Please help replace sony ss313 speakers

[rohinjitender]

Hey there !
Im new to this forum and this is officially my first post , kindly excuse any mistakes.
Getting to the point, I recently found my dads old Sony SS 313 two way speakers, I connected them to a denon DRA-325R amp that was lying around the house, and to my luck they worked although one of the speakers jarred alot.
So I opened them up to find that the 8" Original sony speaker (8 ohm)inside was torn.
My first thoughts were too search for an appropriate replacement for the torn speaker.
I looked up google, but unfortunately i wasnt able to find any information regarding the speakers
The tech support at partsexpress suggested the GRS 8PR-8 8" Poly Cone Rubber Surround Woofer (sorry i couldnt attach a link as i need to post atleast 5 times ) , he said that these were my best option and I wouldnt be able to find any better even if i spent any more money..!
Could anyone please tell me if thats true ? and if i should go ahead and pick up a pair of GRS's?
I have also heard of brands like dayton audio, b&c and eminence ..but im not too sure if they have a suitable speaker for the enclosure i have .
the internal dimensions of the enclosure are 26x13x9 inches(hxwxd) and the internal volume is 1.76 cubic feet approximately.
Also the speakers are screwed onto the box from the inside and the cut out diameter is 7 "...Could anyone please help me find a suitable replacement and also would you suggest I change the tweeters as well while I am at it ???
Thanks

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Hey there !
Im new to this forum and this is officially my first post , kindly excuse any mistakes.
Getting to the point, I recently found my dads old Sony SS 313 two way speakers, I connected them to a denon DRA-325R amp that was lying around the house, and to my luck they worked although one of the speakers jarred alot.
So I opened them up to find that the 8" Original sony speaker (8 ohm)inside was torn.
My first thoughts were too search for an appropriate replacement for the torn speaker.
I looked up google, but unfortunately i wasnt able to find any information regarding the speakers
The tech support at partsexpress suggested the GRS 8PR-8 8" Poly Cone Rubber Surround Woofer (sorry i couldnt attach a link as i need to post atleast 5 times ) , he said that these were my best option and I wouldnt be able to find any better even if i spent any more money..!
Could anyone please tell me if thats true ? and if i should go ahead and pick up a pair of GRS's?
I have also heard of brands like dayton audio, b&c and eminence ..but im not too sure if they have a suitable speaker for the enclosure i have .
the internal dimensions of the enclosure are 26x13x9 inches(hxwxd) and the internal volume is 1.76 cubic feet approximately.
Also the speakers are screwed onto the box from the inside and the cut out diameter is 7 "...Could anyone please help me find a suitable replacement and also would you suggest I change the tweeters as well while I am at it ???
Thanks

rohinjitender, you are not the first and not the last person who came here asking for "compatible" woofers for existing speaker.

Short story - these don't exist and don't work. Woofer, tweeter and box are designed together and will work right only if all original. I'm sure few people here could dwell into very technical reasons, but you should get the picture....

Your next best bet (if you cant find original replacements) is to fix the original woofers - You could try to do it yourself or seek pros to do it for you

here are few links:
DIY Speaker Repair Kits, Re-foam, Re-edge, New Foam Surrounds
Speaker Repair Instructions - Speaker Foam Edge Replacement
Midwest Speaker Repair - Refoam Kits

If you want new speaker and interested in DIY - you need to start over from scratch and best bet is start with published design or possibly ready kit

 

[Send Margaritas]

Given what you're starting with, I'd go with the advice you got from Parts Express. I've done the 'Frankenspeaker' thing with my old '80's speakers, and they turned out significantly better than they started. PE is probably giving you good advice based on the impedence and SPL of the original speaker.

BoredSysAdmin obviously knows a bit about speaker design. If you're looking for perfect measured FR from various listening angles, etc., there is a lot to understand, and a good effort would probably compel me to use modeling software, for sound waves interact with each other and their environments.

That said, you speaker is already designed. You already have the cabinet designed, crossovers in place, and the real art to designing that speaker is already done. The 80's level components are likely bested by the newer components, and if the SPL, frequency response, and impedence match the existing crossovers, it will likely work out well. I've done 3 sets of older speakers like that, and such simple efforts turned out to be vast improvements. Two way systems with 8" drivers are pretty darn common, and many of the 8" drivers you see at PE are very likely intended for such an application. Torn is different than foam rot. Just replace the 8" drivers.

