I had this happen to me, I used my vaccum on the dustcap, sucked the dent right out. worth a try |
Scootdog:
I'm not trying to be gross here, but if it is a soft dome suck it out with your mouth. A vacumm may be too powerful & damage it. If it's metal dome, carefully do use as vacumm as Jeff instructed. |
How do they sound? Can't live with it? You are right there are dispersion and distortion problems associated with that kind of problem. The trick above with the vacuum is well known and works but sometimes with aluminum dome tweeters it is not an answer. If you want more info on that trick search the audioasylum.com forum.
I took apart a Hales Revelation 3 some years ago and I think they used Vifa i inch aluminum dome tweeters. Nothing exotic. You can pick them up at speakercity.com. Pull it out and look for identification #s. Give speaker city a call. Lots of Vifa's stuff sells between 35-$60. Important to replace it w/ same tweeter!
Sincerely, I remain |
If you try what Sagger suggests, do not let anyone see you doing it. |
My kids used to dent the Audio Physic Virgo tweeters all the time. The exterior was just a dustcap. If that is the case with the Hales then I strongly suggest electrical tape. Apply it to the dent and slowly pull as if to pull the tape off of the tweeter, not as if to remove the dent. It worked every time. Good Luck |
Like Clueless said, They probably don't make their own drivers. If you pick up a set of vifa's from, let's say partsexpress.com, They will not have the same specs as the one's Vifa ( or whomever) designed for them. Case in point, Revel. Scan-speak makes the Tweet, But you won't be able to pick up the same one from a parts house. You might get lucky. Pull the driver and see if it hes markings. If you can identify the driver from this or maybe some who knows will say, then call the manufactuer. Maybe they do have a "drop in replacement", or still make the right one. Don't suck on the tweeter, You may like it, then your hobby will have a whole new spin on it. It'll be hard to demo them at the hifi shop afterwards. |
I have sucked shrimp and crawdad heads and sucked the marrow out of bone(osso busco) so I will surely suck out a dent in a dome tweeter. Probably better to do it that way than use a full size vacuum, as I have damaged one that way, though it was very old. A keyboard vacuum works ok as well. |
I've fixed this exact problem with drafting tape (its adhesive doesn't leave a residue) folded around a finger, sticky side out. Blue Tack would probably do the trick as well. I had reservations about trying to do this, but I figured it was already a complete loss if it didn't work. It worked just fine & was very easy to do. |
If it is a Vifa tweeter-- Most have replacable diaphragms. You should be able to disassemble the tweeter and just gently push the dome back out and reassemble the driver.
Madisound or Parts Express have very good websites. You can match up the driver by its dimensions on them and if it says a replacement diaphragm is available, you know your in business to try to repair it using the above methods or worst case, replace it. Take Care, Aaron |
Iv'e had the same problem,the baby goes right for the tweeter everytime! Arons approach is the best for certain low risk solution.You can easily remove the tweeter butterfly and gently with your fingertip push the dent right out.Also rub the entire inner suface in a circular motion as this will restore the original shape.I've done this a couple times and you can't tell it was ever dented...Good Luck! |
I second, or third, using tape, worked perfectly for me. |
Thanks everyone for the advice. However tempting the sucking method is, it may not work on the metal tweeter. I removed the tweeter last night and it was a VIFA D25AG-35 1" dome w/ 6 ohm capability. I did try and use tape before I made the post, but it would not remove all the dents. I haven't tried to rub out the tweeter yet, but Madisound had a drop in replacement for $28.95. Not bad and the tweeter was very easy to remove. Should I buy two, so the tweeters can age togeter, or is burn in more noticable on the midrange and woofer? From what I have read, the Revelation 3s have off the shelf Vifa Drivers (at least for the 4 1/2" and the 1" drivers. Not sure about the woofer. This seems to be good news since the company is no longer and the speakers sound to good to replace. Thanks again for all the advice.
Scootdog |
Scoot that's good news. Considering the low-ish cost, why not replace both tweet's & retain the old one as a spare for possible future replacement needs? Or at least buy one spare while they're still available - cheap insurance. |
I have a dented metal dome Thiel 2 2. The manufacturer said they have done tests and unless the dome actually hits the magnet, they don't sound worse.
That seems counter intuitive, but I haven't notice a difference.
Nevertheless, I bought a new tweeter anyway so that when I sell them I won't have to deal with that issue.
|
Years ago, my luvable thug of a godson dented the dustcap on the lf driver of a KEF 103. I called KEF to order a replacement. Their advice: Bend the tip of a needle to 90 degrees. Gently pierce the dust cap near the center of the dent and, using the needle as a hook, pop it out. Then put a tiny drop of superglue over the needle hole.
Worked perfectly. Might not work for a metal tweeter but something to keep in mind for other....events. |
I dented the dome on one of my Seas metal dome tweeters. I removed the tweeter baffle and rubbed out the dent from behind with a Popsicle stick that had soaked in water for a while to make it softer. The dent is still slightly noticeable at very close inspection, but appears just fine from a distance. A soft dome should be just as easy, just forget the water on the stick.
BTW, are you interested in selling your F-44 preamp? |
Chewing gum! That's right, chewing gum. Works every time. Chew it for awhile, then stick it to the dome, gently pull,Bam! Fixed.Try it, it works. Hope this helps you. |
So I noticed my system was sounding harsh. And it grew and grew on me until I was sure I needed new speakers (see previous post about dented Thiel tweeter).
Kind of as a last resort I changed out the dented unit and immediately it sounded better. I think the tweeter must have been resonating or something - it wasn't hitting the magnet.
Changing it made a big difference.
|
I have a pair of T-5's and have a very small dent in one of the tweeters. I had a technician put a light sensor across the tweeter to ensure there were no tears or wrinkles etc. He said the slight dent was okay and wouldn't affect the sound quality in any way whatsoever. They sound bloody amazing. |
Bishopwill has suggested the method that has always worked for me. Prick the dent with a needle, and pull it out. In fabric dome tweeters the hole is barely visible. If you feel bad about the hole plug it with a tiny drop of glue. And most important...do all this while no one is watching, and they will never know the difference. |
I don't think the drop of glue to cover the hole is a good idea. The mass of the glue would change the performance of the tweeter. Ya, it's a small amount but conidering the mass of the dome (the moving bit) it might be significant. I sugest just leave the tiny hole as is. |
I had a pushed in dust button on my old JBL's I used to have years ago - the two year old won/ speaker lost. I tried sticking a bent pin in to work it out but met only with mild success. The thing did pop out eventually from playing music so that would be my suggestion. Play music probably the louder, the better for this purpose - I used to play loud all the time in those days. Be prepared to wait a little while. May not happen for several weeks or more. |
