Push It Real Good

July 22, 2010 9:37 AM

Found a great deal on a pair of very high end speakers but on one of them the center dome of the woofer is pushed in.

Manufacturer claims this is an aesthetic issue only and does not effect sound. I don't care about the aesthetics but I'd like some help from other audiophiles as to the potential effect to sound quality. Picture of woofer is here here

posted by spicynuts to Home & Garden (10 answers total)

I'm not sure, but you can pop that back out by taking a match stick and dropping a bit of glue onto the end of it, and then glue the match stick to the dome. Once the glue dries, you can then pull it back out. What speaker is that? just wondering
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 9:42 AM on July 22, 2010

Response by poster: It's a Totem Rainmaker.
posted by spicynuts at 9:51 AM on July 22, 2010

Tape. Put it in the dimple. Pull in line with the curve of the dimple, so that when it turns outward to resume the proper shape, it's at a sharp angle and puils away.
posted by cmiller at 9:53 AM on July 22, 2010

Response by poster: Yeah guys I'm not asking how to fix it I'm asking about the impact to sound. Even if I fix it isn't going to be perfect so I'd like to know if I'm being lied to.
posted by spicynuts at 9:56 AM on July 22, 2010

The dust cap can be replaced, and I've heard that it doesn't affect sound quality... but I'd be skeptical about buying any speaker that was roughed up like that. Anyone who really respects their speakers wouldn't let this happen.

Then again, this could be a great bargain. I would definitely listen to them before buying. Trust your ears
posted by Bunge at 10:05 AM on July 22, 2010

It's a dust cap to protect the coil. It really shouldn't affect the sound as long as the coil itself wasn't damaged when the cap was hit. If it were unglued, it might rattle or buzz a bit as the cone moved.

Definitely try before you buy, if you can.
posted by Thorzdad at 10:13 AM on July 22, 2010 [1 favorite]

Totems are awesome, even if some jerk had to test the flexibility of the dust cap; your ears would have to be golden sensitive in the extreme to notice the difference.
BTW a vacuum cleaner tube can sometimes pop a cap like that back into shape.
posted by hortense at 11:07 AM on July 22, 2010

Yes, the dustcap affects the sound, but the significance is primarily in the high frequncies. On the woofer of a multi-driver speaker this is going to be unnoticeable.
posted by 6550 at 11:14 AM on July 22, 2010 [1 favorite]

Don't worry about it one bit.

OTOH, if you haven't yet bought them, you could try to use it as a bargaining point to get an even better deal.
posted by sprocket87 at 11:21 AM on July 22, 2010

A pushed in, non-punctured paper or fabric dust cap will not normally be perceptible (I have a/b tested several different kinds of speakers to come to this conclusion). A couple of things to consider: That is a particularly bad push in and it appears the dust caps are made of carbon-graphite. If it is punctured or cracked I would worry about an effect on the sound.

In this case I'd contact the manufacturer since it's a more unusual material and it could be difficult to replace later on down the line if you get tired of staring at the crushed cap.
posted by tinamonster at 2:07 PM on July 22, 2010