Cleaning speaker connectors (1 Viewer)

[Jeff H]

I have an older pair of speakers and called the company for info on them. After asking my questions he tech asked when I last cleaned the connectors. He said to take the drivers and tweeters out and clean the connectors with isopropyl alchohol. Has anyone done this and will it improve speaker sound?

 

[Bob McElfresh]

I have never opened up my speakers to clean the internal wires/contacts. (but my speakers are only about 3 years old)
But several people have said that by simply disconnecting, trimming, and re-connecting their speaker wires improved their sound.
Copper wires will oxidize over time and this does change the sound. Internal connections are often soldered to both insure a good connection, and "paint" the exposed wires and prevent oxidization.
Since the tech is recommending this to you, my guess is that your internal wires are not soldered.
Depending upon the age and insulation on the wires, you may need to replace some of the internal copper wires. And if your speakers are that old, there are often foam-rubber gaskets around your drivers that often get stiff/brittle and also need replacement. (Removing the drivers will trash these gaskets).
Before you try and remove your drivers, look in the Yellow pages for local stores that rebuild/refurbish speakers. You may need to run out for gaskets. You might also get a quote for them to do the work for you.
Good Luck.

 

[Ted Lee]

i'm not sure about this, but in my old kiddie days i used to clean the contacts of my race-track cars using the eraser-tip from a pencil.
would that work in this case?
i don't know if i'd use alcohol on the contacts. wouldn't that increase the chance for rust?

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You step in the stream,
But the water has moved on.
This page is not here.
[Edited last by Ted Lee on September 07, 2001 at 01:17 PM]

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Ted: thats good advice.
You would be suprised at how many computer problems have been solved by simply pulling out the I/O cards, rubbing an eraser along the contacts and reseating the cards in the buss slots. Sometimes the old-remedy's still work in a high-tech world.

 

[Ted Lee]

thanks bob!
i know what you mean...i'm so old-school i'm embarassed!

------------------
You step in the stream,
But the water has moved on.
This page is not here.