Got a new set of speakers yesterday (SDAT LEB 404S).

The box was banged up and one speaker had a minor ding. The other speaker's
main bass had some "rasp / rattle" at the deep end so I figured I would have
to return them. It wasn't plastic cover rattling or anything - it was
actually coming from the speaker.

Now, listening to them this morning, the "rasp / rattle" seems to be gone.
Can usage limber these things up and cure this kind of problem?

Thanks

"J Antero" wrote in message
link.net...
Got a new set of speakers yesterday (SDAT LEB 404S).

The box was banged up and one speaker had a minor ding. The other
speaker's main bass had some "rasp / rattle" at the deep end so I figured
I would have to return them. It wasn't plastic cover rattling or
anything - it was actually coming from the speaker.

Now, listening to them this morning, the "rasp / rattle" seems to be gone.
Can usage limber these things up and cure this kind of problem?

Yes, or a piece of foreign matter may have temporarily fallen to the side
and lodged where it doesn't vibrate. In that case, it will come back to
haunt you.

I would still consider the speakers damaged and return them.

In article .net,
"J Antero" wrote:

Can usage limber these things up and cure this kind of problem?

Some speakers require dozens of hours of "break in" before they
sound their best. Yours may be among them. But I agree -- the
shipping damage should be enough to cause you to return them.

sd

I recently added new foam surrounds to a couple of European woofers. I
mention European because I couldn't find an exact fit for speaker repair kit
to replace the foam surrounds and they came out of a German NSM jukebox. The
speakers we're somewhere between a 9 & 10 conventional speaker size. The
impedance wasn't conventional either, 7 ohms.
I ended up cutting a slightly oversize surround on an angle with a 1/4"
overlap to get a fit. Everything glued in well but both speakers still have
a rattle. I didn't replace the dust covers as those supplied with the repair
kit were too small.
Not meaning to hijack the thread but was wondering if anyone has a thought
on this problem.


"me" wrote in message
...
In article .net,
"J Antero" wrote:

Can usage limber these things up and cure this kind of problem?

Some speakers require dozens of hours of "break in" before they
sound their best. Yours may be among them. But I agree -- the
shipping damage should be enough to cause you to return them.

sd

Jeff Dieterle wrote:
I recently added new foam surrounds to a couple of European woofers. I
mention European because I couldn't find an exact fit for speaker repair kit
to replace the foam surrounds and they came out of a German NSM jukebox. The
speakers we're somewhere between a 9 & 10 conventional speaker size. The
impedance wasn't conventional either, 7 ohms.
I ended up cutting a slightly oversize surround on an angle with a 1/4"
overlap to get a fit. Everything glued in well but both speakers still have
a rattle. I didn't replace the dust covers as those supplied with the repair
kit were too small.
Not meaning to hijack the thread but was wondering if anyone has a thought
on this problem.

You say you didn't replace the dust caps. Did you remove them as part
of the repair and *shim the voice coil gap*???

If not, that's probably where your rattle came from. You didn't center
the voice coils and they're rubbing. The entire job--IMO--needs to be
redone. Likely, it's too late, but you might get lucky. The coils are
probably damaged by rubbing in the gap and the drivers should be reconed.

jak


"me" wrote in message
...
In article .net,
"J Antero" wrote:

Can usage limber these things up and cure this kind of problem?
Some speakers require dozens of hours of "break in" before they
sound their best. Yours may be among them. But I agree -- the
shipping damage should be enough to cause you to return them.

sd

"jakdedert" wrote in message
...
Jeff Dieterle wrote:
I recently added new foam surrounds to a couple of European woofers. I
mention European because I couldn't find an exact fit for speaker repair
kit
to replace the foam surrounds and they came out of a German NSM jukebox.
The
speakers we're somewhere between a 9 & 10 conventional speaker size. The
impedance wasn't conventional either, 7 ohms.
I ended up cutting a slightly oversize surround on an angle with a 1/4"
overlap to get a fit. Everything glued in well but both speakers still
have
a rattle. I didn't replace the dust covers as those supplied with the
repair
kit were too small.
Not meaning to hijack the thread but was wondering if anyone has a
thought
on this problem.

You say you didn't replace the dust caps. Did you remove them as part
of the repair and *shim the voice coil gap*???

Speaking of hijacking the thread...

