Help with speaker repair

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I was hoping to get some thoughts on what might be wrong with my speaker's tweeter. I've attached a summary of nearfield measurements I've done on my good speaker, the bad speaker and the bad speaker after I opened it.

The bad speaker had an indention in the wire mesh covering the tweeter after a recent move. Thinking this might have something to do with it, I opened the speaker to pop it back out. However, as you can see, in the process of opening it, I did something to further damage the speaker. Any thoughts on what the issue is? I can post pics of the speaker and internals, provide more info, etc, if needed, but I'm not sure where to start at this point.
 

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I'm not sure the exact tweeter on my Usher S-520, but it's one of these: Usher - Replacement Speakers, Bass Speakers, Raw Speakers, Woofers, Tweeters, Midranges, Dome Tweeters, Dome Midranges, DIY Speakers

I pulled it back out and put it back together to make sure it was re-assembled correctly, but I didn't see anything. If I remember correctly, the dome (the small piece of plastic/rubber, right?) was a little indented, as well, when I first pulled it out, but I popped that back out, as well. I took some pictures on my phone when I pulled it out and will put them up in just a second.
 
For some reason, I keep getting security token messages when I post the pictures. I'll try that again later.

As far as swapping the boxes, I would like to, but I'm not sure how to remove the wiring running to the speakers. For lack of a better term, they're sealed onto the speakers. I'll post pictures later and maybe someone can guide me through doing that.

By the way, what part of MD are you in? I'm between Baltimore and Annapolis.
 
Perhaps you can try straightening the voice coil former (the damaged silver tube with the voice coil wound over it). It looks like it's been crushed somehow and will now rub on the magnet assembly. I'm surprised it works at all. It needs to be perfectly uniform and cylindrical and centered in the magnet gap with no actual contact. Be careful not to damage the voice coil itself in the process. You've got nothing to lose at this point. Otherwise you should buy a new matched pair as different production runs can have variations. Are there any stamped or printed numbers on the tweeters? An email to Usher might sort this out. Good luck.
 
After working with this a little more, it's clear I'm going to have to replace it. Does anyone have suggestions on what I can do to replace just the voice coil? I found a dealer who may be able to find a factory replacement, but assuming that isn't possible, any thoughts on what I could do short of replacing two whole tweeters? There are a few voice coils on eBay that look similar, but I don't really know what I need in a replacement.
 
It looks almost like the coil-former had been crushed on the back edge. Could this driver had encountered a moment of DC? I'm thinking some "negative DC hit it & drove the coil rearward ...smashing the former way past X-max (linear).
Since it seems to have plenty of "extra" former before the coil itself starts, I'd find some small curved scissors & try to trim away the damaged part, 2-3 mm worth. ???



____________________________________________________Rick........
 
I certainly don't have anything to lose, but I don't need the entire piece, then? Do I need to simply trim it so that it's all uniform or is there a specific spot I should aim for?

The direct DC makes sense. Any idea why this would happen?

After looking at your picture closely, I hadn't noted just how small that coil is, 3/4" or so....If it is indeed that small....?? How steady are your hands?
I see some portions of the damage come right up to the coil-wire itself...
Irext is spot on, describing the former... The thickness of the former & coil of wire cannot have any variations of thickness whatsoever. The voice-coil "slot" it slides into is extremely narrow by design. When you tighten down the diaphram assembly this coil should float inside, not touching any surface, only suspended by the suspension.
All in all I myself would at least try, being careful not to nick or cut the coil-wires themselves. Very delicate work for sure. A well lit workstation, perhaps one of those large magnifier glasses on a gooseneck, get comfortable, take your time. Patience...



________________________________________________Rick.......
 
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