I just took a trip to the Salvation Army...

mcshaggy · 5th March 2005, 10:42 PM

Some speakers just went up today - "DLK/2" 3-way loudspeakers. They looked good and they were $30 (cosmetically they are perfect) the construction is really good (they weigh a ton!) and overall I figured I'd take my chances. The bass driver is 12", the cone looks to be some sort of cloth (it looks like grey wool to be honest...) and the rubber surround is accordian-like. Now I dont know too much about speakers and I can't find much info about them online, do you guys think I got a good deal? I just tried them out and they seem pretty quiet, but they sound okay. not sure if they're *good* but they aren't bad. I moved around the pots for setting tweeter and midrange equalization and they sound really bad (the pots do) wondering if replacing them would help any. while moving the pots, the sound would sometimes cut out entirely, and the entire time i was moving it it was very scratchy/grainy. The pots themselves are huuge. I guess these were made in the early 80s. The midranges look like they could use some love, the rubber surrounds are intact but are like.. they move slow I guess. Anyone have any background info on the speakers or tips on how to make these sound better?

Bill Fitzpatrick · 5th March 2005, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mcshaggy
The midranges look like they could use some love, the rubber surrounds are intact but are like.. they move slow

If by moving slow you mean you push them in and it takes a second or so for them to move out . . . this is normal for a sealed driver and doesn't indicate that the response to a signal is slow.

Clean the pot with a contact cleaner and they might shape up.

rcavictim · 5th March 2005, 11:17 PM

Sounds like a good deal. The pots for the mid and tweeter levels are fouled with corrosion causing poor contact from the wiper to the resistance element. If you can squirt some control cleaner/lube in there and work them a bit (rotating back and forth through their range) they will quieten up and the dead spots should disappear. WD-40 works in a pinch. Pure kerosene also works well.

Midrange drivers work at frequencies where the cone movement will not be visible. If you are pushing on the cone and it "moves slow", that could be because the back of the cone is sealed so that the mid cone cannot be modulated by cabinet pressure developed by the woofer.

The fact that the cabinets are heavy is a good sign of quality in commercial speaker offerings.

If the woofers have a corrugated cloth surround impregnated with a shiny black tarry like goop as opposed to foam (I've never seen corrugated foam surrounds) then you have good quality surrounds and may have good quality drivers.

mcshaggy · 6th March 2005, 12:21 AM

the surrounds on the mids and woofers are both goopy looking.
i guess the speakers were designed/(made?) by one guy, dkl were his initials.
glad to hear about the midranges, wasnt sure about them. i think i might replace the terminals on these with some good posts, but im out of money for a little bit.

5th March 2005, 10:42 PM	#1
mcshaggy diyAudio Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: michigan	I just took a trip to the Salvation Army... Some speakers just went up today - "DLK/2" 3-way loudspeakers. They looked good and they were $30 (cosmetically they are perfect) the construction is really good (they weigh a ton!) and overall I figured I'd take my chances. The bass driver is 12", the cone looks to be some sort of cloth (it looks like grey wool to be honest...) and the rubber surround is accordian-like. Now I dont know too much about speakers and I can't find much info about them online, do you guys think I got a good deal? I just tried them out and they seem pretty quiet, but they sound okay. not sure if they're good but they aren't bad. I moved around the pots for setting tweeter and midrange equalization and they sound really bad (the pots do) wondering if replacing them would help any. while moving the pots, the sound would sometimes cut out entirely, and the entire time i was moving it it was very scratchy/grainy. The pots themselves are huuge. I guess these were made in the early 80s. The midranges look like they could use some love, the rubber surrounds are intact but are like.. they move slow I guess. Anyone have any background info on the speakers or tips on how to make these sound better?

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5th March 2005, 11:17 PM	#3
rcavictim diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Cool end of a soldering iron NW of Toronto	Sounds like a good deal. The pots for the mid and tweeter levels are fouled with corrosion causing poor contact from the wiper to the resistance element. If you can squirt some control cleaner/lube in there and work them a bit (rotating back and forth through their range) they will quieten up and the dead spots should disappear. WD-40 works in a pinch. Pure kerosene also works well. Midrange drivers work at frequencies where the cone movement will not be visible. If you are pushing on the cone and it "moves slow", that could be because the back of the cone is sealed so that the mid cone cannot be modulated by cabinet pressure developed by the woofer. The fact that the cabinets are heavy is a good sign of quality in commercial speaker offerings. If the woofers have a corrugated cloth surround impregnated with a shiny black tarry like goop as opposed to foam (I've never seen corrugated foam surrounds) then you have good quality surrounds and may have good quality drivers.

6th March 2005, 12:21 AM	#4
mcshaggy diyAudio Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: michigan	the surrounds on the mids and woofers are both goopy looking. i guess the speakers were designed/(made?) by one guy, dkl were his initials. glad to hear about the midranges, wasnt sure about them. i think i might replace the terminals on these with some good posts, but im out of money for a little bit.