I am in the process (glued the surrounds onto the cones last night) of
re-foaming a pair of Boston Acoustics T-830 woofers. The reason I knew that
they needed re-foaming was that one evening while listening to some loud
jazz, I suddenly heard a rat-a-tat-tat-tat machine gun-like sound coming
from one speaker where the foam had ripped 3/4 of the way around.

Should I expect that the driver is irreparably damaged as a result? At low
volume it sounds fine. I guess I'll find out tonight when I complete the
repair.

Dave

"me" wrote in message
...
Some speakers require dozens of hours of "break in" before they
sound their best.

Yes some speakers do require dozens of hours use before your auditory system
becomes accustomed to their sound.
I've always thought "break in" was a misleading term for that process, but
it's not as bad as some that are used by the high end brigade.

MrT.

" You say you didn't replace the dust caps. Did you remove them as part
of the repair and *shim the voice coil gap*???

If not, that's probably where your rattle came from. You didn't center
the voice coils and they're rubbing. The entire job--IMO--needs to be
redone. Likely, it's too late, but you might get lucky. The coils are
probably damaged by rubbing in the gap and the drivers should be reconed.

jak

I didn't replace the dust caps because the replacements were too small,
however I might as well try to make them fit before sending these to the
dumpster.... thanks

"Jeff Dieterle" wrote ...
" You say you didn't replace the dust caps. Did you remove them as
part
of the repair and *shim the voice coil gap*???

If not, that's probably where your rattle came from. You didn't
center the voice coils and they're rubbing. The entire
job--IMO--needs to be redone. Likely, it's too late, but you might
get lucky. The coils are probably damaged by rubbing in the gap and
the drivers should be reconed.

jak

I didn't replace the dust caps because the replacements were too
small, however I might as well try to make them fit before sending
these to the dumpster.... thanks

You didn't really answer the question. Did you...

1) Leave the original dustcaps in place (which means that you
did NOT shim the voice coil when you replaced the surround.)

OR

2) Remove the original dustcaps, and properly shim the voice
coil, then left the voicecoils exposed because the replacement
caps weren't big enough.

If (1), that would explain your symptoms. The reason the kit
comes with replacement caps is that you must shim the voice
coil to center the cone while securing the new surround.

If (2), leaving the voice coils exposed may have allowed
something to get in between the voicecoil and the magnet
pole, etc.

Perhaps you are too young to remember when they used to
use a round piece of felt to cover the center hole. I'd at
least do something like that rather than leaving it exposed.

In article , "Richard Crowley" wrote:
"Jeff Dieterle" wrote ...
" You say you didn't replace the dust caps. Did you remove them as
part
of the repair and *shim the voice coil gap*???

If not, that's probably where your rattle came from. You didn't
center the voice coils and they're rubbing. The entire
job--IMO--needs to be redone. Likely, it's too late, but you might
get lucky. The coils are probably damaged by rubbing in the gap and
the drivers should be reconed.

jak

I didn't replace the dust caps because the replacements were too
small, however I might as well try to make them fit before sending
these to the dumpster.... thanks

In trying to figure it, why would he try to make them fit, if they were
still on. There is some logic in there somewhere?

Well anyway, I always use hand manipulation to check for rubs
and stuff. I move the cone carefully as much as possible without
breaking anything. It loosens up the thing anyway. You have
to use both hands with even pressure in both directions.

This thread has taken a zigzag direction, but hope some tips help.
Another thing I check for whem I'm done is to check if the cone is
centered in travel.If I want to move it, I dampen the spyder
and put shims to move the cone in the other direction. Let
sit overnight. What else is there. Perhaps check the tinsel
leads. I've had to repair those before. Still don't know where
to buy some.

greg

You didn't really answer the question. Did you...

1) Leave the original dustcaps in place (which means that you
did NOT shim the voice coil when you replaced the surround.)

OR

2) Remove the original dustcaps, and properly shim the voice
coil, then left the voicecoils exposed because the replacement
caps weren't big enough.

If (1), that would explain your symptoms. The reason the kit
comes with replacement caps is that you must shim the voice
coil to center the cone while securing the new surround.

If (2), leaving the voice coils exposed may have allowed
something to get in between the voicecoil and the magnet
pole, etc.

Perhaps you are too young to remember when they used to
use a round piece of felt to cover the center hole. I'd at
least do something like that rather than leaving it exposed.

