Hello, this is my first time posting here so sorry if this doesn't belong. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I picked up a pair of Wharfedale speakers from my local recycling center recently. Upon hooking them up I realized one is completely missing any mid-range/bass. After taking it apart I found the mid-range driver to have no resistance across the terminals. The cone is also completely seized.
After doing some research I've come to the conclusion the voice coil probably overheated and is now completely dead. I've found a couple resources on replacing a voice coil, and I think I can pull it off.
I was hoping I could get some advice on where to find a replacement coil for the drivers. I also need help identifying the model of the driver and the speaker it came from. I looked everywhere, but there are no markings besides the brand name. I've attached pictures of the dead driver and the speaker it came from below.
If anyone has any recommendations for a guide I should follow, or any other ideas on what I could do to repair this I would greatly appreciate it.
I picked up a pair of Wharfedale speakers from my local recycling center recently. Upon hooking them up I realized one is completely missing any mid-range/bass. After taking it apart I found the mid-range driver to have no resistance across the terminals. The cone is also completely seized.
After doing some research I've come to the conclusion the voice coil probably overheated and is now completely dead. I've found a couple resources on replacing a voice coil, and I think I can pull it off.
I was hoping I could get some advice on where to find a replacement coil for the drivers. I also need help identifying the model of the driver and the speaker it came from. I looked everywhere, but there are no markings besides the brand name. I've attached pictures of the dead driver and the speaker it came from below.
If anyone has any recommendations for a guide I should follow, or any other ideas on what I could do to repair this I would greatly appreciate it.
Peering through the grill cloth it looks like there are two drivers, in which case this could be a Wharfedale W2 loudspeaker.
The W2 has a 12" woofer, the WLS/12, and a modified Super 5 treble unit (crossover at 1 kHz) with the golden magnet.
If it is a W2 then the enclosure dimensions are 23.5 x 12 x 14" and there's a treble control at the back.
If the above does not correlate, then please supply the enclosure dimensions, the dimensions of the drivers and a photo of the enclosure's interior.
P.S. You won't find "off-the-shelf" voice coils for these vintage speakers (introduced in 1959 in the case of the W2) - looks like a job for the experts!
Last edited:
The speaker appears to be a variant of the Column 8/145 speaker. It has the same cone but not the flat plastic foam surround and aluminium dome of that model. Wharfedale speakers that were assembled in North America often differed from the British originals. The faulty coil would most likely have been wound with aluminium wire (15 ohm impedance). The internal diameter of the voice coil should be 1.025''.
Loosen the magnet assemby screws, be carefull for your fingers. Take it apart and see what's wrong first. If you are lucky you can rewind it by hand that way, measure wire thickness and count turns while unwinding. Use a little glue fixing new windings.
On the other hand these are really old, you would be better of to pick up loudspeakers that resemble hifi more. I like the old style vintage cabinets though. You can always reuse them and put in some more modern speakers.
On the other hand these are really old, you would be better of to pick up loudspeakers that resemble hifi more. I like the old style vintage cabinets though. You can always reuse them and put in some more modern speakers.
Is there a smaller one?
I have a pr in the give away pile (the surrounds need replacing).
dave
I'm ruling out the WLS/12 woofer in the W2 as it looks like this with an expanded polystyrene "bung":
There is the Super 3:
However, in this thread I assume we are concentrating on the mid/bass driver shown in post #4.
We await dimensions of the mid/bass driver from @rosetheld, but it looks to be one of the early Super 8 Range which are all fitted with the Wharfedale Golden Magnet - see the first (large) attachment. The range includes the 8/145 driver to which @VaNarn referred, and which is pictured below.
Observing the respective cone surround materials and intended applications of each of the drivers in the Super 8 Range, it seems possible that The OP's driver may be an 8/145 that has had a surround replacement in the past, or is a variant of that model.
The second (large) attachment shows the Data Sheet.
Observing the respective cone surround materials and intended applications of each of the drivers in the Super 8 Range, it seems possible that The OP's driver may be an 8/145 that has had a surround replacement in the past, or is a variant of that model.
The second (large) attachment shows the Data Sheet.
Attachments
Here the repair involves a new cone and new voice coil, mostly 4 ohms, the charges will be around 200 Rupees for a 8" unit, next day delivery.
The speaker repair shops cut away the old cones here.
Centering a new voice coil and sticking it to the old cone, provided it is in good condition, is itself an art, needs lots of practice.
The speaker repair shops cut away the old cones here.
Centering a new voice coil and sticking it to the old cone, provided it is in good condition, is itself an art, needs lots of practice.
Turns out they ar ethe 5” tweeter, the styrofoam add-on explains why i thot the cones weren’t black and what we glimpse thru the grills in the OP’s pictures.
Free for anyone willing topay postage
dave
Free for anyone willing topay postage
dave
What I think I see though the grill cloth is the glint of a shiny aluminium dust cap.
An Al cap was fitted in early versions of the Super 3, but not in later versions.
The metal caps on the Super8s i got were terrible, i removed them, but stopped working on them when T/S measures showed they were not really a pair.
dave
dave
Can anybody tell if spare coils and cones are indeed availble in the USA, and what would be the landed cost in comparison to a new driver.
The speaker repairmen here do have ready cones in paper and (for car peakers) plastic film, and seem to get coils ready made from larger cities, or sometimes wind them themselves.
Shipping such a fragile item will need strong packaging, and the result will be dependent on the dexterity of the person fixing the speaker parts in place.
All in all, it is a skill which is not really needed for a one off job.
An equivalent replacement driver may be a better choice, from the many sources on line in that region.
The speaker repairmen here do have ready cones in paper and (for car peakers) plastic film, and seem to get coils ready made from larger cities, or sometimes wind them themselves.
Shipping such a fragile item will need strong packaging, and the result will be dependent on the dexterity of the person fixing the speaker parts in place.
All in all, it is a skill which is not really needed for a one off job.
An equivalent replacement driver may be a better choice, from the many sources on line in that region.
Last edited:
Here one shop takes just half an hour, if everything is ready at hand, then say the adhesive needs to set, come after 4 hours.
Kind of convenient, results are decent.
Kind of convenient, results are decent.