Need Speaker Repair Advice (1 Viewer)

[Tom Kay]

Hello

I use a fairly old pair of Heybrook HB-1 speakers from England as my mains in my HT setup. I love these, because they are crisp and clean sounding. They're not boomy sounding like, say, JBL speakers.

They have a tweeter and a largerer speaker, roughly 6 inches diameter, call it the bass speaker for the moment. These bass speakers have a foam ring around the outside, which is how the cone is attached to the metal mounting ring.

The foam is ripped. In both speakers. I don't hear any evidence when I'm listening to music or movies. I assume that if the actual cone was ripped, I'd hear a nasty crackling sound, like I've heard from cheap DJ's at weddings.

So, is this repairable? Are there foam ring kits that you can buy and glue in place? Is it worth it if I can't detect a problem, even at high volume? The sound is still nice and clean. would you just leave it and see if it continues to rip worse?

And while I'm at it, if the only kind of repair available is to replace the whole bass speaker, wouldn't this change how those speakers sound? I mean, I assume that the type of tweeter,bass speaker, wooden enclosure, plus the crossover really give the whole speaker unit its characteristics, and a major replacement would alter the sound coming out of it? It would no longer sound like Heybrook originally intended it??

So, what's the best approach? My goal is to enjoy these terrific speakers as long as possible. They really are good.

Well, thanks if you can help. Tom.

 

[Mort Corey]

I would contact the manufacturer. You may have to end up pulling the speakers and have them refurbished at the factory.....or.....you could just keep using them until they don't sound good any longer.

Mort

 

[Thomas Willard]

Parts Express sells speaker foam surround replacement kits. I don't know off hand if they have them for speakers as small as 6". If they do, the procedure is not complicated and the included instructions make the repair very easy.

If new foam surrounds are not available, you could purchase new 6" speakers for a modest amount from this same source.

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Try contacting Heybrook. There’s a chance they may be able to service your speakers or sell you factory replacement parts.

If that comes up bust, try eBay. Maybe you could pick up a pair that you could use for parts.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Tom Kay]

Thanks Guys;

Heybrook hasn't replied yet, but they still might. I have a repair shop in town who will try to match speaker parts as closely as possible. Or I might try the foam repair myself.

Cheers all, Tom.

 

[Kenneth Harden]

I wasn't aware that JBL's sounded 'boomy'

 

[Tom Kay]

Hi Kenneth

They do to me, anyway. I have both the Heybrooks and a set of JBL's, both from the early 80's (which probably explains why my foam is splitting). I find the JBL's muddy, boomy, while the Heybrooks really seem a lot crisper and snappier. Can't think of any more descriptive words at the moment.

But, there may be a zillion types of JBL speakers, so who knows, maybe there's even one for me.

Tom.

 

[andyKim]

From what I've seen/heard, JBL's have always been known for their crisp highs and their solid lows. However, hearing is also very subjective, so they might be more "boomy" than you prefer.

As for your foam surrounds, you can always find a reputable speaker re-cone center in your area and they will most likely be able to replace just the surround on the speaker. If you wait until it rips more, you may have problems with the alignment of the voicecoil and cause it to rub against the magnet and/or the center pole piece. If this happens, then your speaker is most definately done (unless complete re-cone kits are available).

I'm guessing that you don't want to replace the speaker with another driver since the cabinet is "fairly old" and a direct replacement is probably not available. Simply dropping in another driver will probably change the sound of the box.

Just my $0.02

 

[todbnla]

A few years back I used these people for an older, "vinteage" pair of speakers that I still have and use, their work was great!
http://www.speakerrepair.com/

 

[DorianBryant]

Parts Express has kits to re-foam numerous speakers and you can get foam kits for 6" speakers. This is not difficult to do as i have repaired many speakers. It is worth it and extends the life.

Read the on-line manual from PE and it may help you determine whether you can take this on yourself.