mace Posted October 28, 2002 Share Posted October 28, 2002 Hi, The other day I was listening to my Cornwalls at low volumes. My 3 year old was playing with a baloon and I thought it would be neat to see watch his baloon "dance" in front of the Corns. So, I turn on the loudness, low bass boost and max out the bass dial (all at low volumes mind you) to get this nice muffled sound. Well, the balloon does dance a bit but I also hear this buzzing! (100-110 db) Upon further inspection I see that one of the woofers has some problems. There is a small 8 mm tear originating at the edge of the woofer cone. Also, part of the woofer cone is separated from the springy rim stuff (OK, the correct term eludes me at the moment!) for a length of about 130-140 mm. In the photo below I'm pushing the woofer in a bit with my hand, which really makes the separation obvious. I'm not sure if the "separation" affects the sound in any way but when I place my finger on the "tear" the buzzing stops. Amazing that such a small little tear can buzz so loud! Is there any way to fix these? I'm hoping just a bit of the right glue in the right place will help my poor woofer. That's where I need help. What kind of glue should I use?? Exactly what technique of glueing should I use?? Other questions also come to mind such as: is this evidence of some kind of abuse from a previous owner? (The other woofer is fine. The speakers have sequencial serial numbers, late 1977 vintage). Are these types of problems normal for 25 year old speakers?? I suppose until I get this fixed I'll let the Corns rest and move the KLF's back into the listening room. I've been wanting to give the KLF's a listen with the new B&K amp anyway... Thanks in advance for any help! Mace Pics follow: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted October 29, 2002 Share Posted October 29, 2002 I would get both woofers reconed and they'll be good for another 30 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted October 29, 2002 Share Posted October 29, 2002 I just took another boo at your pics and it appears to me that the cone material has merely become detached from the surround and is not actually torn away,(as it appeared to me at first glance - but Hey !! it was 5:00 AM). If that is correct I would simply glue the cone back onto the surround using a good contact cement. The minor tear could be easily repaired with a light coating of rubber cement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptnBob Posted October 29, 2002 Share Posted October 29, 2002 Try a product called "Seal-All." You can get it at most auto parts stores and small hardware stores. (For some reason, the big box stores around here don't always carry it.) It's designed to fix leaks in rubber hoses and such and doesn't get brittle or stiff when it dries. Put a little bit on a toothpick and coat both sides of the damaged edges. Hold it together gently and let it set for 24 hours or so. I've fixed some pretty nasty tears with this stuff - the speakers looked like Frankenstein's monster, but they worked. Still, in the long run, I'd get them reconed. It's not that expensive, they'll match, and if you've got this kind of damage, there may be other hidden problems that may surface later. Capt'n Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mace Posted October 29, 2002 Author Share Posted October 29, 2002 Thanks for the replies! Any advice on where to get them reconed? Would Klipsch Indy do this (only 60 min. away)? What exactly is done when speaker is reconed? Thanks again, Mace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptnBob Posted October 29, 2002 Share Posted October 29, 2002 Usually the reconer will remove the spider (the orange accordion shaped thing at apex of the cone) the cone itself, the surround (the accordion shaped ring around the edge of the cone - right where your tear is) the gasket (the fiber ring around the edge of the speaker) the dust cap (the dome affair in the middle) the voice coil and former (you can't see that without dismantling the driver, but it's a little electro-magnet attached to the apex of the cone behind the dust cap) and the leads (the flexible wires going from the terminals to the voice coil) and throw them all away. (There's usually no point in trying to reuse any of this stuff unless it's really esoteric and impossible to find.) The reconer will then clean everything, remove any stray metal fragments or bug cadavers, and make certain everything is still in alignment and where it ought to be. In some cases the reconer will also remagnetize the driver as well. (Bozak used to go as far as repainting everything, but don't count on that any more.) Then the reconer will replace everything with new parts - in this case OEM - test the driver to make sure it's as good as new, and return it to you. Basically you're getting a new speaker mounted on your old frame. Klipsch should be able to handle this for you, or at least recommend someone in your area who can do the job. You do want someone who is factory authorized, as it is an easy job to goof up and you want someone who knows what he or she is doing and will take the time to do it right. Expect to be wooferless for one to two weeks, as there are glues involved which need to set up and dry. Capt'n Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Mobley Posted October 29, 2002 Share Posted October 29, 2002 New K-33's are only $100 apiece including shipping from Klipsch. I bought some recently, sound good to me. Why bother with all that other stuff? Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted October 30, 2002 Share Posted October 30, 2002 That's a tear. The surround and cone are from the same material. You need a recone. Klipsch will do it for about $75 each. Do both at the same time. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mace Posted October 31, 2002 Author Share Posted October 31, 2002 CaptnBob: Thanks much for the info. Now that I know some of the lingo it will help. I pulled the woofer out of the cabinet tonight and had a much closer look at what was up. What I've labeled above as a tear is not a tear. Looking closely you can see the bottom of crevice. Plus, I put a very bright flashlight on one side of the cone and looked at the other (with room lights off) and no light shown through. There is a small area of "separation" of cone to surround at the same location so perhaps that was causing the buzzing. As for the separation, this is real. It is not the cone coming apart but rather separation between the cone and surround. The cone is fully in tact. The joint came apart at the adhesive and didn't tear the lip of the cone off. The cone and surround are not the same material. If you look at the pictures you can see the adhesive which has oozed out from the surround/cone joint. I'm opting to go the sealant route and try to reattach the surround to the cone. It has been mentioned that "Seal-All" and a "good contact cement" would work. Will any old glue do in case I can't find "Seal-all"? Is there some special type needed which is compatible with the paper cone and surround material? sd If problems persist I'll get them reconed (or buy replacements altogether) but I think I'll save the expense right now. Thanks for all the help! It is very good to know that good help is available when these mini-emergencies arise. Mace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted October 31, 2002 Share Posted October 31, 2002 You could also try some nail polish if your wife will let you. I've never tried it on good speakers, but it worked really well an old pair of lousy speakers that had dry rotted and were all torn apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djk Posted November 1, 2002 Share Posted November 1, 2002 Go to a hobby store that caters to RC plane people. Tell them you want a bottle of DAP RC56 windshield cement. Tell the guy what you are actually going to do with it or he will try and sell you something 'better'. Put a piece of masking tape on the back side of the area to be treated (to be remove after done and dried). Using a small, soft brush, build up several layers of the RC56 (allow to set up between layers). I have repaired 20 year old JBL 2205 pro woofers that had small chunks missing in this area. These had a very hard life, scoops don't load the driver the best and 800W PA amps don't help either. A $4 bottle of RC56 made then stop rattling and we got another 5 years of use out of the JBLs. This stuff dries clear and remains flexible. It also works on foam (thin it out a bit with some water so it will soak into the pores of the foam). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mace Posted November 3, 2002 Author Share Posted November 3, 2002 Hi, Well, this weekend I did the repair to the separation between surround and cone. I went to the local hobby shop and they didn't have much airplane stuff, mostly train stuff so I picked up some contact cement "Hob-e-Tac Adhesive S195", which seemed to be for putting foilage on trees and such. At home I did some testing on sheets of paper with the Hob-E-Tac, WeldBond and some German superglue "Pattax Blitz Kleb" (great stuff, by the way). The superglue dried brittle and the WeldBond seemed to make the paper tear when I tried to seperate the sheets. The Hob-E-Tac was flexible when dry and the papers seemed bond and not want to tear when I tried to pull them apart. So, I did the repair with the Hob-E-Tac. It seems to have done the trick. One thing I noticed was that in the area on the woofer with the separation occured the flange off of the cone (I'm calling the part of the cone which attaches to the surround the flange) was noticely shorter than anywhere else on the flange of the cone (2-4 mm vs. 6 mm). I'm thinking the problem was more of a manufacturing defect than anything else. (satire on) Now that this woofer is nice and broken in I've noticed a great increase in the tightness and depth of bass of both speakers... and the soundstage has just become enormous. I don't know why but the highs in my Cornwalls are crystal clear yet smooth, unlike before. If you want some great improvement in your heritage Klipsch, tear the woofer cone from the surround and reglue it. (satire off) Mace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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