Speaker cone foam ring

2/6/2009 8:54:35 PMElton

Hi all my 12 inch Utah woofers the foam ring around the cones are deteriorating to the point that I afraid to play them. Is there some place to buy replacements or does anyone know of a novel way to repair them I hate to just throw therm out I have had them for 20 years and they sound great , any ideas are apprecaited
Elton

2/6/2009 9:04:51 PMPeter G. Balazsy

http://www.electronix.com/catalog/advanced_search_result.php/keywords/cone/sort/1a/page/2

2/6/2009 9:15:27 PMZ-

:Hi all my 12 inch Utah woofers the foam ring around the cones are deteriorating to the point that I afraid to play them. Is there some place to buy replacements or does anyone know of a novel way to repair them I hate to just throw therm out I have had them for 20 years and they sound great , any ideas are apprecaited
:Elton

Affordable surround replacement:

http://www.speakerworks.com/speaker_repair_kits_s/65.htm

Hope this helps.

Syl

2/6/2009 9:20:17 PMeasyrider8

Here is another site that sells them in pairs.

http://www.parts-express.com/wizards/searchResults.cfm?searchFilter=&srchExt=CAT&perPage=9&sortBy=1&layout=grid&page=2&srchPrice=&srchCat=373&srchMfg=&srchPromo=

Dave

2/6/2009 9:25:38 PMBeen There - Done That

:Affordable surround replacement:
:
:http://www.speakerworks.com/speaker_repair_kits_s/65.htm
:
:Hope this helps.
:
:Syl
__________

Agree with Syl - no need to replace the entire cone (unless it's damaged beyong repair) - IMHO that only adds an unnecessary step and increases the chance of really screwing up. A relatively simple replacement of the foam ring itself will do the job beautifully. Besides the online site Syl refers to, there are dozens of others - do a search. Opt for the kit with shim strips, glue and a new dust cover. I did my old AR's and they sound great!!!

2/6/2009 10:19:11 PMThomas Dermody

Perhaps www.electronix.com sells foam rings. The foam rings sold on the other site are much more than the cones Peter mentioned (about 80c a piece). However, you are right, it would be simpler to just replace the rings, which would eliminate a lot of possibility for error.

2/7/2009 9:43:09 AMBeen There - Done That

:Perhaps www.electronix.com sells foam rings. The foam rings sold on the other site are much more than the cones Peter mentioned (about 80c a piece). However, you are right, it would be simpler to just replace the rings, which would eliminate a lot of possibility for error.
:
:T.

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In my particular instance, the original cones were a nice polymer - replacing with paper (no matter how cheap) would have been a step back in technology. Also, when replacing the entire cone, you have to worry about camber and depth of the replacement cone which may not match the original.....

2/7/2009 5:20:11 PMThomas Dermody

Very true. That is a very important point to consider. When I recone my very old (brittle) speakers, I often have to shim the cone or make other provisions so that the voice coil is properly centered. Otherwise output suffers, and the cone can 'bottom out'.

2/6/2009 10:23:11 PMZ-

:Agree with Syl - no need to replace the entire cone (unless it's damaged beyong repair) - IMHO that only adds an unnecessary step and increases the chance of really screwing up. A relatively simple replacement of the foam ring itself will do the job beautifully. Besides the online site Syl refers to, there are dozens of others - do a search. Opt for the kit with shim strips, glue and a new dust cover. I did my old AR's and they sound great!!!

I wish they sell neoprene surrounds as used on high end speakers, as these seems to last forever. The new foam surrounds will probably need attention in 5 to 10 years again (guessing here). But since kits being quite affordable, if they are still available then, it becomes a moot point.

I am surprised they sell 4" kits too, not common to find refoam kits that small.

Syl

2/7/2009 9:45:57 AMBeen There - Done That

:I wish they sell neoprene surrounds as used on high end speakers, as these seems to last forever. The new foam surrounds will probably need attention in 5 to 10 years again (guessing here). But since kits being quite affordable, if they are still available then, it becomes a moot point.

_________

Syl,

There are a few places that used to sell a coating to extend the life of standard foam surrounds. It may be snake oil - but could possibly help. Do a search....

2/7/2009 12:11:42 PMZ-

:Syl,
:
:There are a few places that used to sell a coating to extend the life of standard foam surrounds. It may be snake oil - but could possibly help. Do a search....

The product sold to "revitalize" foam surround or "improve" the damping is essentially an "Armour-All" equivalent (at least the one I bought in a specialized audio store). It works if applied regularly on a good surround but it did nothing for an aged one, sadly. It was quite expensive for what I thought was a relabeled product, found in auto-store for 1/3 the price. I do treat my Tannoy's neoprene surrounds once a year with Armour-all though. It can't hurt. Speakers are from 1988 and the surround is still like new (after close inspection for aging, once a year). The cones are made of Polyolefin and don't need any protection. Tannoy's fancy name for their damped polymer cones...

Syl

2/7/2009 5:22:26 PMThomas Dermody

I think that Edd said something about silicon grease (such as dielectric grease).

I wonder what the difference is between neoprene foam and the neoprene boots on the tie rod ends on my 1951 Chevrolet, because the boots are still in great shape to this day. I don't know how foam handles petroleum products. Might not be the same. There was a foam used in the 70s that turned to mush...probably not neoprene, though.

2/7/2009 8:39:25 PMPeter G. Balazsy

:I think that Edd said something about silicon grease (such as dielectric grease).

I think this is what EDD was talking about maybe?