cracked speaker

[curiousburke]

Hello All, I'm posing to get some opinions on my most recent woe from people who know speakers better than I do.

I dropped one of my surround speakers (Goldenear Sat3). The plastic case was not happy about this, resulting in a few inch long crack and a chip out of the corner of the back of the housing. I could glue the chip back in.

Do you think this will have a big impact on the sound? Can it be fixed?

The place I bought them from took the attitude that it's a cheap speaker, and should just be replaced, but $250 isn't that cheap. He didn't think it would have much effect on the sound, but it seems that might be because he thinks it's a bottom end speaker to begin with. The whole back unscrews easily, and they will look into a replacement next week.

Basically, how important is the cabinet sealing at frequencies above 100Hz?

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Grasso789]

Hello, i do not know. Thou can play back something on it and compare to an unspoiled specimen. Some music or pink noise to listen for balancing issues, and a slow low-frequency sine sweep to listen for hissing noises. But beware, do not thermically overload it. Or better yet, just glue it back together. Most plastic can be glued pretty good with glue based on organic solvents. By organic i mean a hydrocarbon such as acetone. Just make sure there is nothing left inside the box rattling. Uli

 

[curiousburke]

Thanks. I have listened to it, and it sounds fine, but I have not A B tested it.

I was thinking superglue, but I do have acetone. Which would be better? Or, maybe modeling cement?

It's almost funny, I've been agonizing over pulling 12, 14 or 16 AWG wire in the walls, and then I go and drop a speaker, which probably has a bigger effect than the differences in wire.

 

[eriksquires]

Hello All, I'm posing to get some opinions on my most recent woe from people who know speakers better than I do.

I dropped one of my surround speakers (Goldenear Sat3). The plastic case was not happy about this, resulting in a few inch long crack and a chip out of the corner of the back of the housing. I could glue the chip back in.

Do you think this will have a big impact on the sound? Can it be fixed?

The place I bought them from took the attitude that it's a cheap speaker, and should just be replaced, but $250 isn't that cheap. He didn't think it would have much effect on the sound, but it seems that might be because he thinks it's a bottom end speaker to begin with. The whole back unscrews easily, and they will look into a replacement next week.

Basically, how important is the cabinet sealing at frequencies above 100Hz?

Thanks,
Mark

Get some 2-part epoxy to seal the cabinet and feel it. If it feels strong and inflexible, you are done. If however it feels weak, you may need to reinforce internally with a wooden strip or metal tube across the break.

Having it air tight will prevent lots of issues. So yes, you should make sure it's air-tight, but it's super easy with epoxy. Hot glue would also work but it may be too flexible, as would any caulks. Probably you want an epoxy that says it's sand-able. That means it dries hard enough to provide support.

You may also need a small clamp to hold things tight as they dry.

Tip: Get disposable plastic gloves.

Best,

Erik

 

[curiousburke]

maybe I can use some thin glue, like superglue or acetone, from the outside, and epoxy the inside to make sure it's sealed

 

[nigelwright7557]

Its easily done.

I remember my first loudspeaker build.
I put in one of the screws for holding the speaker in and put a spanner on the nut and screwdriver on the screw head. I pushed, slipped and the tip of the screwdriver went straight through the paper cone.
I used super glue to fill the hole and it worked great for years afterwards.