Q I have a Fosgate RFP-1410 with the cone separated from the spider. They still play, they just sound blown. Can I just silicone them or do I have to send them to a shop? Will this also dramatically affect their performance even if I do get them fixed? You guys are my last hope before going to a shop that is just going to talk me into paying for a new sub or getting me to pay them to fix it.
Please help. Thank you.Joseph Delcastillo Via the Internet
Repairing a damaged speaker is a tricky decision. Ideally, the only way to restore performance is to replace or re-cone the unit. Re-coning is generally done by the factory or by a technician with re-coning kits and special alignment jigs. I have repaired quite a few speakers in my long career, but I always follow a set of basic rules.
1)The larger the speaker (i.e. subs as compared to mids) the more critical it is to re-cone or replace.2) The greater the damage, the more important it is to be replaced.3) Where the damage occurs dictates whether I repair or replace the driver.
This generally leads me into a balance of the three rules to determine what my course of action will be. For instance, if you had simply slipped with a screwdriver and poked a hole in the cone material, a silicone fix would work fine. (EVERY experienced installer has had to do this at least once in his or her career.) A long tear in the cone material can be fixed in a small woofer or mid, but won't hold in a subwoofer or serious midbass driver. Pros would laminate a patch of identical material over the hole or tear with epoxy-based adhesives to ensure reliability.
A spider that has separated from the frame could be re-glued using an epoxy adhesive, but in your case the cone has essentially been torn from the spider. This means it's re-cone time. Sorry. One consolation is that as you reach more expensive units a re-cone is not nearly as expensive as replacing the speaker.
This also leads to another consideration: what caused the cone to separate in the first place? Rockford makes a quality product, so rule out a factory defect. My suspicion is that your cabinet design is wrong for your application and is forcing the driver to experience excessive stress, or you are pushing more power than the mechanical limits of the speaker can handle. Have this corrected, or you can plan on going through the same hassle again on a frequent basis.
Q I just got a '94 Blazer for graduation. The point is that I don't know what kind of bump I want to put in it. Every place I go they try to sell me: Eclipse, Memphis, Kicker, or JL Audio. I tell them that money is no object, but they try to sell me "their" top product. I'm going to get a Pioneer DIN+1/2 to keep the factory look. After that I have no idea what to get. I was going to get four Kicker L7 Solobaric 12's and some Memphis components. There has got to be something better out there.
What is the ideal setup? What is going to give me a great SPL rating? Flat-out, what is the best SPL subwoofer out on the market today, and what would be the best amp to put on them. I'm not worried about space; just give me the best bump on the market.
I was thinking about getting a box made from solid Plexi or fiberglass. Which would be better to handle such raw SPL power? I kind of like the setup that Wyclef's got in his truck, but if I did that I was going to cut 1" holes so air could escape and don't get the total bandbass effect. What do you think, am I wasting effort or do you think it will work.Demetrius GladdenSouth Carolina