Frequently Asked Questions...

How do I know if I need flat or angle foam? What is the dustcap? What is impedance? How does one measure the impedance of speakers? Why was my original dustcap different from the one you used in my reconing or sent with my DIY refoam kit? Why should I replace my dustcaps, they look fine? Can you recone with the exact parts to match my original? Can I use my speaker frame and magnet and change the way I use the speaker? Can I use my original speaker frame and magnet and change the impedance? Can you give me a price estimate for my speaker repair... or mid... or tweeter replacement? Why can't I use any brand speaker as a substitute for my Infinity woofer? What is speaker reconing? What is an "M" roll? What parts are replaced during refoaming? Can I replace my polyfoam surround with butyl rubber instead? Why do you use contact glue? The dust caps you sent are not the same size as my originals. Why can't I find the correct foam for my speakers? How can I tell if I have a flat or angle attach? Should I refoam both my woofers (or mids)? Only one is bad. This is the spider. This is the voice coil. This is the speaker terminal. These are the pigtails or voice coil leads. This is the body of the cone. This is the speaker gasket or ring. This is the annulus or cone surround. We get calls saying the dog did it! My baby did it! My teenage kids turned up the volume! How do I know if I need flat or angle foam? The angle or flat refers to the way the foam attaches to the cone. If the cone has a flat lip that the foam will attach to then you need the flat foam. If the foam attaches at a slight angle to the cone without the lip, then you need the angle foam. Sometimes the sizes for one will work better than the other for a particular application. Either foam will work in place of the other, but using a flat foam on an angled cone (or vice-a-versa) just makes the attachment process a little bit more difficult. [Top] What is the dustcap? The dustcap is the dome in the center of the speaker cone . [Top] What is impedance? When shopping for speakers, you will see figures stating the nominal impedance of a speaker (most speakers have a nominal impedance of between 4 and 8 ohms). This is the speaker's average resistance to the flow of current through the circuit going from the amplifier into the speaker and back to the amplifier. However, this figure is only the average impedance rating across all frequencies into which the speaker produces output. In reality, the impedance may drop at some points to 2 or 3 ohms and may reach 40, 50 or even 60 ohms at other frequencies. A speaker with an 8 ohm nominal impedance will not generally have as low a minimum impedance as a speaker with a lower nominal impedance such as a 4 ohm speaker. Nominal impedance here refers to the impedance of the speaker at a defined low frequency in free air. The impedance will change with loading and frequency. The term nominal impedance has a number of different meanings. It refers to the approximate designed impedance under certain conditions. The actual impedance may vary from this nominal figure. (more info) [Top] How does one measure the impedance of speakers? This is not a clear cut answer. First of all, the impedance will not match - and its not that important. The NOMINAL impedance of a speaker is just that - nominal. It will change in each room setting, in each enclosure, even with the relative humidity. Unless you have an old tube-type amplifier, and the voice coils on your new speakers have one turn (very unlikely), then you can generally not worry about it. However, to be safe, measure the DC resistance across the terminals. If it is greater than about 4 Ohms, you should not have a problem with even the most touchy amplifier or receiver. Impedance of a speaker will change with frequency. The better the speaker (generally) the less the nominal impedance will change in any given situation. (more info) [Top] Why was my original dustcap different from the one you used in my reconing or sent with my DIY refoam kit? Not all the same size or same material dustcaps are still available so we must use what is currently available or what we feel will fit the cone or voice coil best. We generally send a larger than original dustcap with refoam kits so the new dustcover will cover the original adhesive. [Top] Why should I replace my dustcaps, they look fine? There are two parts that help to keep the voice coil centered in the magnetic voice coil gap. One is the spider and the other is the cone. When the surround has deteriorated, we recommend that you cut off the dustcap and use the shims provided with the refoam kit to lock the voice coil-cone assembly in place. This insures that the voice coil remains centered during the refoaming process. (Exceptions to this are Bose 802 or 901’s and Infinity Bullet speakers. These must be refoamed by “ear” and feel.) [Top] Can you recone with the exact parts to match my original? During reconing, we always match the original parts as closely as possible. Unfortunately, many of the original parts are no longer being made. In that case, we match as closely as possible with the available parts. Sometimes as with vintage auto or organ speakers, we must cut and paste parts to create the right size assembly. [Top] Can I use my speaker frame and magnet and change the way I use the speaker? Often a driver can be customized or changed to accomadate a particular need. We can change the cone or surround or even dustcap and spider to produce more low or mid frequencies. We cannot change power handling which is determined by magnet and voice coil size. We can however use the best parts possible to help optomize power handling. If the original voice coil was on a paper former, a new aluminum or nomex voice coil will help to increase heat dissipation which will result in increased power handling. [Top] Can I use my original speaker frame and magnet and change the impedance? Yes, if we recone your speaker, we can change the impedance, in most cases. It is much easier to go from a 4 ohm to an 8 ohm or from a 8 ohm to a 16 ohm impedance than vice-a-versa although this can be done with certain brand speakers. The more precise the voice coil gap (as with JBL professional products