Boston A40 repair or replace woofers?

[JKent]

I have a pair of Boston A40s with deteriorated woofer surrounds. I've seen repair kits for about $25 on ebay and wondered whether to repair or replace. And if I replace, what 6.5" speaker is most appropriate and where do I buy?

Thanks for any help

[mrdb]

By all means replace the surrounds. I have done three pairs of A40s and it is not that difficult. You do not even need to shim the voice coil: the spider centers the cone pretty well and the gap is not too tight around the coil. I ordered my surround kits from Speakerworks Northwest in Oregon (speakerworks.net): their prices are better than quite a few other suppliers and the included instructions are adequate. They also include the glue. The biggest hassle is in removing the old surround glue, but with patience and care it is not really difficult.

Bob

[Guest denmarkdrivers]

are they really going to perform the same way if you recone them ? i would just replace them but i could be wrong

[JKent]

Great--one says repair one says replace. sheesh! Anyway, if I DO replace, what speakers should I use and where should I buy them? thanx

[dynaco_dan]

>Great--one says repair one says replace. sheesh! Anyway, if I

>DO replace, what speakers should I use and where should I buy

>them? thanx

Hi there;

You can repair your woofers yourself with the re-foam kits available.

You will only be replacing the rotten foam surrounds, no more.

Re-coning the woofer is replacing the surround, cone and spider.

This is usually, in the case of burnt voice coils, and I don't think you will be successfull today, finding the exact original re-cone kit.

You really want to repair yours, the new replacements sound differently.

If you do need to replace yours, a good source is ebay for example.

If they aren't blown, they may need re-foamed as well.

Always try for the original parts, if you want and enjoy the original sound.

Original parts or OEM are not available now new.

If you are not up to the challenge of re-foaming, there is several suggested business' that do quality work, for a fee, plus shipping and handling.

[Guest denmarkdrivers]

j kent they seem to know the model better then me some recones work better then others i saposse it depends on the driver

[mrdb]

Refoaming should have very little, if any, effect on the sound. I checked the resonant frequency of the woofers in the cabinet after new surrounds and it was where it should be at 90 Hz. The speakers sound fine. Substituting drivers is a hit-or-miss proposition, especially with the Boston woofer supplying frequencies up to the crossover of 3500Hz. A different woofer will likely affect the sound a lot more than a new surround. And surrounds are less expensive than good 6.5 inch drivers, anyway.

Bob

[Guest IReilly]

OK, I admit that I replaced rather than refoamed my A-40II woofers, about a year or two ago, largely because I didn't have the time. Boston Acoustics sold the replacement woofers, and, in fact, they recommend replacing rather than re-foaming. Huh, wonder why they have an opinion like that? (For parts ordering, http://www.bostonacoustics.com/con_parts.aspx )

There's a company that sells re-foam kits specifically for Boston A 40's - http://www.wooferrepair.com/

I did refoam a pair of EPI 100's, and it does take lots of time to get off all the old foam. You also have to get the woofer basket clean...I mean Adrian Monk clean. Otherwise there is the horror of the surround not sticking to the basket. Otherwise, it was not too difficult a project.

("Adrian Monk" refers to the TV series about the obsessive-compulsive detective. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monk_%28TV_series%29 )

[JKent]

Decided, all things considered, to sell these on ebay. They will be listed tomorrow (Sunday April 9 '06) if anyone is interested. Right now I have more speakers than I need, and I plan to focus on refurbishing my AR4x and Allison Fours, so the Bostons are just taking up space.

Thanks for all the info.

[JKent]

if anyone's interested, search ebay for Item number: 9710386920