Getting speakers repaired - has anyone had any good repairs done?

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paradoxsm

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Topic # 25324 18-Aug-2008 18:30
I have 4 JBL MR25 bookshelf monitor speakers from the old HT setup and two control-9's all of which which have the famous JBL perished foam. Has anyone had speakers repaird before and can recommend the company? Better still a source to buy just the butyl rubber or replacement foam surrounds? I saw a "resurround" job the other day and it was a real mess, the person whom did the job should have just used some insulation tape, I'm sure it would have looked and sounded better and not had a massive gap at the seam. The guy could not remember the crowd whom did the repair though. I have heard Axent audio have a good reputation though I would prefer Wellington based at present.

Mutly

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Reply # 157806 18-Aug-2008 20:05
A few years ago (quite a few now that I think about it) I got a pair of Energy 4.1e floorstanding speakers from the ChCh police auction for $100. Once home I found that the coils in one speaker were fried, and contacted a mate who worked in an audio store (now the Listening Post) about getting the repaired. He actually steered me away from the usual sources, as he said they would charge an arm and a leg and just replace the entire driver. Instead, he put me in conact with Matt Simmons who made his own speakers (Arvus). As a builder of speakers he just hand wound some new coils for me and charged $80 including picking up and delivering them back. Now, I'm not sure if Matt would still do this sort of thing (he seems to be involved in other things), but i would try and track down someone of similar ilk who builds thier own high end boxes. They will have access to the right tools and materials, and should also be able to custom fit older gear like yours. I can't brain today. I have the dumb.

richms

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Reply # 157839 18-Aug-2008 21:59
Surrounds are a lot easier to deal to then a cooked coil however. Axent are who my mate (who goes thru speakers like I go thru mach-3 blades) uses to get repairs on the "good sounding" speakers he buys off trademe, and they seem alright. Bit slow on picking up their phone tho so keep on trying. Richard rich.ms

paradoxsm

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Reply # 158024 19-Aug-2008 15:42
Arvus, wow. the resulting speakers are superb, had the delight of listening to some the other day. I possibly think that he might not be repairing speakers any longer, I could always try! I now use 6 speakers called pioneer "linear power" which have a dual set of spiders and a piston type arrangement with no surrounds to fail (or cause harmonics as Pioneer rattle on about). They sound superb for their size with a very deep chunky bass response and I got 8 of them for $160 but they look like they came with a cheap $399 boom-blaster stereo. 6 in the lounge on the homemade LM3886 chipamp and 2 on the PC with the plinius3100, the chunky Plinius also makes a great monitor stand!

kiwitrc

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Reply # 158050 19-Aug-2008 17:07
If you can get the surrounds its easy to do yourself, I have some thumping great 4x 12inch Dynaudios that the rubber surrounds had worn (UV damage before building covers for them) I got the bits I needed from these guys in Melbourne Aussie. I am sure they can supply you a kit. Good Luck

lchiu7

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Reply # 158057 19-Aug-2008 17:20
I have speakers that are some 25 years old but still sound great but have deterioating surrounds. I have been eyeing this place for the replacements Speaker Repair Haven't pulled the trigger yet but am considering it System One: Popcorn Hour A200, PS3 (US 60G) dead and now replaced with a PS3 SuperSlim, NPVR running on Sempron 3000 (XP), Sony BDP-S390 BD player, Logitech Revue, Pioneer AVR, JVC 56" D-ILA 720P RP TV System Two: Popcorn Hour A110 , Oppo BDP-80 BluRay Player with hardware mode to be region free, Vivitek HD1080P 1080P DLP projector with 100" screen. Harman Kardon HK AVR 254 7.1 receiver, Toshiba HD-A2 HD-DVD player, Roku XS media player Check out my blog at lchiu.blogspot.com

kiwitrc

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Reply # 158060 19-Aug-2008 17:26
lchiu7: I have speakers that are some 25 years old but still sound great but have deterioating surrounds. I have been eyeing this place for the replacements Speaker Repair Haven't pulled the trigger yet but am considering it Excellent site!

paradoxsm

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Reply # 158117 19-Aug-2008 20:21
I still cannot seem to get any form of postage estimate from either site though, I have been gouged on postage a number of times from some international websites so I'm extra careful I'd almost be keen to bring in a bulk lot of 2 or so of the foam surrounds for the JBL control series as they are almost always perished.

kiwitrc

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Reply # 158204 20-Aug-2008 04:57
paradoxsm: I still cannot seem to get any form of postage estimate from either site though, I have been gouged on postage a number of times from some international websites so I'm extra careful I'd almost be keen to bring in a bulk lot of 2 or so of the foam surrounds for the JBL control series as they are almost always perished. ???? Go to the US site, pick an item, add to cart, checkout, where it says shipping rates, add your country (New Zealand probably) Region, Waikickamoocow or whereever and post code whatever. There is a drop down box to select your postal preference, for the item I chose it was either US$3.39 for standard airmail, or US$25 for priority.

openmedia

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Reply # 158225 20-Aug-2008 08:59
I've always used Axent audio in New Lynn, Auckland. They have been repairing speakers and Hi-Fi gear for years and provide excellent service. Steve Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat New Zealand as a Solution Architect for all things Linux, Virtual and of course Cloud. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.