GregS wrote:
In article , "Richard Crowley" wrote:
"Jeff Dieterle" wrote ...
" You say you didn't replace the dust caps. Did you remove them as
part
of the repair and *shim the voice coil gap*???

If not, that's probably where your rattle came from. You didn't
center the voice coils and they're rubbing. The entire
job--IMO--needs to be redone. Likely, it's too late, but you might
get lucky. The coils are probably damaged by rubbing in the gap and
the drivers should be reconed.

jak

I didn't replace the dust caps because the replacements were too
small, however I might as well try to make them fit before sending
these to the dumpster.... thanks

In trying to figure it, why would he try to make them fit, if they were
still on. There is some logic in there somewhere?

Well anyway, I always use hand manipulation to check for rubs
and stuff. I move the cone carefully as much as possible without
breaking anything. It loosens up the thing anyway. You have
to use both hands with even pressure in both directions.

This thread has taken a zigzag direction, but hope some tips help.
Another thing I check for whem I'm done is to check if the cone is
centered in travel.If I want to move it, I dampen the spyder
and put shims to move the cone in the other direction. Let
sit overnight. What else is there. Perhaps check the tinsel
leads. I've had to repair those before. Still don't know where
to buy some.

greg

You didn't really answer the question. Did you...

1) Leave the original dustcaps in place (which means that you
did NOT shim the voice coil when you replaced the surround.)

OR

2) Remove the original dustcaps, and properly shim the voice
coil, then left the voicecoils exposed because the replacement
caps weren't big enough.

If (1), that would explain your symptoms. The reason the kit
comes with replacement caps is that you must shim the voice
coil to center the cone while securing the new surround.

If (2), leaving the voice coils exposed may have allowed
something to get in between the voicecoil and the magnet
pole, etc.

Perhaps you are too young to remember when they used to
use a round piece of felt to cover the center hole. I'd at
least do something like that rather than leaving it exposed.

Oh well. It doesn't matter anyway. He either did leave them on and not
shim the VC, or he took them off and left them. That's why this is a
forum. Hopefully the OP--and anyone else reading this thread--bought
the clue for *his* drivers and will do them correctly.

The evasiveness of this poster suggests that he did NOT do his correctly
and wasted his time and money doing a halfway repair. It would be
valuable for him to admit it as a caution to others; but I can
understand his not being willing to do so in public.

jak

Your right guilty as charged. No experience replacing speaker surrounds, but
I learned from my effort and you-all if I have to take this miss-adventure
again. Fortunately this wasn't an overly-expensive failure.
"jakdedert" wrote in message
...
GregS wrote:
In article , "Richard Crowley"
wrote:
"Jeff Dieterle" wrote ...
" You say you didn't replace the dust caps. Did you remove them as
part
of the repair and *shim the voice coil gap*???

If not, that's probably where your rattle came from. You didn't
center the voice coils and they're rubbing. The entire
job--IMO--needs to be redone. Likely, it's too late, but you might
get lucky. The coils are probably damaged by rubbing in the gap and
the drivers should be reconed.

jak

I didn't replace the dust caps because the replacements were too small,
however I might as well try to make them fit before sending these to
the dumpster.... thanks

In trying to figure it, why would he try to make them fit, if they were
still on. There is some logic in there somewhere?

Well anyway, I always use hand manipulation to check for rubs
and stuff. I move the cone carefully as much as possible without
breaking anything. It loosens up the thing anyway. You have
to use both hands with even pressure in both directions.

This thread has taken a zigzag direction, but hope some tips help.
Another thing I check for whem I'm done is to check if the cone is
centered in travel.If I want to move it, I dampen the spyder
and put shims to move the cone in the other direction. Let
sit overnight. What else is there. Perhaps check the tinsel
leads. I've had to repair those before. Still don't know where
to buy some.

greg

You didn't really answer the question. Did you...

1) Leave the original dustcaps in place (which means that you
did NOT shim the voice coil when you replaced the surround.)

OR

2) Remove the original dustcaps, and properly shim the voice
coil, then left the voicecoils exposed because the replacement
caps weren't big enough.

If (1), that would explain your symptoms. The reason the kit
comes with replacement caps is that you must shim the voice
coil to center the cone while securing the new surround.

If (2), leaving the voice coils exposed may have allowed
something to get in between the voicecoil and the magnet
pole, etc.

