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Soft-dome tweeter damage - NBD or permanently compromised?

I’d appreciate the community’s help untangling a tweeter damage question. I bought a used pair of floorstanding speakers produced by a boutique brand that is well known to the audiophile community. (I’ll keep the name to myself, I’m not trying to call them out.) During shipping, both soft‑dome tweeters were crushed. I used the tape‑and‑pull method to pop the domes back into shape, but I have always understood from others that a deformed tweeter can never perform the same after such damage.

The seller felt otherwise, leaving a voicemail claiming that the tweeters should perform identically once restored to their original shape. Of course, it would be in the seller’s interest to say that, so I resolved to find out from the manufacturer what tweeter was used so I could source replacements myself or ask the vendor to supply them.  When I contacted the manufacturer, I heard back from the owner, who to my surprise said, "I don’t think that will affect the sound if you got them back to where they should be. It’s basically a dust cover anyway....  They’re soft domes. I’ve had it happen a few times over the years. I’ve never heard any problems with it myself."  He offered no specs for a swap.

So I’m stuck. Are soft‑dome tweeters truly unaffected after being crushed and popped back out, or has their performance been permanently compromised? Should I keep listening or hunt down replacements (with almost no information on what to buy)?

Any first‑hand experience or technical insight would be greatly appreciated!

zm
helomech
1,799 posts
 

If they are doped soft-domes (the doping essentially makes them a composite), they will typically have dimples or creases after they are pulled back into dome shape. I once encountered this issue with a pair of Dynaudio speakers that I bought as demos from an authorized dealer. Both tweeters arrived with dimples so I knew they had been abused at some point. I contacted Dynaudio directly and they offered to send replacements for no cost. They told me that in theory, the dimples would have a negative effect on performance but, IIRC, they also said it’s likely not audible. 

mswale
215 posts
 

It is weird that both were pushed in, with no other noticeable damage. 

Soft done tweeters are in fact soft, the dome is not hard like TI tweeters. If there are no creases in the domes, they should be fine. If they were hard dome, with creases, then yes, replace. 

Since they are new to you, and this would also upset me, ask for either new tweeters, or refund the cost of new tweeters. But honestly doubt you will hear any difference between the old/new ones.

dhite71
356 posts
 

I am with everyone else here....very odd!!  Unclear description of used speakers being purchased but not wanting to name the mfg....doesn't seem to be a mfg issue.  Also, any speaker I have ever had from cheap to expensive would have had to suffer major issues in transit to have the tweeters crushed.  It seems unlikely for this to occur during transit.  Not sure who the seller is...doesn't seem to be the mfg so whoever the seller is should offer resolution.  I am assuming the buyer saw pics of perfect tweeters prior to the sale.  The value should be shared too.  If these are $800 speakers and they sound fine...oh well, move on.  If they are $8000 speakers, then whole different situation.

norton
91 posts
 

I accidentally pushed in one of my tweeters moving the speaker and believe me, my heart sank and thought the worst as these were NOT cheap speakers.

I got some tape and very gently got the dome returned to it's original shape, it sounds fine, and has never caused a problem years later.

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