New guy, got FREE Altec Lansing model three but....
- Thread starter Mahi Mahi
- Start date
Here's a foam repair kit for $22.45 (that's the approximate going rate for these kits): link. I've ordered from there before and they're very reputable and reliable. The kit even comes with instructions.
Personally, I would repair them. Even if you're not actually going to use them, doing the repair would increase the value of the speakers by much more than the price of the repair. Once you do the repair, you can give them a serious listen and decide whether you want to keep them or not.
Personally, I would repair them. Even if you're not actually going to use them, doing the repair would increase the value of the speakers by much more than the price of the repair. Once you do the repair, you can give them a serious listen and decide whether you want to keep them or not.
I've been buying just foams lately, Alene's Tacky Glue is much easier to work with IMHO than the simply speakers glue. I have been just using a 30 Hz tone to center. Done three pair so far each time it gets easier. Definitely worth doing if all that's wrong is foam.
I like the Simply Speaker glue. I just refoamed 2 15" woofers and had no problems. Smaller speakers would be much easier as there is less surface area to deal with before the glue really sets up. You can also put your speakers back in service faster due to the faster setting time
Mike Day
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just dave
vintage rules!
What do us old guys get?I'm new too. Free altecs for new guys?.....I'm in. Who has 'em?
I have their big brothers...the Nines...and I'd certainly put a bit of effort into those Threes. With the right gear & the right setup they can sound pretty darn good.
KentTeffeteller
Gimpus Stereophilus!
Well worth repairing. I owned the bottom of that line, the Model One. And I loved them.
Diff'rent strokes. With the SS glue I ended up with parts that didn't bond that I had to go back and fix. Aleene's is much less viscous and I could just "over-glue" and wipe up excess with a wet rag. The speakers I did with Aleene's I had no problems with and I had a more attractive result.
This is one of those things where I guess you just have to find what works for you personally and roll with it. I bought my foams from Rick Cobb for the last few and have been happy with them. The shape of his "filleted" foams made getting them adhered to the cones easier as well compared to the SS foams. (pretty direct comparison as all speakers so far have been EPI or Genesis)
Not knocking SS at all as their product is eminently serviceable I just find Rick/Aleene's easier.
Yeah, I was very careful about making sure everything adhered correctly as I did not want to go through the process again. It was bad enough that whoever refoamed them prior used some nasty red adhesive that never really cured, shit was terrible to get off and I believe the vapors actually accelerated the deterioration of the foam
If they make noise I'd highly recommend just trying to refoam yourself, and depending on how complex the crossovers are it may be worthwhile to replace all the caps with poly film just while you're in there. Still probably less $$ than just having a pro refoam one driver. If you don't have a signal generator you can find YouTube clips of various bass tones to help you keep the voice coils centered while you glue down the outside of the foam. Once you do it you'll start looking at all the beat up but quality speakers you come across though and think to yourself 'I can fix that...'
If these speakers have any level controls hit them with deoxit while you're in there.
If these speakers have any level controls hit them with deoxit while you're in there.
Cap = capacitor, when they go bad your treble will be rolled off. A capacitor in series with a circuit is a low pass filter.
crossover = the bit usually behind the terminal plate that determines what frequency signals get sent to which drivers (where you'll find the capacitors - the inductors almost never go bad) A capacitor is a high pass filter when in series with an AC circuit. An inductor is a low pass filter. The simplest crossover I've ever seen is in my EPI 100s, it's a simple 10uF cap in series with the tweeter and the bass driver run full range and relying on mechanical roll off.
voice coil = the turns of wire on the speaker cone (you can't see it, but it's what the two tinsel leads connect to) that make it actually move when voltage is applied. Needs to be centered so it doesn't rub on the magnet. If it's not centered, you'll know... when the foam goes bad this is a possibility, and this is also the one important thing that you need to pay attention to when gluing new foams on.
Tube Clip - I meant punch up on YouTube and feed your receiver with your laptop look for a video where the audio is a e.g. 30Hz tone
crossover = the bit usually behind the terminal plate that determines what frequency signals get sent to which drivers (where you'll find the capacitors - the inductors almost never go bad) A capacitor is a high pass filter when in series with an AC circuit. An inductor is a low pass filter. The simplest crossover I've ever seen is in my EPI 100s, it's a simple 10uF cap in series with the tweeter and the bass driver run full range and relying on mechanical roll off.
voice coil = the turns of wire on the speaker cone (you can't see it, but it's what the two tinsel leads connect to) that make it actually move when voltage is applied. Needs to be centered so it doesn't rub on the magnet. If it's not centered, you'll know... when the foam goes bad this is a possibility, and this is also the one important thing that you need to pay attention to when gluing new foams on.
Tube Clip - I meant punch up on YouTube and feed your receiver with your laptop look for a video where the audio is a e.g. 30Hz tone
