Damaged tweeters dilemma...

[Oliverswing77]

I saw some speakers on Ebay which interest me but they have a few flaws, one of them being the tweeters which have some mild damage, more so in one of the speakers. Will this affect the performance at all and could it get worse with the time? Aesthetically I could live with them by keeping the tweeter grilles on all the time but although the seller says it doesn't affect the performance I find it strange how such a noticeable damage can be so harmless to the speakers performance.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=251349713058&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:GB:1123#shpCntId

Any thoughts regarding the cons of buying such speakers? Thanks in advance 🙂

 

[plastic penguin]

Can't personally comment on the tweeters on these speakers. However, the seller does offer a 14 day returns, could be worth a punt.

 

[Tear Drop]

Practically every seller of speakers which has damaged drive units claims it doesn't affect performance, which is nonsense. Either don't buy, or buy allowing some of your budget for replacement tweeters, or try getting free delivery from the seller to compensate.

 

[Oliverswing77]

Thank you guys. After having seen a pair of these selling for £1500 on some classifieds I don't think it's worth paying the money this guy asking for. I guess I have to keep my eyes peeled for a good bargain 🙂

 

[floyd droid]

Dont even think about going there ( which it appears now that you aint ). Prolly the most expensive part on those speakers and they are knacd.

 

[mikeparker59]

Personally I'd not spend that sort of money on damaged goods, I'm sure holes in tweeters can't be a good thing, plus the damage showing on the cabinets would irk me. I'd avoid tbh. :exmark:

 

[ACE92]

You're only saving 20% off the price of a good pair in the classifieds I wouldn't bother, aesthetically damaged speakers are fine but damage to the tweeter is going to be expensive to fix, and even if they do sound fine you'll probably lose any money you saved if you come to sell them on:-

 

[spiny norman]

Quite apart from the cost of replacing the tweeters, and worries about how that damage may have been done, the material from which the tweeters is made, while perfectly safe in use, is highly toxic when damaged. As Focal says,

Special precautions regarding the Beryllium dome tweeter

In its solid form, Beryllium is harmless.

However, due to its nature, certain special precautions should be observed to avoid exposure to unnecessary risk.

• Under no circumstances should the Beryllium dome be subjected to any form of abrasive action. To ensure no accidental damage to the tweeterdome it is advised to carefully replace the magnetic protection grille.

• In the unlikely case of damage to the dome, of any form, the supplied piece of adhesive tape should be immediately used to seal the whole front surface of the tweeter. The protective cover should then be replaced and also taped securely in place. You should then inform the dealer from whom you purchased the product so that the tweeter can be removed by a professional and returned to the product distributor for replacement.

• If the dome is broken in anyway giving rise to loose particles of Beryllium, these should be carefully collected with the use of an adhesive tape and sealed in a zip-top bag to be returned with the tweeter.

For further information, please contact Focal-JMlab directly:beryllium@focal-fr.com

If you need any more convincing, this is how the people making the things dress

 

[BenLaw]

Interesting and sensible advice.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berylliosis Sounds terrifying.

 

[Oliverswing77]

I read about that and was one of the things that put me off :shame: