Speaker recommendation...

[T^2]

My girlfriend got me a heritage/vintage/antique radio/stereo for X-mas. The specific one she bought was the Emerson NR303TT. She thought it would look good in my kitchen. I can't argue with her there. It does look nice in the kitchen.

My only gripe with the thing is that the sound quality leaves a little to be desired. I opened the thing up - and as expected - it's built as cheaply as possible. The speakers in it are WEI ZHI Y102W-20Q8 4" 8 Ohm speakers. To add to the problem there is no tone control.

It's a present from the girlfriend, so I'm stuck with it. So, I've been thinking about the possibility of improving the sound out of the thing. Even minor improvements would be welcome. I'm not looking to make it super Hi-Fi. I would just like a little more bass/fuller sound out of the thing.

I thought it might improve things a bit if the stock speakers were replaced with something else. Any opinions on that are welcome...

So that brings me to my question...

Can anybody recommend a replacement speaker for this application?

The stock speaker dimensions:

Overall diameter: 102 mm.
Diagonal distance/diameter between mounting holes: 115 mm.

So far the Fostex FE103E looks like it might fit perfectly. Radio Shack's 40-1197 also seem like it might do (if a pair could be found).

A pair of Fostex FE103SE at Madisound.com might cost as much as the radio itself.

Along with a recommend speaker, where is a good place to buy?

Thanks,

T^2

[ronc]

I truly hope you didnt expect to have any kind of quality sound from that unit.

OK! heres my suggestion, gut the entire unit,replace with something (amp,tuner,ect ect) worth the investment. Replacing the drivers with 103s in that unit is like having a set of 1500$ wheels /tires on a 300$ car.

Or just let her listen to it and build a decent system.

ron

[MJL21193]

Originally posted by ronc

Or just let her listen to it and build a decent system.

This is the best solution.
Then you won't have to listen to her yell at you if you completely ruin it.

[T^2]

Originally posted by ronc
I truly hope you didnt expect to have any kind of quality sound from that unit.

OK! heres my suggestion, gut the entire unit,replace with something (amp,tuner,ect ect) worth the investment. Replacing the drivers with 103s in that unit is like having a set of 1500$ wheels /tires on a 300$ car.

Or just let her listen to it and build a decent system.

ron

No, I didn't expect to get really great sound out of it. I was just interested in making a modest improvement in that area. It appears that speaker drivers are a lot harder to come by these days. I seem to remember them being more readily available years ago. When I first pondered this idea, I thought that 4" full range speakers ought to be readily available and inexpensive. I guess not - at least I haven't found any yet.

Yes your “$1500 wheels on a $300 car” seems like an apt analogy. The cost of the 103's alone would likely equal the cost of the radio. The cost and unknown outcome in terms of sound quality make it a hard pill to swallow. However, listening to this thing may drive me over the deep end one of these days…

[MJL21193]

There are a few things you can do to improve the sound without replacing the speakers. You could build a bit of a crossover, damp the enclosure, dope the cones.
There's a bunch of magical things you could too, such as Enabl.

[ronc]

OK, i am going to get crude here. Please dont be offended.

Theres an old Texas saying, " you cant polish a turd", (sorry Mr. Modirator ,but there it is) slap my hand if you must.

Any sound system is a chain. It will only perform to the weakest link in the chain. The entire Emerson product line is a weak link.
They use the cheapest components,the worst designs, the cheapest Mfg methods and ppl they can find.I have quit buying Chinese products ,at work, just due to the extreemly poor quality. I have a 120K US$ CNC plasma cutting machine that i will sell just because it takes up room and dosent perform (Chinese made).

Quality cost more. But its all about what you are willing to pay for the quality/performance that you want.

ron

[MJL21193]

Originally posted by ronc
OK, i am going to get crude here. Please dont be offended.

Theres an old Texas saying, " you cant polish a turd",

There's an old Chinese saying (or is it Japanese): "everything that has been made can be improved". Turd polishing is a valid exercise.

Surely, you can see the value in some of the tricks I've mentioned above? Especially Enabl.

[Cal Weldon]

Originally posted by T^2
It's a present from the girlfriend, so I'm stuck with it.

I have an idea. Go buy her a pair of off-colour shoes and see if she is as charitable with your feelings. If she is, you're stuck with the radio. If not, bye bye Emerson.

[MJL21193]

It could suffer a tragic accident, rendering it inoperable.

Similar to one of my girlfriend's cats a year ago.

[Cal Weldon]

Now John...