Anybody here know the (old) SoundLab Electrostatics?

[cvanc]

Hi everybody-

I've been 'invited' (lol) to repair a pair of really old SoundLab (SoundLabs?) electrostatics. They are model R-1, I am told. Haven't seen them yet.

Apparently they work but at least one of them crackles. I find online comments that this is common but I'm not really finding specifics on a fix.

Anybody here ever crossed paths with these? Happy to hear any stories that might help. Thanks...

 

[AVWERK]

Here is a few pics of the set I have





The mylar cap needs to be changed and the pot should be replaced or taken apart and cleaned and Deoxit applied
These are meant to be used with a sub BTW

On mine an outer foil needed a heat gun to stretch the membrane to solve what yours are doing.
Hopefully your membrane is not ripped.

 

[AVWERK]

Reworked PS

Another issue that escaped me totally is the wood sections have to be broken loose just to get to a membrane section

So disassembly is a pain and the top section wood cap adds strength to the curve along with all the glued miter joints of each lattice section.

My plan was to throw all the wood in the trash and make a new chassis with a shallower arc with Spandex and wood border trim

Don’t know how they made any money on this model as the wood just added a serious complex time element to each build

Regards
David

 

[profiguy]

I would try the heat gun approach first to see if they can be stretched. Ive worked on a few of these and they're not easy to take apart. The usual issue is the mylar becoming loose and wrinkling but an occasional touch up with a heat gun usually fixes that.