Perhaps you are too young to remember when they used to
use a round piece of felt to cover the center hole. I'd at
least do something like that rather than leaving it exposed.
Oh well. It doesn't matter anyway. He either did leave them on and not
shim the VC, or he took them off and left them. That's why this is a
forum. Hopefully the OP--and anyone else reading this thread--bought the
clue for *his* drivers and will do them correctly.

The evasiveness of this poster suggests that he did NOT do his correctly
and wasted his time and money doing a halfway repair. It would be
valuable for him to admit it as a caution to others; but I can understand
his not being willing to do so in public.

jak

Jeff Dieterle wrote:
Your right guilty as charged. No experience replacing speaker surrounds, but
I learned from my effort and you-all if I have to take this miss-adventure
again. Fortunately this wasn't an overly-expensive failure.
"jakdedert" wrote in message
...

snip

It's how we learn...and hopefully a lesson for those who have not
attempted it yet.

jak

"Mr.T" MrT@home wrote in
:


"me" wrote in message
...
Some speakers require dozens of hours of "break in" before they
sound their best.

Yes some speakers do require dozens of hours use before your auditory
system becomes accustomed to their sound.
I've always thought "break in" was a misleading term for that process,
but it's not as bad as some that are used by the high end brigade.

MrT.


If you heard a rattle I would take them back. I had a pair of Paradigm 7
SE.s and one had a small rattle that only occurred every so often. Nothing
was visibly broken or torn but further examination by the dealer revealed
that the spider that holds the coil in place was not glued down on one
side. At certain frequencies it would flap or vibrate causing the noise.
I now have a tone generator for finding such problems.

Chris C

"Audio Buff" wrote in message
...
Some speakers require dozens of hours of "break in" before they
sound their best.

Yes some speakers do require dozens of hours use before your auditory
system becomes accustomed to their sound.
I've always thought "break in" was a misleading term for that process,
but it's not as bad as some that are used by the high end brigade.

If you heard a rattle I would take them back. I had a pair of Paradigm 7
SE.s and one had a small rattle that only occurred every so often. Nothing
was visibly broken or torn but further examination by the dealer revealed
that the spider that holds the coil in place was not glued down on one
side. At certain frequencies it would flap or vibrate causing the noise.
I now have a tone generator for finding such problems.

Rattle? Maybe you didn't read what you quoted?

MrT.

On Tue, 04 Apr 2006 00:39:40 +1000, Barry OGrady
wrote:

I bought a pair of fairly large speakers from an online auction. I didn't have a
chance to inspect and now that I have them I see that both bass speakers
have lots off gaffer tape around the outer edge of the cones. Presumably
that was done because the surround came apart. I imagine it would be
impossible to remove the tape without destroying the speakers. is that
correct?

Sounds like they're fairly well destroyed already! Were they
described as in need of re-coning, and sold at an appropriate price?
If not, they need returning. Good luck!

J Antero spake thus:

Got a new set of speakers yesterday (SDAT LEB 404S).

The box was banged up and one speaker had a minor ding. The other speaker's
main bass had some "rasp / rattle" at the deep end so I figured I would have
to return them. It wasn't plastic cover rattling or anything - it was
actually coming from the speaker.

Now, listening to them this morning, the "rasp / rattle" seems to be gone.
Can usage limber these things up and cure this kind of problem?

Maybe.

Since others have veered off on tangents here, let me throw my story out
there, illustrating that *sometimes* a simple DIY repair can fix such
problems.

Several years ago I found a pair of AR-4X speakers at a secondhand
store, cheap. (Don't remember exactly, but I think it was $15 for the
pair.) I took the chance since I'd always lusted after these speakers
(actually, if I had my druthers, I'd have the bigger AR-2, but these
little ones would do).

Got them home where I discovered they both worked, but one of them had a
pretty horrible buzz. Couldn't see anything wrong on the front, so I
took out the driver, whereupon I could hear something rattling around
inside it. I took off the dustcap, shook the speaker, and out fell a
little blob of solder, which had probably been there since the thing was
made. After regluing the dustcap, they sounded great, just like new.
(Amazingly well-made speakers.)

Of course, it turned out the tweeter rheostats were gone and had to be
****canned, but who uses those things anyhow? I just bypassed them,
since my receiver has a "treble" control.


--
Save the Planet
Kill Yourself

- motto of the Church of Euthanasia (http://www.churchofeuthanasia.org/)