the cone.

There are people who recone speakers. AES lists Hank Brazeal, 205-823-9257.

I would try fixing the speaker first as reconing will be expensive.

Norm

:I have a nice working Zenith 6D510 radio, but the speaker is shot. Sound is very distorted unless you put your finger on the cone at about 1" above the voice coil. Does anyone know where I can get the exact replacement or have it re-coned? It is a 4" Electro-Dynamic speaker, with a 560-ohm speaker field.

:Thanks for the advice. I will try the repair first.

Hi Dennis
:
: Try putting some cotton between cone and frame, behind the speaker. Try different places. This often cures a problem by helping align the cone.
:
: There are people who recone speakers. AES lists Hank Brazeal, 205-823-9257.
:
: I would try fixing the speaker first as reconing will be expensive.
:
:Norm
:
:
:
::I have a nice working Zenith 6D510 radio, but the speaker is shot. Sound is very distorted unless you put your finger on the cone at about 1" above the voice coil. Does anyone know where I can get the exact replacement or have it re-coned? It is a 4" Electro-Dynamic speaker, with a 560-ohm speaker field.

::Thanks for the advice. I will try the repair first.
:
:Hi Dennis
::
:: Try putting some cotton between cone and frame, behind the speaker. Try different places. This often cures a problem by helping align the cone.
::
:: There are people who recone speakers. AES lists Hank Brazeal, 205-823-9257.
::
:: I would try fixing the speaker first as reconing will be expensive.
::
::Norm
::
::
::
:::I have a nice working Zenith 6D510 radio, but the speaker is shot. Sound is very distorted unless you put your finger on the cone at about 1" above the voice coil. Does anyone know where I can get the exact replacement or have it re-coned? It is a 4" Electro-Dynamic speaker, with a 560-ohm speaker field.

Dennis: unless you are a real purist I would recommend replacing the speaker with a modern PM type.
You can substitute a 600 resistor for the field coil and increase the size of the input filter capacitor to attenuate any hum that may be present. The modern speaker will sound much better than the old one ever did. Radios are unlike antique furniture and autos in that everything does not have to be original.

Hi there Dennis I purchased one Zenith 4" like the one for my 510 zenith Brand New on ebay hope this helps sincerely Bill
:::Thanks for the advice. I will try the repair first.
::
::Hi Dennis
:::
::: Try putting some cotton between cone and frame, behind the speaker. Try different places. This often cures a problem by helping align the cone.
:::
::: There are people who recone speakers. AES lists Hank Brazeal, 205-823-9257.
:::
::: I would try fixing the speaker first as reconing will be expensive.
:::
:::Norm
:::
:::
:::
::::I have a nice working Zenith 6D510 radio, but the speaker is shot. Sound is very distorted unless you put your finger on the cone at about 1" above the voice coil. Does anyone know where I can get the exact replacement or have it re-coned? It is a 4" Electro-Dynamic speaker, with a 560-ohm speaker field.
:
:Dennis: unless you are a real purist I would recommend replacing the speaker with a modern PM type.
:You can substitute a 600 resistor for the field coil and increase the size of the input filter capacitor to attenuate any hum that may be present. The modern speaker will sound much better than the old one ever did. Radios are unlike antique furniture and autos in that everything does not have to be original.

I suggest leaving in the original speaker. For AM reception, you don't want a high fidelity speaker. The speakers originally supplied with these radios usually have excellent tonal quality, and don't cover the super high frequencies. There's nothing up there anyway on AM. All you'll get are annoying carrier frequency harmonics.

All that is necessary to remedy this speaker is to shim the voice coil and then moisten the cone. First check the outside of the cone for loose glue joints. Then check the spider (flexible member that connects from the center of the coil to the frame). Check for any looseness and lifting. Correct with Elmer's white glue.

Now remove the dust cap if any is present--this covers the inside center of the cone--usually made of felt. Cut an index card into 1/4 inch wide strips, about 2 or 3 inches long. Shim between the coil and the magnet using 3 evenly spaced shims. A better product to use is the plastic from a film negative (Peter suggested this...excellent idea). It won't crumple like paper. Moisten the cone and let it dry for a few hours. The cone will now be recentered, and will sound great.

Replacing the speaker with a new one ruins the radio's appearance and functionality. The original speaker is matched to the radio's circuitry. The original speaker also has a field coil which will neutralize hum far better than any resistor. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of leaving in the original speaker for appearance and functionality, but then, there are tons of people out there who hot rod beautiful old cars, so I guess my words are falling on deaf ears.

T.

Be sure to replace the dust cover after centering the cone.

Thomas

Greets, Dennis.

Zenith was always good for maintaining consistency at OEM ~ one loudspeaker style was used in several different models. If you have no luck with repairing the speaker you may wish to shop eBay. Often, damaged radios or scrapped out chassis are sold for parts.

Hope it helps.

Gosh... I just noticed that this thread was originally started in '02. :eek: