Drop in drivers for Lowther C45?

[coldcut]

Hi! After owning the Lowthers for a decade or so, the foam surrounds starts to disintegrate. Checked with Lowther Uk to do a renovation, but the prices comes awfully close to a new pair (900€ or 1070$) when including VAT, shipping. Possibly the brexit situation makes it even worse.
So, before making a decision, are there any good drop in drivers (or with minor modifications) available? High sensitivity is a must, they are mounted in a BLH driven by a Firstwatt F3.

Thanks // John

(Edit: I should mention that the enclosure is the Lowther Alerion, a very small speaker, for beeing a Lowther horn, that is �&#56898😉

 

[Bigun]

there is nothing drop-in equivalent

on the good side, they can be repaired and serviced as good as new which is more than you can say for most manufacturers these days

 

[waxx]

Lowther is always very expensive, but i hear some use none-lowter surrounds to repair older drivers made from rubber that does not desintegrate and is much cheaper.

This is a 7" driver, not many are arround, so i also don't think there is no replacement for it but the original (that is still for sale). It's that or making other horns with other drivers.

 

[coldcut]

Found this:
Lautsprecher Technik - Lowther C55 Speaker Surround Re-Foam Repair Kit
Has anyone any experience with their products?
I have PM2Cs which are at least 35y old with the same problem. Guess there are a few non functional Lowthers where the owners hesitate about factory repairs because of costs. It gets more expensive as you move up the product line.

But.. Lowther has a new website! Or at least did it change since I last checked years ago. Did someone buy the company?

 

[waxx]

The company was sold to Martin Thornton in 2019, an british Lowther lover and close friend (as i hear) from John Howes, who owns a Lowther museum in the UK. John Howes would be the man after the technical stuff now, and Martin Thornton is the CEO. The original staff is also still in place doing the same as before with the original tooling.

The former owners wanted to retire and were ready to close down Lowther, but Martin Thornton could convince them to sell it to him.

 

[GM]

Considering its lack of Xmax, seems like switching to the pioneer's lightly doped cloth is the best overall choice.

 

[coldcut]

Considering its lack of Xmax, seems like switching to the pioneer's lightly doped cloth is the best overall choice.

Are we talking about the full Pioneer driver, or just the surround replacement?

 

[Davor D]

No drop-in replacements but you may consider adapting your cabinets to accept Sonido SFR-175 or Fostex FN166NV.
Both are suitable for BLH and should work fine in Alerion.

That repair kit you mentioned only includes front suspensions, but you need rear as well (spiders) beacuse they are made out of same crappy foam and getting suitable spiders is the main problem when repairing Lowthers.
Voxativ had some complete surround kits suitable for larger 8in Lowther units on eBay. You may try to ask them about C45.

 

[Davor D]

Maybe I brake forum rules but this is the link:

Optimized Lowther Suspensions - fit all drivers | eBay

 

[Scottmoose]

Are we talking about the full Pioneer driver, or just the surround replacement?

GM is not talking about a product made by Pioneer, but the lightly doped type of cloth surround used by the pioneering companies in home audio (notably Western Electric and RCA), which they generally found to be the optimal solution for this driver type.

 

[coldcut]

t Sonido SFR-175 or Fostex FN166NV

Thank you for the suggestions. If I choose to modify the enclosures, I think I would start researching the phy-hp e17 lb15. I still dream about the experience and shock when I heard the Ocellia Kedros for the first time.

GM is not talking about a product made by Pioneer, but the lightly doped type of cloth surround used by the pioneering companies in home audio (notably Western Electric and RCA), which they generally found to be the optimal solution for this driver type.

I see. Is this something I need to order specifically for the c45, like a custom-fit based on the actual driver dimensions?

 

[Scottmoose]

Probably; you'll need to look though. There may be some off-the-shelf options.

 

[coldcut]

Hmm. Can someone direct me to a store or specialist that I can contact? If it’s against the forum rules you are welcome to PM me.
Thanks!

 

[midrange]

SQUARE FRAME Lowther speaker driver rebuild repair | eBay

I have never had a Lowther unit repaired by this chap, so cannot vouch for him, but he is obviously a real enthusiast. Might be worth a chat with him.

 

[GM]

but you need rear as well (spiders) beacuse they are made out of same crappy foam and getting suitable spiders is the main problem when repairing Lowthers.

Thanks! This I did not know.

 

[GM]

GM is not talking about a product made by Pioneer

The EPA version of the original used by them is readily available and much cheaper with the trade-off of not performing quite the same, but can be thinned with water or other water based material to custom blend you're own: Speaker Repair Adhesive, Sealer, Cloth Surrounds, Foam Surrunds, MI-1291

That said, didn't know the C45 is a 7", so likely none available in the pleated cloth type and in retrospect may no longer be [readily] available in 8" size either. 🙁

edit: Can the foam used withstand an airbrushed 'dusting' of thinned adhesive to protect/seal it at a slight loss of compliance?

 

[planet10]

lightly doped type of cloth surround

And seen in many Japanese drivers like Foster and Coral.

dave

 

[GM]

😀

 

[coldcut]

That said, didn't know the C45 is a 7"

I found this statement odd, since the size difference between the c45s and the PM2Cs are huge.

Got the measuring tape, the c45s are 137mm, surround edge to edge. So its more like a 5.25", or 5.3937007874" to be exact.

 

[GM]

Good to know, thanks! Maybe?

7 inch M Roll Refoam Kit (F7-2) | Midwest Speaker Repair