Need new stuffing for my Genesis 1s

[Guest Dave Armstrong]

Hi all,

New member here. Here's my situation...

Two pairs of Genesis speakers, 1s and 2s, both with surrounds replaced several years ago. The 2s are in the living room, but are just too big. The 1s have been in a smaller room, getting very little use. So I figured I'd move the 1s to the living room and find something to replace them in the other room. (Anyone want the 2s?)

So I happen upon a nice little set of AR-18s in need of refoaming, AND a set of Boston Acoustics HD-9s in good shape. The fun begins! I find that the BAs actually sound pretty similar overall to the Genesis 2s on their brightest setting (where I always kept them), only lacking the last bit of thump. Woohoo! But swapping in the Genesis 1s reveals that they have become somewhat dark. Hm.

I go inside to see where the cap is, in preparation for replacing it, and find that the foam stuffing inside is rotting and mostly in a pile in the bottom of the speaker. Yuck! I want to get them at their best again so that I can properly A/B them with the BAs.

So, my question is: What material should I replace that rotting stuffing foam with, and how much should I use?

Thanks for any advice you can offer!

Dave

[Carlspeak]

I suggest you try about 1/2 lb of Owens Corning Pink fiberglass. If you buy it with the paper backing, be sure to strip the paper off.

[Guest Dave Armstrong]

Thank you! That's 1/2 pound divided between both speakers, right? And I assume I sort of fluff it up to fill the whole interior, more or less?

[JKent]

Thank you! That's 1/2 pound divided between both speakers, right? And I assume I sort of fluff it up to fill the whole interior, more or less?

Welcome Dave!

Be sure to check out the Genesis section here.

I'd be careful about "fluffing." It's nasty stuff--wear a mask & gloves. See the useful booklet "Restoring the AR3a" in the Library section here, pp. 9 and 21.

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/library...-3a_full_pd.pdf

I know that booklet recommends "yellow fiberglass" and Carl recommends "Pink Owens-Corning." Johnieo did some studies of fiberglass, using an electron microscope and they are very scientific but I doubt you will hear the difference between brands or colors. Lowes (or is it Home Depot?) sells smallish bags of white fiberglass without facing for about $3 or so--that may be the best bet, rather than buying a whole roll of insulation (unless you plan to insulate a room). It is Johns-Manville "formaldehyde-free" and each bag weighs 8 oz. Then there is "AcoustaStuff" and plain ol' polyfill (sold in fabric stores) but those may very well sound quite different than 'glass. OTOH, if your Genesis spkrs originally used foam (like the Original Large Advents) there is no telling WHAT is the best substitute

Maybe contact Huw Powell. He specializes in Genesis:

http://www.humanspeakers.com/contact.htm

Good luck!

Kent

[Carlspeak]

Thank you! That's 1/2 pound divided between both speakers, right? And I assume I sort of fluff it up to fill the whole interior, more or less?

No, that's per speaker

[Guest Dave Armstrong]

Thanks, Carlspeak, for that clarification.

Thank you also JKent for your help. I just skimmed through that article. Wow! So, what the heck, I'll go with the glass and see what the result sounds like. Maybe I'll even do one with polyfill and see if they sound different. I'm getting psyched!

Dave