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A question about trim rings around speaker drivers

I have seen over the years an increase in the use of decorative trim rings around speaker drivers that hIde the screws that hold the driver to the baffle, which makes them more attractive in the home environment. I don't have an issue with that, but I  learned a long time ago that at least twice a year, driver screws need to be tightened as they become loose from the vibration of movement. 

I was interested in a particular speaker by JBL that has black plastic trim rings, and I called two dealers as well as JBL to ask if these rings were easily removable by the consumer, and no one that I spoke with had the answer.

My question is: Do other members tighten their drivers on a regular basis, and are there members who have trim rings that they can't, or haven't tried to remove? I would be surprised if this was something that JBL or other manufacturers had not considered.  

roxy54

Showing 6 responses by roxy54

roxy54's avatar
roxy54 OP
8,123 posts
 

Well there you go. That's a high end speaker manufacturer confirming my experience.

roxy54's avatar
roxy54 OP
8,123 posts
 

@erik_squires 

I agree, and I have done that, but they are two entirely different things with different results, as I'm sure you know.

roxy54's avatar
roxy54 OP
8,123 posts
 

@stereo5 

I believe you, but I still don't believe that it's the best idea. For example, what if it was secured by loctite and the humidity changed for a period of time? There would be no way to adjust it. I just think that it is something that needs to be done twice a year from my own experience, but I understand if it is too difficult to remove your grills.

roxy54's avatar
roxy54 OP
8,123 posts
 

@thecarpathian 

Thank You Sir!

This isn't a ''maybe" or "sometimes", it is something that I believe must happen with all speakers. I have had this experience with almost all of the 20 sets that I have owned over the years. I think I picked up the habit from advice that I read in one of the Brit mags many years ago.

@knotscott

I had to chuckle a bit when you said that you had never encountered loose woofer screws, because they are the drivers that become loose most frequently due ti the heavy movement and vibration!

This isn't a silly tweak, it's part or regular system maintenance. Of course, you need to use common sense and don't over tighten.

roxy54's avatar
roxy54 OP
8,123 posts
 

@stereo5 

Do you know if locktite was used ? I've never seen it on any speakers I've had. If not, I'll guarantee that your drivers are loose.

roxy54's avatar
roxy54 OP
8,123 posts
 

If you haven't you should. A driver is ideally supposed to act as a perfect piston, and if it is loose and shaking that isn't possible, and yes, it is very audible. I'm sure that there are members here who will say that they check them on aa regular basis.

Two years ago, I picked up a 2-year-old set of floor standing speakers from a man in California. He had a nice system and two other pairs of good speakers. When I got them home and checked the driver screws, each of them turned for at least two revolutions!  I Immediately emailed him and told him to check his other speakers. He did and wrote back to thank me. 

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