B&W DM604 S3 Tweeter Repair

[ludachaz]

Hello, first I would like to say hi to evryone here.
I have recently purchased these speakers on ebay and it seems the tweeters on both speakers got damaged during shipping. The thin metal cone got bent inwards on both of them. They still work fine but I am wondering if it is affecting performance at all and what would be the best way to approach this situation?

 

[droeses58]

Short of actually taking the tweeter apart I can't think of anything else to fix it.

 

[shokhead]

A bit odd that both would get that during shipping. No insur? Leave them or replace the whole speaker.

 

[ludachaz]

I was thinking of getting a small amount of epoxy and a toothpick and pop the dent back out since its such thin metal it might work, much like a soda can dent. Would that be a good idea?

 

[annunaki]

I have found that a small strip of masking tape (1" wide 3"-4" long) applied to the dent and removed abrubtly seems to remedy the issue.

 

[ludachaz]

Oh and I belive that it was damaged during shipping because in the picture on ebay it was fine and the box came with a couple tears and most of the styrafoam was broken as if from shock, it seems the delivery people threw it around. And the reason I think the tweeter got damaged is because its the only part of the speaker that doesn't have a plastic ribcage in behind the cloth, so that was the most vunurable part of the speaker. I will try the tabe method and mayby the epoxy method after I see what happens with fedex as they might wanna see the damage. It was insured so I will see what they say, thanks for the help.

 

[j_garcia]

The picture on ebay isn't always of the actual speakers you are getting....very common actually...

Tape should work fine, I've done it many times. Unless there is a big crease in either of them, there is no real damage.

 

[majorloser]

Don't use epoxy. Use a fast dry gel super glue and ONLY do a very small bit on the tip of the toothpick. Epoxy takes too long.

Super glues are strong when pulling apart glued items but weak with shearing action. After you pull the dome out, you can use the tip of an X-acto knife to cut/push the toothpick tip off.

Wouldn't recommend this with soft domes but it works OK with metal:
AS LONG AS THE METAL IS NOT CREASED, ONLY DENTED! Once the metal is creased it can break.

Be sure to clean the area where the toothpick tip will be glued with a Q-tip and rubbing alcohol then let dry. Since you won't be using much glue the adhesion must perfect.

Take your time and use a steady hand. This is why I say fast drying because the slightest movement can break it off before you have a chance to pull.

 

[j_garcia]

The main thing with the masking tape is, it won't leave any residue at all. It WORKS; try it. If it's really sticky, stick it to the table or something first, to remove a bit of the tackiness, then apply to the center of the dome.

 

[ludachaz]

Also, how bad does this affect performance? Since both are damaged I dont have a good one to compare it too, I know for sure they still work and produce sound but does the debt make it worse?

 

[j_garcia]

Should work fine once fixed. Even if there are some small imperfections (not actual creases), it probably won't affect the sound at all