Layne Audio: Speaker Parts and Repair .

Current Specials ..New Stuff..Speaker Repair..AR..Advent..Misc Parts..Order Info

 

AR 10", down but not out...                  cleaned and prepped....                         ready for another 20+ years.  

SPEAKER REPAIR AND RESTORATION:

We can help you get you vintage speakers up and running again. Original
replacement parts are still available for many AR, Advent, Dahlquist, and Ohm models, as well
as quality parts for upgrading or repairing the crossovers and level controls.
If original parts are no longer available for your speaker, we can find you the
closest available replacement. We also provide complete conversion kits. Fitting
your existing cabinets with new high quality drivers and crossovers is the least expensive way to get "new", better quality speakers.

SPEAKER REFOAMING:

Replacing rotted foam surrounds is often a cost effective option to replacing or reconing a  driver. Just because the foam edge has gone doesn't mean that the speaker is "blown". Foam surrounds fall apart due to age, not excessive power or use. 10-15 years is the typical life of old [polyester] type surrounds made up until a few years ago.  We can refoam most all standard size drivers from 8" to 15" for a fraction of the replacement cost.  Refoaming is possible for some smaller drivers [4" to 6.5"], but it is often better from a cost/ performance standpoint to replace drivers in this size range.  We also have custom fit surrounds for odd size speakers like the 9" Advent, 11" AR, and 14" JBL woofers. Some drivers will still require a custom fitted surround due to an odd size frame/ cone combination that is not common enough to be supported. In such cases we can usually section down a surround fit. All our surrounds are made of a new high quality rot resistant foam which should last twice as long as the originals.  We also provide a five year parts and labor warranty on our repairs, not just on the "foam life". Feel free to compare prices, you'll find that our rates are often 30% less than other repair services.

Refoaming Prices:

  Price             Driver size/type

The standard refoaming charges include parts and labor to refoam one pair of drivers. Other repairs such as minor cone patching and frame straightening are done at no extra charge, more major repairs and custom fitted surrounds are done by quote. Return shipping is not included in the refoam price, but we charge only the exact freight cost. No extra packing or handling fees are added unless the original packing was inadequate and we have to return the drivers in a new box with bubble wrap, etc. If you have "crushed in" dust caps, these can often be smoothed out and reused. Some will return to their original shape, others may still still have a dimple or crease visible. A dented or wrinkled dust cap will not usually effect a speaker's sound quality...it just won't look as nice. If you would like new dust caps, they are $2-$3 each for most speakers, a bit more for special oversized or inverted caps.

Refoaming/Rebuilding for passive radiators [including ESS Heil] is also available, call or email for details on your specific model. Prices for "normal" full cone models are usually the same as a woofer of that size. Flat diaphragm types often require custom fitted surrounds and foam front covers.

Notes on specific models: 
    While it generally makes sense to refoam your old drivers, whether or not this is really practical depends on their overall condition. If the spiders are sagged/ worn out, cones warped, or voice coil damaged, then a simple refoam isn't enough to bring them back to like new performance. There are a few particular brands/ models that show these and other problems enough of the time that replacement is usually the right choice. 

