lARrybody Posted December 10, 2019 Report Share Posted December 10, 2019 I have seen several different solutions to do it yourself speaker surrounds from cut down surrounds, duck tape, cotton balls and expanding foam. There are a pair of Euro AR3a's currently on the auction site that are different. Not sure what kind of tape was used, but definitely unique. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakecat Posted December 10, 2019 Report Share Posted December 10, 2019 That tape must be heavy....as the seller has a $350 shipping charge!...lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidR Posted December 10, 2019 Report Share Posted December 10, 2019 looks like dried lasagna noodles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankmarsi Posted December 10, 2019 Report Share Posted December 10, 2019 Ah.. yous guys have it easy these days. Way back in 1989 when I first set up a single set of AR-LST's, I was faced with the seemingly unsolvable problem of deteriorated foam surrounds. And just like the example shown above I attempted to seal the surrounds with masking tape which only lasted for a short listening sessions of reduced bass until I had to re-tape as it were. Then a bright light shown and an epiphany was realized. What if I used drier sheets with graphic-artist's rubber cement? Oh, such joy as I thought I had solved the vexing problem that so desperately needed a solution. At last I was graced with bass again as prior I had to set the tone controls to reduced or no bass so as not to blow the voice-coils. The first session went O.K along with me applying additional rubber cement as I watched the remains of the original foam surrounds flapping away from the cone. And just when I thought I had sealed the surround and was able to operate normally, another wind flapping hole would appear. I can't tell you how many bottles of rubber-cement I had to purchase as repair was an ongoing maintenance chore, I may have caused myself brain damage inhaling the stuff. Then one day in the back of that small little magazine 'Stereofool'" I saw a 1/8 page advert for 'New Foam Surrounds'. A sole proprietor located somewhere in the Carolinas offered a 'you-cut-to-size' foam surround replacement and at a nominal charge. I quickly sent a check in a envelope and with-in less than 2 weeks I had a brand new set of surrounds. I mean to me and I assumed others this was a God send. I swiftly cut the foam to what I estimated was the proper size and with the supplied glue I was back in business of listening with some 'bass' as I so sorely missed doing. Of course these surrounds didn't last for more than a couple of years and by that time other offerings started popping up in ads boasting of "correct-size for your speakers" and by this time I was ready to re-foam all over again. Well that was then and today I still can feel the regret as to why didn't AR realize that at some point owners of their speakers would run into such a problem. Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. P.S. DavidR, that's a very funny perception because they do look exactly like lasagna and good lasagna I haven't tasted since my mother passed. And though I've attempted to make them, it just wasn't the same as her's. FM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra.ra Posted December 10, 2019 Report Share Posted December 10, 2019 Similar professional techniques have been employed on 8-inch woofers, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankmarsi Posted December 10, 2019 Report Share Posted December 10, 2019 I can understand having lasagna on the mind but, what compels a person to think those cones will move at all? I sure hope these are not yours ra.ra. At least when I used rubber cement, my cones were able to vibrate. All in all, at this late stage vintage AR speakers are like high maintenance, needy old cars. Last refoam job I did on my LST's have lasted since 2013-14, still have my fingers crossed though and knock on veneered wood. I have found the P.E. to be very good and I've read somewhere that today's manufacturers are using special additives to prolong surround life. P.S. Whatever happened to that vendor who was selling fabric surrounds? These were brought up here a number of years ago and then the conversation faded away like my old surrounds use to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genek Posted December 10, 2019 Report Share Posted December 10, 2019 AR speakers came with a five year warranty. They often went above and beyond that, but even they wanted you to dump them and buy new ones eventually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra.ra Posted December 11, 2019 Report Share Posted December 11, 2019 8 hours ago, frankmarsi said: I sure hope these are not yours ra.ra. Frank, I used a different pasta configuration when I repaired these woofers - - - it was a semolina hybrid: part lasagna, part ziti, and part tortellini. Yuk, yuk....just kidding. When I saw the pic that Larry posted, I knew I had a very similar image of AR-18's stored somewhere and this was the perfect moment to share it. I found this image on the interwebs several years ago and was highly amused - - - hey!...at least this guy used real "foam" instead of non-flexible tape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredsBands Posted February 27, 2020 Report Share Posted February 27, 2020 I just ordered lasagna. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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