Repairing expensive speakers

[John]

I am repairing two 15" Tannoys of the Gold series. A $5k unit if we
could get them.

Un oscillation in a cassette deck I was using, produced a very lowed
sound that damaged the speakers.

One of them has 6 turns of the voice coil, lose and can be glued back.

On the old days I used to repair speakers using the same type of glue
that was used on the assembling of models. A type of glue that use
acetone as a solvent.
Today we have better types of glue like epoxy and I believe the harder
the glue the better the performance, the disadvantage is that using
epoxy will make a future repair very difficult.

Any suggestions ?

The coil on the second speaker is open and in very bad shape. I am
looking for a replacement.

Tannoy does not carry parts for this type of speaker but there is a
place in England that will sell me a cone assembly for about $300 usd.

J.

 

[AM]

I am repairing two 15" Tannoys of the Gold series. A $5k unit if we
could get them.

Un oscillation in a cassette deck I was using, produced a very lowed
sound that damaged the speakers.

One of them has 6 turns of the voice coil, lose and can be glued back.

On the old days I used to repair speakers using the same type of glue
that was used on the assembling of models. A type of glue that use
acetone as a solvent.
Today we have better types of glue like epoxy and I believe the harder
the glue the better the performance, the disadvantage is that using
epoxy will make a future repair very difficult.

Any suggestions ?

The coil on the second speaker is open and in very bad shape. I am
looking for a replacement.

Tannoy does not carry parts for this type of speaker but there is a
place in England that will sell me a cone assembly for about $300 usd.

J.

Damn. They saw you coming.

Two 1500W ElectroVoice Live performance drivers will solve your problem
forever, and cost less in the long run likely.

$300 just for a single cone!? Did they spike your coffee with
"roofees"?

Anyway, there must be a full replacement that will yield similar or
better performance. Worth buying a couple of cheap auto jobs just to
prove it.

Look on Ebay!

 

[GregS]

Damn. They saw you coming.

Two 1500W ElectroVoice Live performance drivers will solve your problem
forever, and cost less in the long run likely.

$300 just for a single cone!? Did they spike your coffee with
"roofees"?

Anyway, there must be a full replacement that will yield similar or
better performance. Worth buying a couple of cheap auto jobs just to
prove it.

Look on Ebay!

I would talk to all the proffesional shops to see if anybody can do something.
Replacing the units will not work with current crossover to the built
in tweeter inside the woofer. The orginal sound is not likely to
be had. A typical professional setup will not sound good near field.

Other than that, I would just start from scratch.

greg

 

[Cydrome Leader]

I am repairing two 15" Tannoys of the Gold series. A $5k unit if we
could get them.

Un oscillation in a cassette deck I was using, produced a very lowed
sound that damaged the speakers.

One of them has 6 turns of the voice coil, lose and can be glued back.

On the old days I used to repair speakers using the same type of glue
that was used on the assembling of models. A type of glue that use
acetone as a solvent.
Today we have better types of glue like epoxy and I believe the harder
the glue the better the performance, the disadvantage is that using
epoxy will make a future repair very difficult.

Any suggestions ?

The coil on the second speaker is open and in very bad shape. I am
looking for a replacement.

Tannoy does not carry parts for this type of speaker but there is a
place in England that will sell me a cone assembly for about $300 usd.

J.

you might try calling "Van L Speakerworks" in Chicago. They've been
rebuilding speakers here for quite some time.

 

[AM]

will not work with current crossover to the built
in tweeter inside the woofer.

I would never consider even buying such a driver, much less considering
one to be actually worth "several thousand dollars".

What a sad choice to have made for a system to begin with.

How some dope injected an integrated driver arrangement like that into
the "audiophile realm" is beyond me, if that is what this guy thinks he
is.

Everyone (the industry) knows that segregated drivers for different
segments of the human audible spectrum is best. None of the real makers
use such a paradigm as integrating two 'bands' of said spectrum into a
single driver.

Jeez... this isn't car audio. There is no need to attempt to
consolidate space. Several thousand dollars indeed.

I should send a bill for several thousand dollars for giving the
advice. Ha!

 

[AM]

Before you get too carried away try Googling "Tannoy Dual Concentric" so at
least you know a little more about the technology you are denigrating.

I once had a pair of Tannoy Ardens (15" Dual Concentric driver) and they
were probably the best sounding speakers I've ever had (including the Quad
Electrostatics and the Spendor BC2s. Then I grew up (damn!) and had to spend
my money on feeding the kids etc.

(mind you $5k seems steep - I paid £400 for the Ardens (pair in cabinets)
but it was in about 1975.)

Michael Kellett

Still not impressed.

Besides, the cabinets mean more to the sound than the drivers.

If one is spending several thousand dollars each for a driver, one
would think that one would spend a bit more time deciding what value,
quality, durability, etc. matters.

Looks to me as if the cone 'assembly' has more mass than a normal
driver, and that has to hit it in the low end, where this driver matters.

 

[GregS]

I would never consider even buying such a driver, much less considering
one to be actually worth "several thousand dollars".

What a sad choice to have made for a system to begin with.

How some dope injected an integrated driver arrangement like that into
the "audiophile realm" is beyond me, if that is what this guy thinks he
is.

