I'm more into older electronics than a lot of the newer stuff...cause well...it's cheap and people don't realize what gems old speakers can be with the right TLC. So, a few years ago I came into possession of some nice component subs. Rockford Fosgate Punch HE model# RFP3412. Oddly enough...crutchfield still has a page on these subs with equipment specs and everything...just they are discontinued, so they can't be THAT old. Anyway, they've got a paper cone and a foam surround, and when I bought them they were perfect. Looked great, hit great, and had a longer throw with a crisper sound than most any modern speaker you put up against it, within a competitive wattage range. They are 400w max with an RMS of around 50-200w. My two 12" Rock-Fos subs powered by a Lightning Audio 600w 2chnl bridged @ 4ohms, outbeat a pair of 12" kickers, with 1000w...not sure if they were @2ohm or 4ohm...my guess is 4ohm, so around 500-750w from that 1000w kicker. Either way, the BRAND NEW kickers could not outbeat a set of old tech paper cone, foam surround, 400w Rockford Fosgates...so I fell in love with them. They were in a cherokee, wrecked it...killed the amp by throwing it into the side of the jeep (One learns to properly secure the amp next time...), but the subs were cherry. They sat in storage until just a few months ago when I bought the P5, noticed it had a raised rear deck, spare tire subwoofer (That just aint cuttin' it), and some room...ooooooo DIYer's dream!! So I've decided to build a false floor enclosure, keeping the spare tire in it's stock location, while recessing a subwoofer into the floor about an inch or so, and protecting it up top with a sheet of drilled and LED lit plexiglass...sounds SICK. Now I've been trying to source an amp...and may have found one. I'm not all into these big flashy 1000w 2ohm amps. Yeah they are nice, really, but I do love these speakers and would simply CRY if I blew them. Granted I have two, and only plan on using ONE in the P5 as it should do oh so nice in the little car, so if I blow it...there's always another one (Anybody need a box?). Anyway, back on topic. I intend to do a writeup about the recessed sub, false floor thing once I've got all the materials (Need the Amp and wiring before I buy the wood for framing and decking...and some hinges so it will lift and lower. Would hydraulic lifts like what's in the rear liftgate be too overkill for my little DIY project?
OK, so BACK ON TOPIC....what is the super mega sad face for?
So I pulled one of the speakers from the box today to get a rough assessment of how far i'm gonna have to lower the spare, how much I'm gonna have to cut the spare tire bolt to clear the magnet, how much space I'll have to work with once the little 100w spare tire sub is removed, etc., etc....
So I pulled these speakers and low and behold the foam surrounds have succumb to the ever so awful occurrence that the drying, cracking, and generally self destruction of said foam speaker surrounds...but me being a lover of old electronics and classic speakers, and having repaired a few 80's model floor speakers I decided to order one of THESE
http://www.speakerworks.com/12_Inch_Angled_Speaker_Repair_Kit_p/swk12a.htm
I thought about going with the rubber surround
http://www.speakerworks.com/12_Speaker_Repair_Kit_Angle_Attach_RUBBER_p/swk12arb.htm
But I was unsure of what it would do to the sound quality. I may order one of both, and repair both speakers. One has a cone clemish, but a better looking surround while the other has a better looking cone with a worse-off surround.
Haven't bought either one yet, but was gonna ask about the Foam or Nitrile surround repair kit. I like the improved durability of Nitrile, but I'm not sure how it compares to the foam in stiffness...so i'm a little leery as to how well it will effect speaker performance.
Any ideas? and as with the false floor, I will do a write-up for those who have some older foam surround speakers that could use some TLC. Been watching DIY videos...and it's a really simple repair. Just cut the old surround off, scrape the old surround from the cone and cage, repair surround by adhering new surround to cone FIRST, making sure to line up the edge right. Then after it has dried, depress cone a couple times to center the outside edges, then adhere to cage...let entire application set up for a couple hours or so, and you're jamming. Will show with pics when I get these ordered....but seriously...Foam or Nitrile repair for these bad ass old subs?
OK, so BACK ON TOPIC....what is the super mega sad face for?
So I pulled one of the speakers from the box today to get a rough assessment of how far i'm gonna have to lower the spare, how much I'm gonna have to cut the spare tire bolt to clear the magnet, how much space I'll have to work with once the little 100w spare tire sub is removed, etc., etc....
So I pulled these speakers and low and behold the foam surrounds have succumb to the ever so awful occurrence that the drying, cracking, and generally self destruction of said foam speaker surrounds...but me being a lover of old electronics and classic speakers, and having repaired a few 80's model floor speakers I decided to order one of THESE
http://www.speakerworks.com/12_Inch_Angled_Speaker_Repair_Kit_p/swk12a.htm
I thought about going with the rubber surround
http://www.speakerworks.com/12_Speaker_Repair_Kit_Angle_Attach_RUBBER_p/swk12arb.htm
But I was unsure of what it would do to the sound quality. I may order one of both, and repair both speakers. One has a cone clemish, but a better looking surround while the other has a better looking cone with a worse-off surround.
Haven't bought either one yet, but was gonna ask about the Foam or Nitrile surround repair kit. I like the improved durability of Nitrile, but I'm not sure how it compares to the foam in stiffness...so i'm a little leery as to how well it will effect speaker performance.
Any ideas? and as with the false floor, I will do a write-up for those who have some older foam surround speakers that could use some TLC. Been watching DIY videos...and it's a really simple repair. Just cut the old surround off, scrape the old surround from the cone and cage, repair surround by adhering new surround to cone FIRST, making sure to line up the edge right. Then after it has dried, depress cone a couple times to center the outside edges, then adhere to cage...let entire application set up for a couple hours or so, and you're jamming. Will show with pics when I get these ordered....but seriously...Foam or Nitrile repair for these bad ass old subs?
