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Newly manufactured rubber surrounds


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Hi there;

Once again I see listed on ebay, newly manufactured rubber speaker surrounds, photos attached.

I remember whom the first ebay buyer, name un-mentioned here, was but as is there still no listing as having made a sale/purchase as yet.

Perhaps that buyer is experimenting prior to giving his ebay feedback and here as well.

Would the buyer like to share his progress with us please, if you can.

When I first saw the ad, I thought that there was something vaguely familiar with the material/ texture/pattern, just can't remember where I saw it before.

I guess everyone is leary about buying the un-known.

As a side comment, I bought something from a California seller several years ago, his wife said he was trying to make runbber surrounds to sell.

Maybe the same person.

I also bought several different sizes, new, probably, NOS, New Old Stock, or discontined product, rubber/neoprene type surrounds several years ago.

If you closed your eyes and fondled them, they feel just about the equal of the Dynaco classic A-25 woofer surrounds.

I was never able to get that seller to respond to my request for 11", if they were or would be available ever.

A recent ebay seller of a re-foamed surround, with a rubber surround though, told me that his were old stock, no longer available, from a mailorder company.

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Hi Vern,

I purchased a couple of those while testing surround sealants. They are hand-made by a well-intentioned individual. Unfortunately he is using what appears to be a silicone rubber caulk to coat the cloth, and the result is not satisfactory. He recently sent me two more, but they are still not even in the ballpark. There is no way these will work with the stuff he is presently smearing on them.

Roy

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Hi Vern,

I purchased a couple of those while testing surround sealants. They are hand-made by a well-intentioned individual. Unfortunately he is using what appears to be a silicone rubber caulk to coat the cloth, and the result is not satisfactory. He recently sent me two more, but they are still not even in the ballpark. There is no way these will work with the stuff he is presently smearing on them.

Roy

I referred this ebay site to my distributor of speaker parts - the largest in the US who buys from the largest suppliers of speaker surrounds and they had no clue about it. Based on the forgoing and, what you have learned, this guy must be real small potatoes and not worth persuing.

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I referred this ebay site to my distributor of speaker parts - the largest in the US who buys from the largest suppliers of speaker surrounds and they had no clue about it. Based on the forgoing and, what you have learned, this guy must be real small potatoes and not worth persuing.

Hi there;

From your write-up, I assume the adhesive does not bond to the material because of the silicone rubber caulk coating?

I see today a different bidder is bidding on this auction.

I do hope that something positive will come from this topic.

We do need another option for surround material, one that doesn't ROT.

As is, we are stuck with the same foam crap that came with the drivers.

When we see what is happening after, 5 or 10 years, we need to do something about it.

I admire the creativity of the seller, if that seller is the maker of the surround.

There certainly is a large market to be filled, not that the foam manufacturers or service shops are interested in losing sales.

This is the entrepenerial spirit at it's best, find a void and try and fill it.

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Vern:

I wouldn't call it a large market. I'd call it a niche market. The solution to non-deterioriating, highly compliant surrounds already exists, it's called Santoprene and like materials from the synthetic rubber family.

IMO, if there was indeed a justified need, someone, somewhere would be selling these surrounds en-mass to fill that market need. So far, it hasen't happened to any significant degree that I am aware of.

That window of time (we are currently living in) when those 15-30 year old foam surrounds are failing is eventually going to close for another like period of time after all those have been replaced and by then, I'll be too old to care.

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Hi there;

From your write-up, I assume the adhesive does not bond to the material because of the silicone rubber caulk coating?

Vern,

It probably doesn't bond easily to the woofer basket, but these are not worth the effort to find out.

Like similar materials we have discussed before, the caulk coating is too heavy and dries too stiffly. A simple test is to pinch the surround. If the pinch remains and/or the surround does not immediately return to its former shape, the surround/coating is not acceptable. The attached photo shows the surround after I flattened it and pinched it in different places. The deformities remain.

Roy

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Vern,

It probably doesn't bond easily to the woofer basket, but these are not worth the effort to find out.

Like similar materials we have discussed before, the caulk coating is too heavy and dries too stiffly. A simple test is to pinch the surround. If the pinch remains and/or the surround does not immediately return to its former shape, the surround/coating is not acceptable. The attached photo shows the surround after I flattened it and pinched it in different places. The deformities remain.

Roy

Hi Roy;

I see the latest listing is for blemished.

Zero feedback and you would be at least the second member here to have bought at least one from that seller.

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