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Urloony
01-29-2005, 04:57 PM
Hi guys,

I'm looking to replace the main drivers in an older set of speakers that I own. I'm wondering if there is a real difference in the quality of the sound produced between paper cones and poly cones. I've noticed that in general poly cone speakers are less expensive but wasn't sure if this may have more to do with the manufacturing process rather than being of less quality. The drivers I now have are paper and have since discolored and have deteriorated over time. I know that treated paper may also be an option. Any feedback would be great.

SpankingVanillaice
01-29-2005, 07:10 PM
I really think the Poly cones are alot better since first thay last longer and in a way they are more sensitive to sound more. :) Meaning Poly cones sound more better and precise.

ruadmaa
01-29-2005, 08:46 PM
Hi guys,

I'm looking to replace the main drivers in an older set of speakers that I own. I'm wondering if there is a real difference in the quality of the sound produced between paper cones and poly cones. I've noticed that in general poly cone speakers are less expensive but wasn't sure if this may have more to do with the manufacturing process rather than being of less quality. The drivers I now have are paper and have since discolored and have deteriorated over time. I know that treated paper may also be an option. Any feedback would be great.

There is no inherent advantage in using either one. Paper and polycones will last indefinitely. I have paper coned speakers in some of my equipment that are over 50 years old and they work just as good as new.

There is no audio quality advantage in using either one. In most modern speakers it is not the paper or poly cones that fail but the foam surrounds that are attached to them.

royphil345
01-29-2005, 09:09 PM
You can't just go throwing any woofer into a speaker system and expect it to sound the same. The speaker box and crossover network to the other drivers are designed to work with the original woofer. Have you looked into having the originals reconed or having the surrounds replaced (don't know what's wrong with them)? A good speaker repair tech can come very close to matching the original specs when reconing a speaker (exact match if factory parts are available). Replacing surrounds is no big deal at all. Without knowing all of the specs for the original driver, it would be almost impossible to put in another and still get flat frequency response out of the system.

markw
01-29-2005, 09:24 PM
Both ruadmaa and royphil345 offered excellent advice. Your nbest bet would be replacing them with OEM speakers. Failing that, perhaps new surrounds from http://www.newfoam.com (or another) might help.

SpankingVanillaice
01-30-2005, 07:24 AM
Hi guys,

I'm looking to replace the main drivers in an older set of speakers that I own. I'm wondering if there is a real difference in the quality of the sound produced between paper cones and poly cones. I've noticed that in general poly cone speakers are less expensive but wasn't sure if this may have more to do with the manufacturing process rather than being of less quality. The drivers I now have are paper and have since discolored and have deteriorated over time. I know that treated paper may also be an option. Any feedback would be great.Goto this site I fixed one of my speakers from this company.

Orange County Speaker (http://www.speakerrepair.com)

kexodusc
01-30-2005, 08:11 AM
The actual material used to make the cone is but one small factor affecting the performance of a driver. There's some incredibly good sounding, high-end (and expensive) paper woofers out there that'll wipe the floor with alot of Polypropylene, aluminum, Kevlar, etc. dirivers.

Urloony
01-30-2005, 11:21 AM
You can't just go throwing any woofer into a speaker system and expect it to sound the same. The speaker box and crossover network to the other drivers are designed to work with the original woofer. Have you looked into having the originals reconed or having the surrounds replaced (don't know what's wrong with them)? A good speaker repair tech can come very close to matching the original specs when reconing a speaker (exact match if factory parts are available). Replacing surrounds is no big deal at all. Without knowing all of the specs for the original driver, it would be almost impossible to put in another and still get flat frequency response out of the system.
Your absolutely right about mixing drivers and boxes, however I do know the volume of the box, and it's a two-way system with a single driver and a super tweeter on top. It shouldn't be too hard to find a driver with the proper free air, vas, etc... The problem with the refurb is that this is an old set that already has mismatched drivers....so I don't have too much to lose. Oddly enough it sounds great even though it's a mixed bag.

RGA
01-30-2005, 07:59 PM
The driver integration to crossover to cabinet is key. The materials do have various intrinsic advantages over others and disadvantages. Some makers think the sonic Signature of the drivers play a significant role in the resulting sound and some makers aparently think the crossover can match any dissimilar drivers (I'm in the former camp not because I know the science - I don't - but I do have ears).

This article explains the advantages/disadvantages of poly kevlar paper etc.
http://ai.kaist.ac.kr/~suh/DIY/feedback.html

46minaudio
01-31-2005, 08:07 AM
Your absolutely right about mixing drivers and boxes, however I do know the volume of the box, and it's a two-way system with a single driver and a super tweeter on top. It shouldn't be too hard to find a driver with the proper free air, vas, etc... The problem with the refurb is that this is an old set that already has mismatched drivers....so I don't have too much to lose. Oddly enough it sounds great even though it's a mixed bag.
Ok then give the box volume,Ported or sealed,If ported how long,and the diameter.Next what is the xover point to the tweeter.If you cannot find it pull the xover and post the values of the inductors and caps. Look to see if the tweeter is padded.If so what are the values of the resistors.What is the sensitivity of the tweeter.What is the model # of the tweeter.? I may be able to find these from a search.Still as others have said its a crap shoot.But have some fun ,its a good way to learn about what goes into a speaker...