Decided to get my old stereo from the 80's out of mothballs. Come to find out the foam on the woofers dry rotted. A re foam kit for the pair is $25 or so. Replacement woofers about $50-$120 each! So obviously re foaming would be the cheapest option. Anyone ever done this before? There is a company that charges $40 each to do it for you. Maybe that would be the best?
Kinda funny that the old turntable and equalizer are worth around $500 still for the pair! I did remove the old dual cassette deck. Anyone want it for free? You pay shipping.

Only with results that would satisfy a college kid.... YMMV

Tried it once. The results were unusable. Complete disaster. Maybe the difference is having a professional do it, but I doubt if I would attempt it on my own ever again.

Yep. I used part-express.com.
Not difficult but you need to be precise and methodical in your installation.
Additionally it is best to get another center dust-cap as it is best to remove the original and use the plastic shims to steady and center the replacement surround.
Just follow the procedure and it is not too bad.
You can get a demo on YouYube on Howto.
Good Luck.

Just get new speakers. If you really want the repaired ask Weber VST.

I think it is the sort of thing I would send out. I have fussy standards, and I don't think I could do it well enough.

Plus it also seems like the sort of thing you would have to do two or three times to learn how.

But I have never tried. Maybe it isn't too hard.

I had the passive radiators and the woofers on my old ESS/Heil speakers re-foamed years ago by a local speaker shop. I can't remember the price but I'm sure it was very reasonable.
I would not try it myself.

quote:

Originally posted by Lefty Sig:
Just get new speakers. If you really want the repaired ask Weber VST.

I like this idea if it's in your budget. Speakers are the most important part of your system and lots of advances are being made all the time.

I've re-foamed several pairs of speakers. Prep work is important - get all the old glue and foam off. I like to use the tone generator method to center the speaker - look on Utube for "How to Use Smartphone / iPad to Center Speaker Voice Coil". Springfield Speakers has a post on how to do it.

I suggest you watch several videos before trying, there are several methods that work and you can get tips from different sources.

I've messed up a few in my time too, there is a learning curve. You get is all together and one of the voice coils is rubbing, very disheartening. Just order another kit and do it again.

Larger woofers tend to be easier than smaller ones, there is more room around the voice coil.

Do not replace your woofers - the replacements may be the same size, but they won't be the same as the originals and may not sound very good.

You can also do a local search on Craigslist and maybe you might find something used. The Pioneer speakers in the picture look like kind of entry level, like they might have come from a rack system. There are some real bargains out there if you look. The Jensen era Advents from the 90s are usually cheap and sound very good. Polk Audio and Boston Acoustics are a couple others worth looking for. JBLs tend to go for top dollar. Steer clear of Bose.

I see you are in IL like me - there is a pair of Advent Prodigy IIs in CL right now for $100 up in Crystal Lake. They would be my choice if I didn't want to spend a lot of money.

I did a pair years ago and they turned out fine. They were a pair of very good speakers but not audiophile level by any means.

That's the perfect pair of speakers to try your hand at refoaming on. They aren't worth anything as they sit, so you'll only be out your time and the cost of the refoam kits if you screw it up. If it does work, you'll have a pair of speakers for the garage to nostalgically be Bringin' On the Heartbreak while you Walk Like an Egyptian.

Well if I repair them I will send them off. Everything looks easy when someone who knows what they are doing does it. I will have to pull in my other pair that I used to have hooked up to the surround sound. The wife will have to find something to put pictures and crap on.
These are Legacy Signature III speakers. They are made locally here. Got them back when we sold home theaters. We were and might still be a dealer for them? Thanks for all the replies.

I have repaired a few speakers and it is not hard and in my opinion worth doing. If the surrounds are rotted there is a good chance the crossover capacitors are also dried up and need replacing. If you replace the speaker surrounds ( or someone else does it for you) and the sound is muffled then replace the capacitors too. Modern foil wrapped capacitors will not fail like the older ones did.

I had my MAC 1s done some years ago by the local McIntosh dealer. Turned out perfect. I would not have done it myself

quote:

Originally posted by james_1234:
I have repaired a few speakers and it is not hard and in my opinion worth doing. If the surrounds are rotted there is a good chance the crossover capacitors are also dried up and need replacing. If you replace the speaker surrounds ( or someone else does it for you) and the sound is muffled then replace the capacitors too. Modern foil wrapped capacitors will not fail like the older ones did.

Just pulled one of the woofers out. It's a Taiwan made speaker, not sure if that is good thing or not? Cone looks to be made out of paper? Caps are electrolytic type, so no issues there. I think I will replace the woofers if I decide to use them.

I did the subs on my computer Klipch 4.1. Klipch only makes the 2.1 now so I thought I would give it a try. Turned out great.
https://youtu.be/TWR2YfFzI2w

Now, while these are high end computer speakers, they aren't in the same league as most theater room speakers. Perfect for me to practice on and as I say, was really worth it.

I did not refoam. I did replace drivers though, with similar/upgraded drivers from parts express. Recommend this course of action for your consideration.

I bought a pair of Bose 901s from a pawn shop. Sounded fine for a couple loud weeks and then got fuzzy. I had a pro refoam the speakers, 9 in each box. Wasn't satisfied.

quote:

Originally posted by Lefty Sig:
Just get new speakers.

To repair or replace depends on the speaker.

Repair vs value vs sound quality.
To be honest the OP's Pioneer speakers are not what I would call an audiophile quality speaker.
If you want to upgrade the sound then now would be the time..

If they were originally expensive high end audiophile speakers then definitely I would repair them especially a lot of the old school audiophile speakers are jut not available.

IF you are or want to do it yourself it does require some precision but certainly doable for someone with a proficient DIY ability.
If looking for a quick fix then sub it out or replace the driver.