Broken Speaker Need Help.

Let me help you guys out here real quick.

This speaker is DEAD. PERIOD!

The plastic ring, as you call it, was propably rubber, foam or coated paper. It is there fix the cone to the frame. One of it’s purposes is limiting the forward travel of the cone. What happens now is if the speaker presses the cone outward, it travels too far, the coil comes (almost) out of the magnet. When it get’s pulled back (with no help from the cone ring that is now missing) I am not suprised you hear unwanted mechanical noises. Chance is likely that shortly the voice coil will be damaged and the speaker won’t function at all anymore.

The cone ring is an essential and integral part of a loudspeaker. You can get refoam kits and try to apply them yourself. I have tried it twice, but unless you are very good with your hands and have great patience, don’t try it. The good news is that refoaming kits are relatively cheap, so you can order one, do a refoam and if you like the result do the other too. If not, toss the speakers or replace the drivers entirely and you will have only lost the cost of the refoam kit.

There is however a slight problem in your case. Normally when the foam goes bad (and eventually it will, no foam last forever) you start to see tears and holes in the foam ring. That is when you refoam. You, however, removed the foam ring entirely AND you ran the speakers without them. There is no telling what damage you did to the voicecoil. And when that is gone, it’s a different story.

If you are really attached to the speakers you can try putting in new loudspeakers (the entire thing with the frame, cone, magnet, everything) which you can usually source from the original manufacturer or online parts suppliers. Alternatively you can buy a different brand driver from another source. Be sure to get the right:

• size (in inches or centimeters) – has to be the same
• resistance (in Ohm) – has to be the same
• power handling capacity (in Watt) – has to be the same or better
• frequency range (in Hz)- has to cover at least the same frequency band, preferably exactly the same

And it can’t hurt to make sure the depth is approximately the same as well.
Keep in mind that higher end manufacturers (including Tannoy) take great care in selecting the loudspeakers (technically correct term is drivers, but ok) the put in their cabinet designs. The choose them for a reason. Replacing them with other (especially cheaper) drivers WILL deteriorate the performance of the speaker.
Keep in mind that swapping the two speakers (can’t do just one, have to do both left and right speaker!) still leaves you with an old cabinet, old high end speakers and old x-over filter electronics. Up to you to consider if it is worth the price and the hassle.
Might want to consider getting entirely new speakers instead.
They look to be C-8s (I think they go back to the late 80s), the version without a bass reflex opening on the front. 8″ woofer and 1″ tweeter, 150W power rating. Second hand for about 150$ for a good-looking, functional pair.
I appreciate the feeling of not wanting to throw stuff away, but you really have to look at a) the cost of repairing them (refoam or refitting drivers) and b) the potential outcome. If you end up spending 150 on drivers and an hour or two refitting and testing them and you end up with speakers worth 150 second-hand, do you really want to do that. Or do you put your 150 towards a new set of speakers.
Hope that clears things up a bit.
Greetinx,
C.

I agree, it is dead and beyond repair.

There is a reason they sell foam replacement kits. That is because lots of people need them. And that is because foam rings on speakers go bad after a while. That is nobody’s fault but time;s.

It is like he lent you his old car with old tires and a tire blows on you because it is so old and worn. Your fault?
Don’t think so.

You can give him this bit of text:

Hello DJ McNee’s grandpa,

My name is Chuck van Eekelen and I am an old DJ (50) that contributes to the Digital DJ Tips forum on the internet. Your grandson came to us for help in getting the speakers he borrowed from you back in working order. The foam ring holding everything had fallen apart. This is a common cause in older speakers. The foam, as it gets older, becomes brittle and finally falls apart. At which point the speakers are essentially useless and need to be replaced.

Apart from some pretty fancy home repair work (there are some foam replacement kits, but not for every speaker) or replacing the entire speaker unit (too expensive for older speakers usually), there is nothing to be done.

This is clearly a result of old age on the speaker’s behalf, not a user/operator fault. Your grandson is not to blame.

Kind regards,
Chuck “DJ Vintage” van Eekelen
The Netherlands

Rokits are fine for bedroom and production.