Everyone (the industry) knows that segregated drivers for different
segments of the human audible spectrum is best. None of the real makers
use such a paradigm as integrating two 'bands' of said spectrum into a
single driver.

Best for what. Some very best electrostatics cover all above 100 Hz.
Some real makers DO use a single mechanism, and for good reason.
Single mechanisms require more engineering, and more money.

Jeez... this isn't car audio. There is no need to attempt to
consolidate space. Several thousand dollars indeed.

I should send a bill for several thousand dollars for giving the
advice. Ha!

We are preserving spacial imaging and phase coherence even off center.

I see Celestion makes a 12 inch model but I don't see a 15.
http://professional.celestion.com/pro/pdf/TF1225CX.pdf

greg

 

[GregS]

Still not impressed.

Besides, the cabinets mean more to the sound than the drivers.

If one is spending several thousand dollars each for a driver, one
would think that one would spend a bit more time deciding what value,
quality, durability, etc. matters.

Looks to me as if the cone 'assembly' has more mass than a normal
driver, and that has to hit it in the low end, where this driver matters.

Normal what. High mass means lower response.
Efficiency is not as important as lower response.

greg

 

[AM]

Lemme see: take the sound of a tuba or cello; SINGLE source, NOT
sound spectrum broken up into "segments".

Yes, but the discussion is about how WE reproduce them, and in such
cases, with our primitive (to a tuba) transducers, we most certainly do
break it up into bands that satisfy the physical limitations of the
transducer designs we use for each of those bands.

Try again. You lost that one, and nobody lied about a goddamned thing.

 

[AM]

Just _try_ to faithfully reproduce the sound from one of those (or
other sources) with that scatter "system" that "everyone knows" is best..

Your brain is scattered. Just look at what the best of the best are
putting out there, ya dope.

 

[legg]

I am repairing two 15" Tannoys of the Gold series. A $5k unit if we
could get them.

Un oscillation in a cassette deck I was using, produced a very lowed
sound that damaged the speakers.

One of them has 6 turns of the voice coil, lose and can be glued back.

On the old days I used to repair speakers using the same type of glue
that was used on the assembling of models. A type of glue that use
acetone as a solvent.
Today we have better types of glue like epoxy and I believe the harder
the glue the better the performance, the disadvantage is that using
epoxy will make a future repair very difficult.

Any suggestions ?

The coil on the second speaker is open and in very bad shape. I am
looking for a replacement.

Tannoy does not carry parts for this type of speaker but there is a
place in England that will sell me a cone assembly for about $300 usd.

J.

Suggest you send out the original, to ensure that the replacement is a
proper fit. Sounds reasonable to me, considering western hemisphere
costs and your original investment.

RL

 

[AM]

Have you tried a plasma speaker (hiss suitably muffled)?

No, but I have a couple of flat panel jobs.

I still remember when that (flat) was new technology back in the mid
seventies, and only one maker had/made them.

I saw some odd 'Tesla' hardware looking speakers in the high end
magazines that were almost all the way up to the ceiling, and it looked
like a cone shaped thingy (that's what *she* said).

 

[John]

Suggest you send out the original, to ensure that the replacement is a
proper fit. Sounds reasonable to me, considering western hemisphere
costs and your original investment.

RL

I starting by calling Tannoy that reply the following:

"We don't have the kit but you may get it from company x. Then send
the complete assembly to the closest Tannoy service center (200 miles
from my residence) and we will do the reconing.
We don't recommend changing the coil."

The installation of the kit is easy. It is self center and it doesn't
have play adjustments.

In order to do a god job, I should order 2 cone kits from England but
the total cost including transportation, duty an taxes will be more
than $1k.

The speaker with less damage has about 6 turns dislocated as a group
from the rest of the coil that looks solid.
I am going to read again your recommendations about the glue, paint
the 2" tube with that glue and slide the 6 turns group into their
previous position.

If this works I may try to rewind the other coil "fat chance"

Then I may order one or two kits from England and do the reconing
myself.

Thanks for all your help.

John

 

[JosephKK]

I am repairing two 15" Tannoys of the Gold series. A $5k unit if we
could get them.

Un oscillation in a cassette deck I was using, produced a very lowed
sound that damaged the speakers.

One of them has 6 turns of the voice coil, lose and can be glued back.

On the old days I used to repair speakers using the same type of glue
that was used on the assembling of models. A type of glue that use
acetone as a solvent.
Today we have better types of glue like epoxy and I believe the harder
the glue the better the performance, the disadvantage is that using
epoxy will make a future repair very difficult.

Any suggestions ?

The coil on the second speaker is open and in very bad shape. I am
looking for a replacement.

Tannoy does not carry parts for this type of speaker but there is a
place in England that will sell me a cone assembly for about $300 usd.

J.

If the cone assembly includes the voice coil that is a pretty good deal,
i might even buy extras. Since you have done this kind of thing before i
presume that you have the tools.

You could probably find stronger adhesives that are still repairable, but
i bet they will be rather expensive and may be shipped frozen (with
months limited shelf life, and just minutes pot life).

 

[Copacetic]

You could probably find stronger adhesives that are still repairable, but
i bet they will be rather expensive and may be shipped frozen (with
months limited shelf life, and just minutes pot life).

Your outlook on everything is so obviously bent toward pessimism.