Allison Acoustics [all models]: Allison made arguably the best sounding drivers of their day. Unfortunately, some of the methods used to improve driver performance had an adverse effect on their longevity. The combination of a heavy coated and mass loaded cone with  thinner spider material means that the spiders on most all old Allison drivers are very worn. Luckily, we have found better than original replacement woofers for most Allison models.
AR 2a / 2ax 10" woofer: This note applies to all "pot magnet" 10's and some early ceramic magnet models. The cone is a very soft, limp paper much like compressed dryer lint [no joke, an accurate description]. The cone is so soft that it warps and deforms under its own weight, and easily tears when being cleaned. This material was chosen because it rolls off early and can almost operate without a crossover. It really rolls off too soon, starting at about 800 Hz, and the small "mid-tweeter" doesn't have any usable output till 2000Hz, leaving a dead zone in the key upper vocal range. Efficiency of this limy cone woofer is also very low, way down around 82-84dB. All later 10's used a more rigid cone with better top end response and sensitivity.
Bose 501 10" woofer: This note is for early models, identifiable by the 12 cutout windows in the rear of the basket. Spiders often fail [rip] at the voice coil/cone junction, and the voice coil itself is often damaged. The thin magnet leaves little room for coil travel, so the coil is easily "bottomed out" and the paper former bent. The cone is also a very loose short fiber paper. It is quite soft and is easily damaged. Our new replacement has  much improved magnet geometry and better quality materials in the spider and voice coil.
Bose 601 8" woofer: These woofers are fitted with a coarse weave breathable cloth dustcap which doesn't do its job very well. The top woofer faces upward and naturally collects dust, which then migrates down into the gap and gums things up. These should be replaced.  
EPI [most models]: Most EPI woofer were fitted with a particular type of spider material that frequently rips or tears. The material is thinner than normal and gets brittle with age, leading to failure. These were only "modest" woofers to start, so there are a variety of suitable replacement. Many Genesis woofers used this same spider material and naturally the same problem. Exception: Some "heavy duty" EPI 10" woofers used a different spider material and are usually fine.
Genesis Technologies: See EPI listing above for description of general problems. Earlier woofers had a better spider material [usually black in color] and are more reliable. In general the later a Genesis models is, the more cheaply the drivers were made. 
JBL: some models, particularly "LE" series woofers, require custom parts and additional labor for a proper repair.
Ohm L 8" woofer: This a very unique long throw 8" with a huge magnet and voice coil. The spider material used tends to warp with age, and about half of those we see need a full recone due to this problem. A complete factory recone is $95 and must be done directly through the manufacturer [they don't sell their recone parts to anyone, even authorized repair agents]. There is also a great factory upgrade woofer available, but cost is about $130. We do have a usable replacement that equals the performance of the factory upgrade woofer and is only $69. Only hitch is that these are in very limited supply.
Original Large Advent [w/ masonite ring]: We are starting to see a lot of these with cones/ spacer rings warped from age, and spiders starting to sag from age and wear. Unless you are really set on keeping the old style drivers, we highly recommend replacing them with the later all metal frame version. They are an exact drop-in fit, have the same tonal quality as the older drivers, and resolve many performance/reliability issues inherent to the "thrown together" construction of the old version.
 

RECONE SERVICES:

We offer reconing for most brands, including some home and most pro audio speakers. Prices vary quite a bit between brands and types, and it can get expensive. For 95% of "consumer" grade home and car audio speakers, it is usually just as cheap to replace the blown driver as to have it rebuilt. In cases where original recone kits are not available [most all home audio speakers], it is good to go ahead and replace the driver since speakers rebuilt with a generic "off the shelf" parts will have unpredictable performance.

On the other hand, for pro audio speakers like JBL, EV, Eminence, and some "premium" consumer brands [Cerwin Vega], the recone charge may be only half the cost of replacement. Original recone parts are available for most every JBL, Cerwin Vega, and EV driver. Call or email for options on your particular model. We need the actual driver model number [usually found on the back of the magnet] to determine the recone cost. Please note that OEM JBL recone parts can be VERY expensive. The cost of rebuilding a relatively new JBL driver with a factory kit may be 60-75% of replacement cost. Cone kits for older models often cost $150 and up, and there are no longer any new factory replacements. In these cases we can generally supply a new driver from another manufacturer at a much lower price, or use an aftermarket cone kit. The "aftermarket" kits we have available for JBL's are very high quality and often include the same OEM cones you'd get in the JBL factory kit. Unlike "generic" recone kits made simply to fit a given frame size, the JBL aftermarket kits are specifically engineered and custom made to exactly duplicate the particular parts used for a given woofer model. We can also sell the aftermarket JBL cone kits to anyone/ anywhere.

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Last modified: August 10, 2000