Repairing dented soft dome tweeters

[paddyb]

I got a pair of Eltax floorstanders at the bargain price from a secondhand shop a couple of weeks back. The dustcaps are badly dented, but I'm going to try to repair them using this method at the weekend:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Repair-A-Dent-On-A-Speakers-Dust-Cap-5-steps-5-/

The soft dome tweeters are also several dented (creases, multiple dents). Can this method be used for those if need be? Just querying this as you actually have to pierce them and I don't really understand how they work and whether this will damage the sound.

 

[Boardio]

I used a vacuum cleaner to do mine. Seemed to work!

 

[Boardio]

I used a vacuum cleaner to do mine. Seemed to work!

 

[shafesk]

I used a vacum cleaner too but do this patiently and with a round hose from far. If its silk dome you can use a scotch tape on the tweeter and pull it out. I think you shouldn't resort to piercing unless all else fails.

 

[eggontoast]

I'm not familiar with your speakers but usually with soft dome tweeters you can disassemble them quite easily. The front of the tweeter which has the dome and voice coil on is just screwed to the magnet, if you take it off you can reform the dome from the rear. If they are ferrofluid cooled just be sure not to wipe the liquid off the voice coil.

 

[paddyb]

THanks everyone for responding. So it looks like massaging > sucking > vacuum > tape> dismantle is the order of actions to try. I’m not sure if they’re ferrofluid cooled. Google only threw up one instance of “Eltax Liberty ferrofluid cooled” and that was someone selling a centre speaker of a surround sound set on ebay. I’m a bit concerned about trying this if there is fluid in the speakers, won’t it poor out, or is it like a coating of oil?

 

[eggontoast]

No it won't poor out.

It's an oil with filings in, the magnetic flux keeps it in place between the two magnets but a little will be on the coil as you remove it. It's also quite viscous and doesn't flow.

 

[drummerman]

I am with egg on this one. Try disassembly and straightening from the rear first.

The thought of a hoover on a tweeter fills me either with horror or excitement ... depending on whether the speakers are mine or not.

regards

 

[paddyb]

Ok, not much joy with sucking and vacum. I've taken the tweeter out and the back doesn't appear to unscrew, unless i'm doing something wrong?

Can somone tell me how to attached pictures? The "inset/edit image" icon only seems to allow web images. I've tried pasting the URL of the location of the image I want to attach but it doesn't seem to work.

 

[tomlinscote]

you could try a tiny piece of gaffa/duct tape to pull the dome back out but it is very sticky so be careful.....

Tommo

 

[paddyb]

you could try a tiny piece of gaffa/duct tape to pull the dome back out but it is very sticky so be careful.....

Tommo

Thanks. Yes, had some success with this, but I can't seem to get them perfectly smooth again, there are always a few smaller dents left. I read somewhere that using a hairdryer can help, but no joy so far. Not sure how long i'm meant to hold the dryer over it, i've tried for a few mins and hasn't seemed to make any difference. Failing that, i need to get at them from behind.

 

[tomlinscote]

Mmm I would be very careful with that hairdryer, I know that it works with ping pong balls as it heats the air up which expands and pops out a dented ball but unless the tweeter is an airtight unit you may end up just heating the whoole lot up and the air escaping out of the other side!! And you may melt the dome, not good................

T

 

[paddyb]

Still stuck with a few small dimples on the tweeters and a couple of small dents on the woofer dustcaps. I've taken both out but can't find a way of getting the backs off to get at the domes/dustcaps, it doesn't seem to unscrew. If i could post a picture it might make it clearer, but I can't fwork out how to do this?

 

[bretty]

Just get your lips round it and suck it out. I know it sounds like i'm making a gay euphemism, but it really works. Give it a go. Probably best to wait til the missus is out of the room, otherwise she might think you've taken your already-weird hi-fi obsession to the next level, by getting off with your speakers.

 

[CnoEvil]

Just get your lips round it and suck it out. I know it sounds like i'm making a gay euphemism, but it really works. Give it a go. Probably best to wait til the missus is out of the room, otherwise she might think you've taken your already-weird hi-fi obsession to the next level, by getting off with your speakers.

This has to be " hifi tip of the decade".......love it........just when you think you've heard it all.........cheers Bretty, you've made a grumpy old man smile.

 

[paddyb]

I've massaged, kissed, licked, sucked and blown, and still the thing won't put out!

There are small dimples in the tweeter, and some small dents in the woofer. Unless it can finf a way to get in from behind (ok, thats enough euthanisms for now) I can't see that they'll every be perfect again.

Changing tack slightly, if i can find replacement dust caps of approx the right size, can I just glue them on without affecting the sound? I'm guessing this is not an option with the tweeter domes?

 

[manicm]

paddyb - is the sound affected? If it is, and depending on what you paid for the speakers, you're better off just buying another pair. Because I suspect replacing the tweeters will cost more than what you paid for the speakers themselves.

If they still sound good, then just leave them be.

My nieces pressed their fingers in the tweeters of my 685s, and replacing them cost me nearly a third of the speaker, but I had no choice.

 

[his dudeness]

if you can get to the back of them,i recently repaired a mission 752 tweeter by pouring in boiling water,4 separate fills for around 4 min.combination of heat and gravity has left the tweeter perfect no dimples.