Aauuugghhh! &@!#$*!!!!

[topspeed]

It had been a good night; a little Christmas shopping, a nice dinner out with the family. So there I am, sitting down on the couch after finally getting the kids to sleep, anxious to finally listen to the new U2 cd I'd just bought when I noticed my left speaker is out of position. I walk over to reposition it, mumbling about how I'll need to recalibrate now, when there it is! The entire right back corner of the speaker has been crushed with nice long scratches on the back of cabinet to boot!

All I can say is thank God the kids were asleep and at the other end of the house otherwise they would have gotten an earful!

Apparently, my house keeper had knocked the speaker over into the armoire thereby damaging not only the speaker but also taking a nice big chunk out of the base of our cherry armoire. We got the 2 for 1 special! Ain't it grand?! For those not keeping score, that's one damaged B&W CDM 7NT in solid wood dark cherry finish and one $2,800 solid cherry armoire with a 3" chunk taken out of it. The house keeper didn't leave a note, didn't call me, nothing. Needless to say, she's damn lucky I was forced to calm down over night otherwise she would have gotten quite the earfull.

Finally to my question: How do I fix the speaker? The edges of the baffle are chamfered and the damage is fairly deep. It's not crushed in like, oh say the pushed in bottom of an egg crate, but it is deformed and will need to be built up to match. Do I call a cabinet maker? Any ideas?

This pic will give you an idea of what the corners and edges look like. The damage is to the top right rear.

[N. Abstentia]

$2500 speakers...$2800 armoire....paying a housekeeper for a house big enough that they can't hear you yelling at the other end...brand new U2 CD's...sounds like you have nothing at all to worry about :)

[NickWH]

Yeah, seriously...

I think this deserves a "wah, wah!"

[Geoffcin]

It had been a good night; a little Christmas shopping, a nice dinner out with the family. So there I am, sitting down on the couch after finally getting the kids to sleep, anxious to finally listen to the new U2 cd I'd just bought when I noticed my left speaker is out of position. I walk over to reposition it, mumbling about how I'll need to recalibrate now, when there it is! The entire right back corner of the speaker has been crushed with nice long scratches on the back of cabinet to boot!

Finally to my question: How do I fix the speaker? The edges of the baffle are chamfered and the damage is fairly deep. It's not crushed in like, oh say the pushed in bottom of an egg crate, but it is deformed and will need to be built up to match. Do I call a cabinet maker? Any ideas?

This pic will give you an idea of what the corners and edges look like. The damage is to the top right rear.

But as long as the integrity of the cabinet is not compromised, then it should be as simple as getting some plastic wood, a sanding block, and some stain. The cost of an re-veneer might be a lot. If the area it's damaged is not visible from your seated position should not cause you too much grief.

The new U-2 CD rocks. Are you sure you didn't tip them over yourself listing to Vertigo?
;o)

[topspeed]

N. and Nick;
Thanks for the luv :rolleyes:. Look, there are only two material items that I own that I really care about. One is my car (I am a gearhead after all) and the other is my rig. If I understand your posts correctly, just because someone works hard enough to afford something nice, they shouldn't care about whether or not they get damaged because hey, just buy a new one right? Interesting logic. The key to having money is simple: It's not about earning your keep, it's about keeping what you earn. That doesn't include buying a new speaker just because it's cosmetically damaged.


Geoff:
Yeah, you can see the damage from the couch. What is plastic wood? Is that like bondo for wood? Also, the new U2 is absolutely terrific! Not a bad song in the bunch and they explore a couple of different styles, too. That is one of the few discs I play where I'll keep the sub on. I'd love to hear it on your Gallo's!

[RGA]

E-mail B&W and they should have a fix for you - otherwise - here is your opportunity to upgrade - and you know what you need to go listen to :rolleyes:

Hell I dropped my AN J the day I got them home - I was putting them on the stand and it fell into the corner taking a huge chunk out of the wall. Luckily the speaker's wood didn;t chip or anything but it was a small heart attack of a few seconds there.

If it's just cosmetic I would not worry about it if it's at the back - and are you sure it wasn't one of your kids?

[topspeed]

If it's just cosmetic I would not worry about it if it's at the back - and are you sure it wasn't one of your kids?
Yeah, it wasn't the kids, they would have told me. Besides, the house keeper spilled the beans when I asked her about it.

Admittedly, I did consider upgrading, but only for a second. I really like my B&W's and even though they aren't Nauts, they keep me happy and I don't see myself getting rid of them anytime soon. If anything, I'll keep 'em and build a dedicated two channel around something like the VR4jr's or something similar. Who knows, maybe I'll finally run across some AN's and love 'em as much as you?

[Geoffcin]

Geoff:
Yeah, you can see the damage from the couch. What is plastic wood? Is that like bondo for wood? Also, the new U2 is absolutely terrific! Not a bad song in the bunch and they explore a couple of different styles, too. That is one of the few discs I play where I'll keep the sub on. I'd love to hear it on your Gallo's!

The stuff is good for everything, and perfect for your application. If the repair is done well your going to have to walk up to it with a magnifying glass to find the fix.

http://www.dap.com/projects/project_detail.cfm?subcatid=12&catid=5&technoteid=40

http://www.dap.com/retail/retail_detail.cfm?catid=5&subcatid=12&prodhdrid=69

Now that your good and pissed off from some other comments posted here, I recommend listening to the new Green Day album; American Idiot. Their best album since Dookie, and one of the best this year in my opinion.

[N. Abstentia]

Too bad money can't buy a sense of humor :eek:

My post was meant as a joke, but the point being...think of the billions of people in the world that would give anything to have a dented $2500 speaker as their biggest concern!


[QUOTE=topspeed]N. and Nick;
Thanks for the luv :rolleyes:. Look, there are only two material items that I own that I really care about. One is my car (I am a gearhead after all) and the other is my rig. If I understand your posts correctly, just because someone works hard enough to afford something nice, they shouldn't care about whether or not they get damaged because hey, just buy a new one right? Interesting logic. The key to having money is simple: It's not about earning your keep, it's about keeping what you earn. That doesn't include buying a new speaker just because it's cosmetically damaged.

[QUOTE]

[Geoffcin]

Too bad money can't buy a sense of humor :eek:

My post was meant as a joke, but the point being...think of the billions of people in the world that would give anything to have a dented $2500 speaker as their biggest concern!


Your post was in really bad taste, and not funny at all.

Remind me to laugh at your loss the next time anything you really cherish gets broken without your knowledge.

[NickWH]

Your post was in really bad taste, and not funny at all.

Oh, the horror! Nobody got hurt, right? P-l-e-a-s-e! Some people do have real problems.

Hey Topspeed, I'm sorry your speaker got damaged. Fire the maid and clean the house yourself.


Luckily the speaker's wood didn;t chip or anything but it was a small heart attack of a few seconds there.

Wow, AN are the best sounding speakers in the world and they are indestructable! They are just amazing!

[kexodusc]

Ouch, Topspeed, that's horrible news.

I agree with Geoffcin, a fix shouldn't be too, too hard. A bit of TLC should be able solve the situation.
While plastic wood is a viable option, I would actually recommend you do infact use bondo (body-fil) for automobiles...it'll dry quicker, and is damn near indestructible, and most importantly, less porous and more dense than most plastic woods.
This should be more than sufficient to patch up a cabinet, even if the hole met the interior.
Is the speaker made with real wood veneer or, a quality vinyl wrap?

And yes, I would try to contact B&W for help...or even your dealer, they may have some options.

[N. Abstentia]

Your post was in really bad taste, and not funny at all.

Remind me to laugh at your loss the next time anything you really cherish gets broken without your knowledge.

Sorry to hear that some people are unable to find the lighter side of such a catastrophic event as a scratched speaker cabinet.

The irony of it all? It would probably take the poor maid 2 years to save up for a $2500 speaker on her salary.

Believe it or not, things could be worse. Be thankful for what you have, and don't sweat the small stuff. Life is too short for that. There are millions of people who would trade all their problems in for a scratched $2500 speaker.

Yeah it sucks that the speaker fell over, but life sucks. I think Topspeed will live through this ;)

[RGA]

Wow, AN are the best sounding speakers in the world and they are indestructable! They are just amazing!

no it's more like my walls are really soft - That apartment wall material(which I can't think of at the moment - plaster?

[kexodusc]

Well, in RGA's defense, if the A/N's are MDF or even Birch, they would be pretty darn solid.

I dropped an old PSB speaker of mine once, and smashed its corner to bits.
What's worse, the salesperson swore to me that the speakers (Alpha's) were MDF with real wood veneer on them...instead just a crappy cheap vinyl and soft particleboard.

They still worked fairlly well, even with two ports...

[topspeed]

First off, she's not a maid, she a housekeeper. It's not like I've got Alice from the Brady Bunch here 24/7, OK? Secondly, I didn't start this thing looking for sympathy, I did it looking for answers, such as the links and input from Geoff, Kex, and RGA.

N.Ab:
Upon re-reading your initial post, I can see how it was a poke in the ribs. Perhaps I simply wasn't in the most generous frame of mind and that colored my interpretation. No biggie.

Nick:
Obviously, there are bigger problems in the world. Again, I wasn't looking for sympathy. Conversely, you're weren't providing answers. Knocking over a speaker is hardly reason to fire someone...this isn't The Apprentice. However, not telling me and hoping that I wouldn't notice does make me question her basic morals, wouldn't you agree?

