vandyman Posted April 30, 2007 Share Posted April 30, 2007 Hopefully someone out there may have some advice on this. I just picked up a pair of Fortes and the surrounds on the passive radiators have a few small cracks in them. Not very large and really to small to see unless you look very close. The cracks are in the rubber surround material that is fixed to the driver basket. I think this is the area where the surround is glued to the frame of the driver. It appears only on the outer edges and not on the actual portion of the surround that moves with the cone. My question to all, is there a product out there that I can apply to the rubber to stop the degradation of the material. Like a rubber conditioner or something of that nature. The front driver surrounds are in fantastic shape, I suspect that the rear drivers were subjected to much more heat or direct sunlight. Thanks for any,and all advice. Vandyman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 You can get them re-coned for a price, or you can do a repair on them yourself. Whatever you do will change the compliance of the passive, meaning how stiff the movement is. I fixed a couple pairs of JBLs by using Weldbond. It doesn't cost much, and you can thin it out a little and brush it on. If there is a crack or separation, you can use a small piece of cigarette paper to cover the gap. The stuff worked great. Did it change the sound of the speakers? Probably, but it also meant there was no air leak. Without testing, there is absolutely no way to know how far off you have made it. The JBLs sounded fantastic and it was nice to know the cones weren't going to totally come apart. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modified-Tractrix Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 I have used liquid electrical tape for those type of repairs with good success. It make take a few coats but seems to remain compliant, after drying try a product called "Back to Black" to preserve them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
efzauner Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 You can use the same rubber surround kits as used to repair woofers. Relatively easy to do for anyone handy. You can find many places to buy them including ebay.. Just Google "speaker repair" or "rubber surround repair" etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockbobmel Posted May 1, 2007 Share Posted May 1, 2007 http://www.simplyspeakers.com/2doityourself.htm I did mine with these, also my Velodyne 15". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 I would still opt for the Weldbond. It stays very flexible, is easy to apply and may run you $5. If you don't like the way they sound after that, buy a surround kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.