Dynaudio 4-way DAK 4-210 kit (mid-80's)--need advice on reuse drivers for DIY project

[jim1274]

I have a pair of Dynaudio 4-way DAK 4-210 kit speakers from the mid-80's and am seeking advice on reusing the drivers for a DIY speaker project. The original 96 liter cabinets got a laminate finish over the years, and I really don't like the form factor (wide squat tilted cabinets) and was wondering if reusing the drivers in a taller and narrower cabinet is a good idea. I'm NOT a speaker designer, so would need help with a cabinet and crossover design. Building a cabinet is no problem, as I have access to a wood shop and have built some far more complex furniture projects.

Is this a reasonable thing to tackle or should I just sell the drivers and do a proven kit speaker project instead? The drivers appear to be worth quite a bit on the used market, at least the woofers (saw a pair sold for $220 with bad surrounds, and mine were replaced a couple years ago). The driver compliment in these 4-ways is:

30 W-54 woofers
D-54 Midrange
D-28 Tweeters
D-21 Super tweeters

If the used value of the drivers is not enough, I'd probably just continue to use the speakers as-is in another system. They still sound VERY good to my ears. (should I be pulling the crossovers and at least replacing the capacitors for a "tune-up" if I opt to just continue to use as is??)

Another question is would the 25 year old drivers need any maintenance beyond the already replaced woofer surrounds? Are these dome style drivers typically still "good" after 25 years? Are these drivers even competitive with modern drivers given the advancement in the last 25 years? I do believe they were considered very high end drivers in their day, but have no clue how the compare to modern designs.

[ALN]

The Dynaudio woofers need a 10 cubic foot vented box (FS for 21 hz) or a sealed box of 4 cubic foot (FS 35 hz). Good drivers-just need to look at the Vas figures for the size of the woofer enclosure. Otherwise, upgrade the crossovers for one! Inductors are huge with these speakers-if you use a 1st order crossover. Here is a nice 1st order calculator

http://www.diyaudioandvideo.com/Calculator/APCXOver

that may be of some help with your planning. Not a lot of information on the 30W54 but it is a fast driver that works well with other dynaudio drivers and 1st order crossovers. Good Luck!

[pdul]

I have all the original datasheets for the Dynaudio drivers you mentioned.
If you are interested I can scan it for you.
I just saw this thread now, so maybe I am too late

[bucket23]

Do you have any of the original kit designs?

[SY]

What you need to do is avoid using Dynaudio's crossover designs. They were downright awful.

The DA500 had that driver lineup (albeit with a 12 ohm version of the 30W54 in an isobaric, interior driver was a 21W54). With a reworked crossover, the sound was superb. Main thing is, are the cones on the 30W54 the original doped paper, or were they replaced with the later filled polypropylene? The latter do not do well in the midrange.