Kex:
Two ports, huh? LOL, I had to catch up to that one :D

[Geoffcin]

Obviously, there are bigger problems in the world. Again, I wasn't looking for sympathy. Conversely, you're weren't providing answers. Knocking over a speaker is hardly reason to fire someone...this isn't The Apprentice. However, not telling me and hoping that I wouldn't notice does make me question her basic morals, wouldn't you agree?

Kex:
Two ports, huh? LOL, I had to catch up to that one :D


One of the hardest things to do is to look at something from someone elses point of view.
My guess is that she was probably freaked senseless when it happend. Thought if she told you it would cost her her job.

Nick, for all of his patronizing us on how blessed we all are told you to, and I quote; "Fire the maid" I'm glad your not taking his advice.

[NickWH]

Yes, we should all be saints like Geoffcin. Damaging property and being secretive about it. I would fire her.

The truth of the matter is that no matter how hard you try your speakers will never look as good as they once did. Period. The only way to get the finish 100% again would cost as much as a new pair of speakers and therefore wouldn't be worth it. So figure out if you can live with the damaged goods or if you must replace them. If you are as much of a perfectionist as it sounds like (I know I am), it will probably drive you nuts everytime you look at them. How's that for some realistic advice?

[Buzz Roll]

If you just had wall-mounted Bose satellites, this all would have never happened.

[kexodusc]

Nick, what the hell are you talking about?

People have been successfully patching up furniture with veneers for years...it can be done...and at a mere fraction of the cost of replacing Topspeed's speakers.

[Garrardman]

If you just had wall-mounted Bose satellites, this all would have never happened.

True, you'd have had to actually kick them off the wall, but let's face it, that would be fun.................. :D

Adam.

[cubdog]

Topspeed, you might try steaming the compressed wood first. It may make the damage tolerable until you find a solution. I would also recommend contacting a higher end furniture dealer. They usually have craftsman skilled in furniture repair.
cubdog

[paneristi]

If I were you, I would have taken photograph of the dent, send it to B&W, and ask for advice, possibly ship it for repair (if possible). That should be the best possible option.

Second option: I will ask the most trusted person (could be ourselves) to fix the inner part, and call the best available furniture-expert to cover for the cosmetics.

When I had my gear, I ask the servants NOT to get close to them, especially the speakers. To me, they served as furniture as well. They might clean the whole house, but I would do the cleaning over my listening room.

Do u want to hear some story? My cousin has 3 pairs of speakers: Quad ELS, Spendor 3/5A, and JMLab Electra (forgot the name, anyway they are floorstander, kinda the higher-end model, with nice cabinetry). One day his dad asked some furniture-guy to redo some furnitures. This furniture-guy DID sand the JMLab. Hey, they look different now, sorta one-of-a-kind.

BTW, Tops, thanks for your advice (on my thread), I got the CDM 1NT.

[zapr]

.......Topspeed, I feel your pain. I know with my system as well as my car, I like to look after it, keep it looking new. One other option is to contact your insurance to do with contents.They just might replace that speaker if it can't be repaired to original condition......Zapr.

[dave123456@mail.com]

It had been a good night; a little Christmas shopping, a nice dinner out with the family. So there I am, sitting down on the couch after finally getting the kids to sleep, anxious to finally listen to the new U2 cd I'd just bought when I noticed my left speaker is out of position. I walk over to reposition it, mumbling about how I'll need to recalibrate now, when there it is! The entire right back corner of the speaker has been crushed with nice long scratches on the back of cabinet to boot!

All I can say is thank God the kids were asleep and at the other end of the house otherwise they would have gotten an earful!

Apparently, my house keeper had knocked the speaker over into the armoire thereby damaging not only the speaker but also taking a nice big chunk out of the base of our cherry armoire. We got the 2 for 1 special! Ain't it grand?! For those not keeping score, that's one damaged B&W CDM 7NT in solid wood dark cherry finish and one $2,800 solid cherry armoire with a 3" chunk taken out of it. The house keeper didn't leave a note, didn't call me, nothing. Needless to say, she's damn lucky I was forced to calm down over night otherwise she would have gotten quite the earfull.

Finally to my question: How do I fix the speaker? The edges of the baffle are chamfered and the damage is fairly deep. It's not crushed in like, oh say the pushed in bottom of an egg crate, but it is deformed and will need to be built up to match. Do I call a cabinet maker? Any ideas?

This pic will give you an idea of what the corners and edges look like. The damage is to the top right rear.


You should jsut tell B&W that you were listening to their speakers one night and then all of a sudden they just broke,say a gust of wind did it or something. hehe

Or you could ship them and say the shipping company did it, which they probabaly would have anyway.

And i agree that you should fire her, how someone could be so careless to knock over a big speaker like that amazes me. She obviously doesnt care enough about other peoples stuff to be more careful. Either fire her or garnish her waiges untill she works off the speakers cost. I know this sounds cruel but the idea of a house cleaner is to clean your house, not break stuff.