cloth surround for speakers

[marcok]

My father's Infinity RS iii speakers need new surrounds . ( simply the age )
My question is : Can you appreciate the difference between cloth and foam ?
The advantage is that the cloth is for lifetime .
I know that is the classic " one million question " but
I would like to know your opinions .
Thank you in advance and ciao
Marco

 

[Fast Forward]

It's kind of a toss up Marco I used cloth on my Marantz Imperials , but if you can find foam that is stiff enough it may be easier to deal with. There is a trick to cutting foam evenly Freeze it which stiffens it up, I'll take a few pic of my Imperials and post them for you

 

[marcok]

https://www.simplyspeakers.com/cloth-speaker-repair-edge-kits.html
I mean something like this .( half cloth / half foam )
Ten years ago I would have say : foam only , like original .
Now my "speaker guru "( not my hifi guru ) said to me :
Trust me, use this type; they are forever . He's a very experienced guy in speaker reparing ( 40 years )
My hifi guru , on the contrary , has some doubts .
He always used sorrounds like original .
The problem is that you modify the compliance and the resonance frequency of woofers .
Are you able to appreciate the difference ? I don't know .
For me you can see the difference in a anechoic chamber with a B&K test set , but.....
Ciao
Marco

 

[Fast Forward]

My Marantz's came with foam covers but they were messed up from years of use and also from a heavy smokers house, so I decided on cloth. I also replaced the foam on the inside, re-coned and re-foamed and even replaced a tweeter

 

[marcok]

I think there was a language mismatch ,
but I simply found the right words in an american site .
Things that happen !
Ciao
Marco

 

[Northwinds]

I think he wants surrounds for his Dad's speakers, not grill cloth
Marcok, I would use whatever material is recommended. Personally I prefer foam surrounds as you get easier excursion rates but cloth does last longer. I have speakers with foam surrounds that are 40 years old almost and still no issues with them. It's all about quality

 

[marcok]

I think he wants surrounds for his Dad's speakers, not grill cloth
Marcok, I would use whatever material is recommended. Personally I prefer foam surrounds as you get easier excursion rates but cloth does last longer. I have speakers with foam surrounds that are 40 years old almost and still no issues with them. It's all about quality

Generally the life span of foam is 10 / 12 years .
40 years looks very high . Are you sure that is foam ? There is also rubber ( B & W some models ) and silk ( Klipsch some models ) .
Which speakers do you mean ?
Ciao
Marco

 

[Northwinds]

They are the woofers out of Realistic T-200s that I transplanted into my Bose 501's used in the garage. They are indeed at least 40 years old as I bought the speaker set brand new in 1983, definitely not rubber or silk surrounds

Original cabs are long gone now but they looked like this until I damaged one cab bad in a move and scrapped them


http://www.hifiengine.com/files/images/t200 good shape (623x640) (584x600).jpg

 

[marcok]

O.K.
Ron .
Probably the life span depends on sunlight exposure ,too . In a normal living room there the windows ,
while in a cave or a garage you have less sun light .
If I have understood well the worst enemy of foam is the sunlight .
Anyway the last surround replacement was made 10 years ago ( expected MTBF )
Thank you and ciao
Marco