Ribbon Tweeters and Animal Hair

Back in the 1990s my wife had a bulimic cat, Cocoa.  Cocoa leaped on top of our Lexicon DC1 pre/pro and vomited through the vents onto a circuit board.  Repairs cost $450.00, 

I have a pair of DIY Dynaudio towers, Myrages, with D76 three inch dome midranges in my basement system.  The domes are very sticky and attract dust and cat hair like magnets attract iron filings.  I have had good luck using drafting tape, similar to masking tape but less sticky, cleaning them. 

Do not! use air to clean a RAAL ribbon they will be damaged. I even had one pair damaged from an open window the breeze stretched the ribbon element.

 

thanks for sharing this information

baylinor   I like your thinking, but must digress:  Some music sounds better with the grills on; some doesn't.  My tone controls:  Soft, concave blinds shut, grills on: Least treble.  Hard convex blind side showing, grills on; more treble... brighter with grills off.  Blinds open with tall windows, grills off; major treble.  Windows open, grills off: most natural, and the most neighbors dropping by to chat.

I had a pair of Apogee full range speakers years ago. The kids begged for a new kitty and I obliged. Came downstairs the next morning to find the kitty sitting on top of the 6’ tall speaker having climbed up to the top putting its claws through the grill cloths and the ribbon tweeter. Long story short- the kitty and the kids stayed but the speakers were sold “ as is” for a $4000 loss!!!so quit gripping about a little cat hair! It could be a LOT worse.

I have ProAc D20R   I keep the grills on when not in use.. I think of them as Dust Covers

I would always keep the grilles on just to be safe especially with children or pets around the house it is better to be safe than sorry and a lot of speakers are voiced with the grille on.

Cats will use the grill cloth as a scratching post. They will not bother the drivers. You can get electrified plastic mats that you can put around the speaker. Any biologic organism that steps on the mats will get an uncomfortable buzz just bad enough to relate to that organism that this is a no go zone. You keep the mats there for 6 months and you can remove them.
If the speakers are cool looking with the grills off then keep them off. Pet hair is heavier than air. As long as the pet is not above the speaker hair is not an issue. Ribbons can be very delicate, you never want to vacuum over them or blow into them. You want to keep a spare ribbon in hand in case something happens. You wipe the speaker gently with a damp cloth.

My last system was Ascend’s Towers and Horizon Raal with Sierra 2’s as surrounds. We have two Australian Shepard’s and never had any problem. I loved that system. I stepped it up To a Legacy system now but those Ascends were sweet.

Hello,
Cats really dislike aluminum foil and sticky stuff. You can use it to deter the cat from getting on top of the speakers or around them. The real issue is keeping them clean. See if you can figure out how to clean them. Also, I would add a hepa air filter in the room. You might have to turn it off while listening but it will cleanse the room while music is not in use. Also, Another wired one. Put fly tach strips or double stick tape near the speaker. It will grab and hold everything. Good luck. 

"Always keep pets away from delicate gear. A good blast with pressurized air for cleaning on occasion sounds like a good idea to me."  Mapman

Not sure my dog would go for that.  But I guess it would teach him not to go near the hi-fi.

Hi rar1
That's a helluva long-lived cat.

Keep it on ! Lots of stories around about animals damaged different kind of  equipment. The last one here was about cat urinated on top dollar amplifier caused electrical shortage and amp totalled. Speakers dynamics is along standing thing. Their movement attract cats as nothing else.  

Take 'em off. Take 'em All off.

@parker65310 Even creepier when the wife and I are discussing something and we both get ads within minutes on our phones. 

Got to love the extreme intrusiveness of advertising these days. I’m reading these threads and along the bottom is a pop-up advertisement for sticky rollers for pet hair removal. Hardly a coincidence!

@andrewkelley I love them. I am in trial period, and was considering moving to towers, but I might wait and upgrade later when an eventual redesign or new model comes. We shall see. 

Thanks. My cats aren't interested in the speakers. Was more concerned about hair in the air getting into places it shouldn't. 

@baylinor I was considering moving to the towers, but might enjoy the 2-EX for the time being. No doubt the towers are louder and have the dedicated mid range, but they are an older design and I expect refresh in the next few years (hopefully with the Excel woofer and updated crossover to kill some resonances). I've been in contact with Dave F. regarding my options. If I'm not mistaken the RAAL in the tower is a 70-20 but fitted for a different face plate. 

I have the 2ex as well.... great little speaker 

Meant with the grills off, not without, stupid typing.

It depends on room acoustics. I used to like them better without the grills off in my old room, but now in my new house of stereo room, with plenty of diffusers, they sound more natural with the grills on.

My cat  doesnot go near the speaker , sonicly your music always sounds better without a grill , just put the grill on after your done
listening , some people take a bit of Ammonia on a piece of paper near the speaker ,they don’t like that.

@oldhvymecI have the sierra towers with the raal ribbons. It's my first pair of ribbons so I can't compare. They are different from the ones on the sierra 2s. Aleksander Raal built the ones for the towers solely for David Fabrikant, owner of Ascend acoustics. You may want to pay them attention, they are everything I ever wanted in sound, uber clarity yet not harsh, lifelike sounding of anything high trebles.

Always keep pets away from delicate gear. A good blast with pressurized air for cleaning on occasion sounds like a good idea to me.  👍

To keep those clean, use compressed air AT A DISTANCE.  Blow them out a couple of times a year and you'll be fine.  1 1/2 to 2' away from a can of compressed air.

Doesn't the RAAL have a mesh cover already??

If someone EVER complained about pet hair and my speakers, they would be shown the door anyways. LOL No one is above approval from my loyal companion.. I've literally closed the door on people because my dog wouldn't quit barking at them.. IT IS A SIGN!! Pay attention.

As for the hair cleaning. Your good.. The issue is always "STICKY". Surrounds use to get sticky, and a lot of soft domes were like magnets for dust and hair. I use to remove them and dust them with a few different concoctions..(soft domes) surrounds usually got replaced..

I use planars and ribbons, they are a push pull design. I have had 100s through the years and close to 40 (ish) small planars and 20 (ish) ribbons currently..A few AMT too. I don't have a pet hair problem, better than 20 / 20 vision with my specs on, I don't see it. The foams used as wave guides or for diffusion can be collectors to. I use a vacuum cleaner with a large hole in the hose. No matter what it will relieve enough vacuum but still remove dust, lint, HAIR and the like..

I'd like to try the ribbons your talking about... I heard they were all the rage. Great reviews..

Regards

Keep the covers on.  Long time cat owner (35 years).

Rich