Do pushed in dust caps shorten the life of a speaker

[gholt]

This may be a dumb Q. But, I was cleaning out the closet to look at some of the speakers I have and I have a Boston Acoustic VR12 and to my horror, one of my kids pushed in the dust caps on the two bigger woofers / midbases. So, I tried a couple of methods to get them to pop out. I at first tried the needle method. I then tried the duct tape method and I was able to get the dust cap into better shape. Attached is a pic. Also, when I pushed in the woofers slightly, I could hear a slight scraping on the right speaker. So, my questions for all the experts out there are: Will having the dust caps pushed in lower the life of the speaker?

Do I need to pop out the remaining indents in the dust cap?

Will having the pinholes in the speaker cause a problem, and if so, how do I fix these?

Does the slight scraping noise from the speaker mean anything, and can it be fixed? (BTW Boston no longer carries parts for this speaker.)

 

[j_garcia]

It makes absolutely no difference in terms of the dust caps, however the "scraping" sound might not be a good thing and probably isn't the dust cap. Does the speaker seem to sound OK? If it sounds OK and the drivers don't scrape when playing something, you are probably fine.

 

[gholt]

BA does have parts. They are $62 / ea. So, $131. worst case scenerio. Would putting that much cash into these speakers be worth it as it is a secondary speaker, not the main one?

I can get the EMP center channels for $200.

 

[gholt]

They sounded OK when I hooked them up. I couldn't hear that anything was a miss. But, it did not sound great. Probably because I am more used to the system I have now.

 

[GlocksRock]

I've heard of people using a vacuum to return the dustcap to it's original non pushed in position, you may try that.

 

[gholt]

I used the shopvac, but the tape gave the best results. They were really pushed in. Maybe the vacum will help pull the rest out.

 

[j_garcia]

I'd have to agree with your assessment that the cost of replacing the drivers isn't worth it if it isn't a primary system.

 

[AJinFLA]

Do I need to pop out the remaining indents in the dust cap?

Will having the pinholes in the speaker cause a problem, and if so, how do I fix these?

Does the slight scraping noise from the speaker mean anything, and can it be fixed? (BTW Boston no longer carries parts for this speaker.)

No.

Shouldn't. Is it rear ported?

Depends. You may be applying asymmetric force on the cone when you push in, causing a slight tilt as you depress the coil/former through the magnetic gap, resulting in scraping, because the tolerance is usually pretty tight. Or you could have a bent former from over excursion.
Does the speaker distort when you play it at medium volumes with some bass content?
If not, don't worry.

cheers,

AJ

 

[gholt]

No.

Shouldn't. Is it rear ported?

Does the speaker distort when you play it at medium volumes with some bass content?

Not rear ported. I don't notice any distortion. So, probably no need to replace with new drivers, I think.

 

[Nugu]

Will having the pinholes in the speaker cause a problem, and if so, how do I fix these?

May not be noticeable but you can fix the pinholes with a TINY bit of clear nail polish. Just enough to fill in the hole - no more.

 

[mtrycrafts]

... Will having the dust caps pushed in lower the life of the speaker?

...

No, but it might put a dimple in the wavefront

 

[tjohnusa]

It won't shorten the life...but as others stated the scraping noise may be a cause to worry. to insure your not skewing the cone when you push it in use a large cup, the biggest you have and push the cone as perpendicular as you can with the mouth of the cup. If you still have the scraping the woofer must be replaced or reconed. If there is no scraping you should be fine. If this is the case and the dustcaps really bother you they are easily replaced. The parts are available from many sources online and require you to cut off the old caps with an exacto knife then glue the replacement on with a clear finish glue....easy peasy. There are videos on you tube about this. Good luck