Re-Speakering a 3-Way!

[Wedge]

Hi ladies and gents, I've got a couple of questions hopefully someone will be able to help me out with. As I was driving around today, I happened to find a pair of Sony SS-U541AV 3-way speakers on the side of the road. The speakers were all either dented or torn, and some weren't even connected once I took them out. But, I have been looking to find a decent set of speakers, so I figured I might as well just take this cabinet and fill it up and maybe save some cash!

SO

Essentially I just don't really know where one might go to look for parts, and which of these parts would be good choices! I guess I need a tweeter, midrange, woofer, and a 3-way crossover (2-way? I'm not sure which way they're named). The hole for the tweeter is 2 3/4", midrange is 3 3/4", and woofer is 9 1/8", so I figure I'm looking at a tweeter of whatever size (it doesn't seem like the size of the tweeter corresponds much to the size of the hole drilled for it), a 3"ish midrange, and an 8"ish woofer.

Has anyone attempted a similar type of repair and met with success? And what kind of cash should I expect to have to drop on this? I don't imagine the cabinets are that great, so it probably doesn't make sense for me to spend a lot, as I'd be able to get a nicer set of speakers if I just bought them pre-made or used the extra cash to make a better cab.

But any kind of direction on this would be much appreciated! I don't have any experience building loudspeakers, but I have a decent amount with building electronics so I don't expect any trouble on that end!

Thanks so much!!

[PeteMcK]

to do a design backwards like this, first you need to find a woofer that will do well in the internal volume of the box you want to use.

[TerryO]

Originally Posted by PeteMcK

to do a design backwards like this, first you need to find a woofer that will do well in the internal volume of the box you want to use.

Wedge,
I don't want to a "Wet Blanket," but what Pete has stated is correct. You might want to consider a free design that's been already published. Speaker design is no longer one of the "Black Arts" that it once was, but it is quite complicated and the learning curve can really seem overwhelming when you're just starting out.

Best Regards,
TerryO

[Cal Weldon]

Wedge, along with what the first two wise men have offered, I will suggest this:

Go to your local second hand/thrift store or even a garage sale and find a pair of speakers. The cost of filling a box will be much, much more. On top of that, the original drivers for that speaker are no longer available.
That speaker you have sells for $20 for the pair on Craigslist.

[Wedge]

Ah, that makes lots of sense. Well thanks a bunch - I'll go check out some thrift stores for some used speakers and see if I can get these puppies making some noise! Plus it looks like I'm going to be having more free time than I have in a while so perhaps I'll get into the loudspeaker building hobby as well!

Thanks guys!

[TerryO]

Originally Posted by Cal Weldon

Wedge, along with what the first two wise men have offered, I will suggest this:

Pete,

I just want to warn you that Cal seems poised to hit us up for a loan!

[TerryO]

Originally Posted by Wedge

Ah, that makes lots of sense. Well thanks a bunch - I'll go check out some thrift stores for some used speakers and see if I can get these puppies making some noise! Plus it looks like I'm going to be having more free time than I have in a while so perhaps I'll get into the loudspeaker building hobby as well!

Thanks guys!

Like I said before, there's a lot to know about speaker design and always something new to learn, but it can be a "very" interesting hobby as well.

Take your time and have fun, sometimes the journey is as interesting as the destination.


Best Regards,
Terry

[sreten]

Hi,

The only cost effective repair of speakers in when you know exactly
what you are doing and what to, and whether its actually worth it.

Otherwise the by far best option as said by others in this thread is to buy
what you want used, perhaps a little old, but good quality, at relatively
bargain prices. Used speakers are by far the cheapest source of drivers.
Well quality ones at least ...

rgds, sreten.

[Cal Weldon]

Wedge, I think rather than try and find old speakers to get those ones up and running you might just want to find a couple speakers to use and allow the Sony boxes to drift off into speaker heaven.

[Cal Weldon]

Sometimes Craigslist can be your best friend. I have done extremely well there.