It's Like Taking Your Car to U-Wrench It...

[Lazarus Short]

Barb and I decided to reconfigure the A/V stuff yesterday. The video monitor went front/center of the non-functional fireplace, and we needed something to raise it up. Nothing quite fit the bill, and we eventually settled on the Fisher 104 speakers. A bit of history - my best friend bought them in the early 1970's, and they are still in their original boxes. He was not happy with the sound, so given the very solid cabinets, he and I fitted better tweeter and midrange units. Back in those days, you could still buy good raw drivers at near wholesale at McGee Radio here in KC - the project was cheap by today's standards. He was thrilled with the results, and eventually upgraded the woofers and crossovers as well. While in Carlsbad, I blew one of the tweeters, and had planned to replace both with a pair of EPI goldrings I had lying around.

So yesterday, I decided to put the original lattice grilles back on, and took the under-grilles off for a quick look at the drivers. Foam rot! Both woofer cones were mostly detached from the baskets. Sad: blown tweeter, rotted woofers. It may not be worth repairing, thought I know a guy who can refoam the woofers. It may not be worth it.

There they sit under the TeeVee, as beautiful as ever, reduced to furniture...

 

[Master Tasuke]

they're probably worth re-foaming. i successfully re-foamed my mother's pair of ONKYO-OEM RCA "DIMENSIA" 3-ways a couple years ago.
it was my very first attempt at such a job, and it was completely successful.
there is one in my hometown of PORTLAND, OR. that will re-foam anything for a flat rate of $30ea.

perhaps there might exist a similar service somewhere at least somewhat local to you?

 

[Lazarus Short]

There's a place I can take them to north of the river, if it's still in business and at the same place. On the other hand, I think they'll go on the back burner unless/until a pair of nice twelve-inch woofers show up with butyl surrounds. Refoaming strikes me as throwing good money after bad.

 

[orange]

If it doesn't rub or act badly when carefully checked at low volume most foam replacements aren't that bad.

It just depends on if you feel like doing it, replacing components or even brewing something from it.