refoaming bose 901's

I have a pair of bose 901's (series 4) speakers that need re-foaming. I am looking for recommendations. found 2 types of re-foam kits online, one is original "m" foam kit the other is a "lifetime kit" made with a cloth surround that they claim is used in the new Bose professional speakers (bose 802's ??). I like the long life aspect of the cloth kit, but will it affect the sound in these older speaker?? also has anybody done this job without removing the dust caps and using shims?? one company recommends this method while another company says its not necessary. once these speakers are repaired they will be used in my small apt. and cannot hang/mount them as per Bose's recommendations. anyone tried listening to these speaker turned around (multi drivers facing forward, single speaker facing rearward)?? thanks for the info
peter

...you contacted Bose...In the interest of really exemplary customer service, they have, in the past, made what I feel are quite good suggestions/alternatives re: surrounds gone bad...

Doin' a 180 with the 901s really defeats their purpose and bass response (due to the ported design) may suffer...I experimented with my Series 2s (acoustic suspension type) way back when with no real results to speak of...

jimHJJ(...give 'em a call just fer grins...)

what are peoples experience with re-foaming speakers. I will be re-foaming BOSE 901's with their small 4.5" speakers. can this be done with out removing the dust-caps?? or is it much better to remove the dust-cap so as to shim the voice coil to keep it centered??
thanks all
peter

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Originally Posted by peterreese

what are peoples experience with re-foaming speakers. I will be re-foaming BOSE 901's with their small 4.5" speakers. can this be done with out removing the dust-caps?? or is it much better to remove the dust-cap so as to shim the voice coil to keep it centered??
thanks all
peter

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...I don't think so.

...I think that's why I don't think so.

jimHJJ(...you're welcome...)

I did this a few years back for a friend of mine who owned a pair of Series IIIs.

I used the foam kits instead of the lifetime kits. Im not sure what you refer to in removing the dust caps and adding shims. The only thing I had to disassemble was the grille cloth. It was nailed into the speaker cabinet.

The kit I purchased came with 20 replacement rings, adhesive, applicators, and instructions. The instructions were illustrated which made the process easier. The old material easily came out just by scraping lightly with a clean flat edged spatula. I made sure I did not place any stress on the paper cone element. I also thoroughly cleaned the basket where it was accessible.

I applied the glue with a flat brush to the edge of the paper cone and on the outer basket. Then I laid the ring and positioned it to make sure the voicecoil was free to move. I made every visual attempt to maintain the axis of movement.

Then I let it dry for 48 hours before testing.

contacted the folks at BOSE about repairing the 901's, their reply was to sell me an updated series VI speaker with new EQ for close to $800.00 with trade-in of my series IV. Repair kits are less than $100.00. They also said starting midway with the series V speakers they switched to using cloth surrounds, should last much longer.
The dust caps cover the voice coil and keep the dust/dirt out. Once these caps are removed you can then add thin plastic shims in the voice coil gap to keep the speaker cone centered while the glue sets up. This way you avoid the possibility of the voice coil rubbing after the glue has dried. Then you have to remove the shims and glue new dust caps on the cone. This procedure makes sense to me but for 18 speakers this is a lot of extra time/effort. I guess you had good luck without all the shimming. :idea:

Bose became famous partially because they fixed the dreaded "hole in the middle" in the early days of stereo (that rear firing tweeter). The operative word here is early days.

They are completely outmoded, even without getting into a discussion of if they were ever quality speakers to begin with. If you can afford it move on.

the speakers were free. I feel they are worth the less than $100.00 to repair them. they might sound different/better than my 30 year old Realistic Optimus-5B oiled walnut speaker system. I use Bose 802's with my band PA system. I like their sound. my listening room is very small, will probably be using them in direct mode not reflecting mode.
just an experiment .
peter

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Originally Posted by hermanv

Bose became famous partially because they fixed the dreaded "hole in the middle" in the early days of stereo (that rear firing tweeter). The operative word here is early days.

They are completely outmoded, even without getting into a discussion of if they were ever quality speakers to begin with. If you can afford it move on.

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...without getting into a discussion of who does or doesn't have a clue, the highlighted words above simply speak volumes as to your experience...Hint: One full-range driver faces forward, eight rearward, not a tweeter or Xover to be seen or heard. BTW, it has nothing to do with "phantom image" or lack thereof...

jimHJJ(...the operative word being "Duh!"...)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by peterreese

the speakers were free. I feel they are worth the less than $100.00 to repair them. they might sound different/better than my 30 year old Realistic Optimus-5B oiled walnut speaker system. I use Bose 802's with my band PA system. I like their sound. my listening room is very small, will probably be using them in direct mode not reflecting mode.
just an experiment .
peter

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Yeah, it's worth $100 to experiment.

But, I was ready to post that you can get a LOT of speaker for $800

I wonder what a newer par of 901s would sound like against my series 2s. If I had a pair of dilapidated 901s laying around I would almost be tempted by the $800 offer. If you didn't like them,and they were barely used, they would probably fetch about that amount on eBay.