for example), the more difficult to change from an 8 ohm to a 4 ohm voice coil. [Top] Can you give me a price estimate for my speaker repair... or mid... or tweeter replacement? Yes, If you send a picture of the component only (removed from the enclosure) and show front, back and side shots with a ruler included in each picture, we should be able to identify and offer repair or replacement options and prices. [Top] Why can't I use any brand speaker as a substitute for my Infinity woofer? Although the outside speaker frame measurement of a generic woofer might match the outside dimensions of your original Infinity woofer, the actual basket shape will be different. Infinity used a slightly smaller basket than can be found on almost all generic speakers. Therefore if you want to use a different brand replacement woofer, you will need to slightly enlarge your cabinet hole. (We have found one non-Infinity 8" woofer that is a suitable replacement >>> Click Here). [Top] What is speaker reconing? Reconing is the removal and replacement of all the moving parts in the speaker frame. This includes the voice coil, spider, cone, surround, gaskets, dustcap and leads. It returns the speaker to exact new condition (if original parts are still available) or to as close to new or to an upgraded condition depending on the choice and availability of recone parts. [Top] What is an "M" roll? It is a surround with two small "m" type rolls instead of one single roll. [Top] What parts are replaced during refoaming? Refoaming is the replacement of the outer foam suspension that attaches the cone to the speaker frame and (in most cases) the center dustcap. It does not return the speaker to new as reconing does, but it is a less expensive speaker repair option that works well in most circumstances. [Top] Can I replace my polyfoam surround with butyl rubber instead? There are very few butyl surrounds available. They are more difficult to work with and the butyl also dry rots. [Top] Why do you use contact glue? Other vendors use a white adhesive. We use contact glue to connect speaker parts to each other. We find that it more closely matches the specifications of the original speaker manufacturers. We use the white latex for sealing up accordion or cloth surrounds or for certain double roll paper cones only. [Top] The dust caps you sent are not the same size as my originals. Dust cap sizes from suppliers are limited. We include the closest size we can. It is actually easier to use one that is larger than the original so you don’t have to worry about the adhesive from the original dustcap. [Top] Why can't I find the correct foam for my speakers? Many of the original parts are no longer being made for some of the older model speakers. Sometimes you must use a foam that is slightly larger than the original foam and cut and seam it to become the size you need. You can see instructions for this on our site here. [Top] How can I tell if I have a flat or angle attach? Look at your speaker and see if the foam attaches to the cone in a flat, level table top manner or if it angles down slightly. Most speakers require an angle attach. [Top] Should I refoam both my woofers (or mids)? Only one is bad. The foam deterioration process tends to happen at relatively the same time. If one appears good now, it will probably show the deterioration in a few days to weeks even though it is actually breaking down now. [Top] This is the spider. It fits around the voice coil and attaches to the speaker basket. It is one of the components (along with the cone) that help to keep the voice coil centered in the magnetic gap. It comes in different stiffnesses, voice coil sizes, widths and is flat or cup shaped. Over-driving or just age can cause the spider to stretch or sag. It can rip, tear, or no longer rest properly in the speaker frame. The spider is replaced with reconing but not with refoaming. If your spider is not sitting level or is weak then your speaker might not be a good candidate for refoaming. [Top] This is the voice coil. It is a set of windings on an aluminum, nomex or other material form that fits into the magnetic voice coil gap. Inside dimensions vary and are precise to the 1000th decimal point. Length of former and length of windings are customized to the component. It can be made using flat wound or round wound wire. It is usually 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 16 or 32 ohms. [Top] This is the speaker terminal. Lead wire (also known as pigtails) attach the voice coil to the speaker frame through the terminal. [Top] These are the pigtails or voice coil leads. In most cases,they go from the voice coil through the cone and connect to a terminal on the speaker frame. [Top] This is the body of the cone. It can be made from paper, clear or black polypropolene, carbon fiber, aluminum, titanium, magnesium, phenolic, granite, ceramic, fiberglass or kevlar. Current replacement cones required for reconing may not be available in all materials to match the originals. [Top] This is the speaker gasket or ring. It can be rubber, rubitex, foam, paper, cardboard or other various materials. Not all speaker drivers have gaskets. It comes in one piece or 4 piece sections. It sandwiches the surround to the frame and acts as a spacer in the cabinet. [Top] This is the annulus or cone surround. The cone edge can be all paper, foam, butyl, accordion or a single cloth or "M" roll cloth. It can roll up or be inverted and roll down. [Top] We get calls saying the dog did it! My baby did it! My teenage kids turned up the volume! No, nobody caused this surround deterioration. It is caused by environmental conditions and happens every 5-25 years. Deterioration rates are affected by where you live and what conditions the speaker has been exposed to. We can refoam (replace only the outer foam suspension that attaches the cone to the speaker frame and in most cases, the center dustcap) and return it to its previous gently used state, or we can completely recone (remove and replace all the moving parts in the speaker frame including the voice coil, spider, cone, surround, gaskets, dustcap and leads) and return it to exact new condition depending on parts availability. 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