I very much disagree with: "Woofer, tweeter and box are designed together and will work right only if all original." Especially with 80's era speakers. Swapping out those old components, with components available today, is something in which you can easily do and achieve vastly better results than the originals. You wouldn't believe how much nicer some of my old ones turned out, especially a crappy pair of Fisher 15" 3-Ways that have only been moved out of my best system to my 3rd best system (garage 5.1, lol) to add some bass and justify some new speakers with a greater SAF. Those actually did have dry rot, and new W/T/M was definitely the way to go. They sound better now than some of my $1k each speakers...but all the components, dampening, bracing and crossover replacement (they handle 3x the power now) still are in crappy cabinets with cheesy vinyl wood grain.

I still have a pair of Frankenspeakers in my main system, which is an 11.1 with B&W, ML, Usher and EMP speakers as well. I've had folks very interested in them an their history, for they sound very good.

If you can turn screws, and solder or crimp wire clips on, it is very easy to swap a couple of 8" drivers.

 

[rohinjitender]

Thanks, BoredSysAdmin and Send Margaritas.
Im a little confused now, since both of you ll have responded with very different solutions.
As for BoredSysAdmin, I looked for the original sony drivers, which were also my first option as i wanted to keep the originality of the speakers intact, unfortunately i was not able to find the same anywhere and Im not too sure the repair kits will work as the speaker is torn quite badly,which leaves me with no option other than replacing the speaker or junking the entire thing, which would be heartbreaking.
Send Margaritas, As far as I know the factors i have taken into consideration to find suitable replacement speakers are the internal volume of the enclosure , power rating, impedance and whether the speaker can fit in the 7 " cutout and i was left with a few options (I used the parts express speaker selection wizard to find suitable matches) :
1-Goldwood GW-8028 8" Butyl Surround Woofer 8 Ohm
2-HiVi M8a 8" Aluminum/Magnesium Woofer
3-GRS 8PR-8 8" Poly Cone Rubber Surround Woofer
I have read alot of good reviews of eminence and B&C speakers as well Although i dont know which model would be most suited for my enclosure
Could you please give me any info bout those brands and specify a suitable model or should i just go with one of the options i have listed above.
If any one has any other ideas, please do let me know. Thanks

 

[Send Margaritas]

rohinjitender,

There are a few things to take into consideration. How much sounds reasonable to spend? Can you measure your cutout? (You'll want to be sure it fits.) What is the screw pattern on the cabinet? What kind of tweeter is it? (Silk dome, aluminum dome, etc.) Is your Sony 2-Way a sealed box, or is it ported?

In general, for the 8" drivers you mentioned:

- I'd lean to the Goldwood GW-8PC-30-8 over the GW-8028. Of the options you mentioned. It would likely be a good bang for the buck speaker replacement.

- I'd avoid the GRS.

- The HiVi looks like a decent speaker, but in a 2-Way the top end of the frequency response looks too low. I don't think 3000 Hz is great for a 2 way. If you're willing to spend a little more, as with this option, I'd look at something like the Usher 8137A 8" Kevlar/Carbon Fiber Woofer (Ugly cone tho!). I've used the Usher Kevlar cone woofers in just such a speaker rehab, and they are very nice. The cutout diameter is just a hair larger though. These Usher speakers would likely sound good with a tweeter like the Dayton Audio RS28F-4 1-1/8" Silk Dome Tweeter, in a 2 way.


You really want to measure the cutout and check it against the specs, if you're not comfortable with a router to slightly enlarge the hole though.

Looking at your old speaker (depth, magnet size, etc.) might be good in making the comparison. Some of your decision should also be based on your impression of the speaker's value, and your use.

 

[rohinjitender]

Send Margaritas,
Im willing to spend upto $100 for a pair, the cut out size is 7" and it has a normal 4 screw pattern.
It is a ported bass reflex enclosure, although im not sure about the tweeters.
The Goldwood GW-8PC-30-8 seems worth considering.
If you have any other suggestions plese do let me know.
Also if anyone knows where i can find the specs for the sony ss-313 , please post the link , i have been searching everywhere.
thanks