Save Money by Repairing Your Old Speakers

I know NOTHING about music speakers, but one of the guys from work swears by this method, so I'll pass it along to you as best I know how.

Apparently, one of the things that often goes wrong with good audio speakers is the "foam" inside the speaker goes bad. So usually the owner then needs to take the speakers in for repair (replacement of the foam) at the cost of $100 per speaker. It is (and sounds) quite expensive.

This was the situation my buddy faced recently. Being a tighter tightwad than I am (which is saying a lot), he looked for alternatives and found the NEWFOAM company. He ordered one of their kits and fixed two of his speakers. He said it was very easy to do. His total cost: $30 (versus what would have been a $200 repair.)

Hopefully, this tip makes sense to someone. I haven't ever repaired a speaker and currently do most of my music listening out of an iPod, car CD player, or my computer.

Anyone else have some thoughts or a more informed opinion on this?

Comments

[Curtis]

My capstone course as an engineering undergrad, we put together a speaker company. What he is talking about is the flexible rubber looking piece that attaches the cardboard cone to the metal frame. That piece allows the cone to bounce in and out which moves the air and creates the sound. With the right equipment, it's not a difficult fix, but finding the parts is typically the biggest hassle.

Then again, for that part go bad the speaker would have to be subject to some extreme conditions or be quite old for it to crack and need repair. I've got some 30+ year old Bose speakers and they've never had a thing done to them.

[Chris]

Real audiophiles will cringe and scoff, but I outfitted my house with $5 car speakers from Walmart and they sound just fine.

I'm all for doing your own repairs and saving money though! Kudos to your friend.

[Patrick]

I agree with Curtis, finding the right part is the most difficult thing about the process. Once you can get the right parts, it's pretty easy to do. The reason many people charge so much to repair speakers is because they need to; it is generally still cheaper than buying new, and there aren't a lot of people with the general knowledge to do it (or they are intimidated). Many of these repair shops also don't do a ton of work, so they may need to charge more to cover their overhead costs. (though this is not always applicable).