They could have called it a 'Wensleydale', but I guess that would have been too cheesy!
P.S. That's a neat switching arrangement Andre - well interpreted! I now have your updated circuit saved for future reference.
P.P.S. I see that, by examining the physical layout of the circuit board, you've determined that only the tweeter is reverse connected - which is in agreement with Dave's interpretation of the alternative circuit board design. Glad you've cleared that up!
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Thread couldn't have come at a better time, I just acquired a lovely pair myself and going through a rebuild.
I found my bass drivers to be really stiff, trying to push the cone on these drivers is an effort. But I believe thats how they are.
Would love a pair of kingsdales Galu! Just finished reading the book a pair of wharfedales and throughly enjoyed it.
Good read for any wharfedale enthusiast.
Maybe. But i use a pair of wharfedale 10” woofers (similar generation to the ones in your Dovedales) were the rubber surround has gone solid/stiff as an example that rubber surrounds are not age-proof. I suspect you will need to resurround them.
dave
One of my buddies is a Wharfedale fantic. Have a pair of his W60 (alnico) in the basement. We have to put new surrounds on the Super 3s (i have some surround material from a buddy in Calgary), and are gong to put a modern cap in the XO. A working Super 3 alnico is a quite good midtweeter. He has ceramix W70s which have the Super 5 — i haven’t seen or heard it yet.
BTW: given the duties of the era, the actual speakers were made in Canada with parts from the UK.
dave
BTW: given the duties of the era, the actual speakers were made in Canada with parts from the UK.
dave
Wharfedale referred to the surround material as 'Flexiprene'. The name nowadays refers to a polyurethane sealent which cures to a flexible rubber. No idea if that's the same substance!
My Dovedale model 3014 bass drivers showed substantial resistance to having their cones depressed by hand. The Flexiprene surrounds, however, were soft and showed no signs of deterioration. I believe a high degree of resistance is normal for these drivers. As confimation, my drivers reproduced deep bass effortlessly.
My Dovedales had always been stored in a centrally heated environment - those stored in garages, attics and outhouses may not have faired so well in the surround department!
P.S. As for changing the midrange drivers, you would no longer have a bona fide pair of Dovedale 3s!
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It's possible that the stiffness is due to Wharfedale's use of a 'high stability rear suspension' as mentioned in the 3014 specifications appended below.
Heavy duty paper cone with rubber roll surround
High stability rear suspension
Outer chassis diameter 315mm
Inner cone + surround diameter 305mm
Mounting hole circle diameter 320mm
Nominal impedance 6Ω
Large ceramic magnet, flux density 135,000 maxwell
System power handling 50W DIN
Driver free air resonance 25Hz
Response is only 3dB down at 45Hz in a 45 litre sealed cabinet
Upper crossover frequency 600 - 1,500Hz
Heavy duty paper cone with rubber roll surround
High stability rear suspension
Outer chassis diameter 315mm
Inner cone + surround diameter 305mm
Mounting hole circle diameter 320mm
Nominal impedance 6Ω
Large ceramic magnet, flux density 135,000 maxwell
System power handling 50W DIN
Driver free air resonance 25Hz
Response is only 3dB down at 45Hz in a 45 litre sealed cabinet
Upper crossover frequency 600 - 1,500Hz
Having just checked both surrounds one seems noticeablt harder then the other.
12" Butyl Rubber Surround Woofer Kit - Speaker Repair - R12-1 | eBay
Wondering if something like this would suffice?
12" Butyl Rubber Surround Woofer Kit - Speaker Repair - R12-1 | eBay
Wondering if something like this would suffice?
If you can find the right size, you can make the woofer better, but it will very likely have differences in the T/S. But closer to what they were than what they are now. You’d have to measure them and tweak the box as needd to suit the new woofer. You’ll have to be able to measure useful T/S parameters.
These are also half-round surround that goes up. The Wharfedales go down (probably not an issue with a woofer). Different surround character will change the damping and behaviour at the cone/surround junction.
I’m sure if you search deeper you should have more options to choose from.
I am lucky that the Super 3 has a flat surround and i have sheets of a foam that my guy used for surrounds for his 25mm dome.
dave
Comparing diameters of inner cone + surround:
Dovedale woofer: 305mm
Repair surround: 278 mm
Looks like the repair surround has too small a diameter for the job.
But you're in the best position to judge as you can measure your 3014s to compare with the published dimensions of the replacement surrounds.
I just found it on eBay and bought a copy
A Pair of Wharfedales by Briggs, David 1906715149 The Cheap Fast Free Post 9781906715144 | eBay
Says one copy still available
A Pair of Wharfedales by Briggs, David 1906715149 The Cheap Fast Free Post 9781906715144 | eBay
Says one copy still available