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Amazing "tightening" of bass on cone speakers

I own a pair of old Mission 773 speakers. My impression has been that these still sound "okay" but have seen better days. Today I was reading the owner's manual to check the stated specs. In the maintenance section, Mission suggested that the screws holding the bass drivers to the cabinets should periodically be tightened(they also warned never to touch the screws for the tweeter). I said to myself "What the heck" and grabbed an Allen wrench. To my surprise, all the screws seemed tight but were able to be tightened another turn or so without undue pressure.
I was surprised by the difference in the sound. Not only was the bass much better defined and could go much deeper without distortion, the total sound was transformed, leaving far more interesting timbres to be heard and even the imaging was sharpened.
Having been into audio since forever, this really shouldn't have surprised me. It makes sense that slightly loosened bass drivers would create bad sound. And over many years of constantly vibrating, some loosening could easily happen. However, checking this out had never even occurred to me and I'm wondering how many others have tried this "cure" and (other than over tightening) if you've experienced a downside?
terrysimmons
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,865 posts
 
That's a good tweak that is often overlooked. Tight seal is paramount for bass. Usually once done once or twice after a period of time, I find you are good to go, but can't hurt to check periodically.

Driver of my OHM 5 speakers attaches with wing nuts. With these the loosening over time was most apparent and easy to tighten when needed.
roxy54's avatar
roxy54
7,708 posts
 
I do it every six months or so. I think it should be considered routine maintenance, and yes, it does make a difference.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
jgiacalo
446 posts
 
A frequently overlooked "tweak" that can bring significant improvement. With this reminder it's time to do mine again.

Further improvement can be gained by using a torque screwdriver so that all screws are tightened to the same degree to keep images focused; whereas uneven torqueing can blur images somewhat or shift their location.
terrysimmons OP
11 posts
 
Thanks Jgiacalo, Roxy and Mapman. I'm glad I'm not alone in this. I wonder how many audiophiles are out there who think their speakers are past their prime when all they need is a little tightening up. And great idea using a torque screw driver!
sebrof's avatar
sebrof
834 posts
 
Well, a timely thread for me. I built a pair of speakers in January and have been making progress on them since (been out of town and otherwise occupied so not continuous). I've been working to get the bass right and have been struggling. I read your thread and VIOLA...OK still not perfect but more progress fixing the bass in 2 minutes than I've had in 2 months. Of course this wasn't fixing something that worked loose, but fixing my sloppy work.
Thanks Terrysimmons!
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