Foam-Edged Speakers.

[Joe]

Does anybody know a CHEAP way of bodging up speakers where the foam that joins the cone to the frame has perished? I know kits are available but they cost more than the speakers are worth, or at least what they're worth to me.

Thanks.

Joe

[tiv48]

try this http://www.vonslatt.com/spkhack.shtml . but i found refoam kits for £11
rob t

[beam me up schottky]

I've just put new foam surrounds on my AR LST 2's for £16.

[Joe]

Thanks for the replies.

I think it'll be the gaffer tape as they aren't worth spending big money on. If I could drive I'm sure I could get some 'new' ones from a car-boot sale that'd be just as good.

- Joe

[Paula A]

get some cushion foam.. cut with the hot wire method.. outside.. fumes are nasty... little known trick.. if frozen for a while and you work fast you can sand it with a rotary sander. for glue you need the proper foam glue.. evo-stik has a habit of melting it.

[Joe]

Now THAT'S the sort of dodge I like!

Thanks

Joe

[Paula A]

My pleasure. I replaced the perished foam on a lovely pair of early 60's Celestions that way in the early 80's. I think the blue foam would look rather fetching.

I think you could even get away with making conical rings from sheet foam of the right thickness with a nice bevel overlap for the seam.

[AlanBeckett]

The problem is that the material of the surround is only part of the story. On the one hand it's simply there to keep the edge of the cone centred in the chassis, so you could use anything that's flexible. However, it's also part of the cone suspension - the 'Spring and Weight' analogy - along with the centre spider, and also forms part of the cone damping. Reputable Manufacturers will have tested the cone suspension to produce a particular response. Unfortunately, changing the suspension will change the speaker's response, and amateurs - us - simply don't have the equipment to carry out the necessary tests - typically an anechoic chamber and an expensive kit of Test Equipment. Another problem is age. In the '70s doped fabric surrounds were very popular, and successful, untill the plasticisers evaporated. Equally, moulded rubber surrounds were often used on cheaper units, but they disintegrate with age.
I fear that there is no universal solution, apart from replacing the suspension and listening to it.
Alan