What about speakers?

jguzman21

Super Member
I see, and have shipped several items (recievers, amps), posted here as to how to pack them, but what about speakers? I have several pairs and was thinking of thinning the herd a little.

Do you guys have any other tips that are maybe different from packing a reciever? Where do you source your boxes from? Assuming that you don't have the original boxes do you still double box or just pack the hell out of one box?

john
 
I have done this quite a bit. Measure the speakers and then find a box that is at least 4 inches bigger in every dimension. I nomally use a dish packing box. There is a box store here that has them for 6 bucks each. They are double walled. If you scrounge you can sometimes get lucky. Look around the back of appliance stores.
Line the box with at least 2 inches of strong styrofoam. Then, depending on how well the box fits, either more styrofoam or stacked sheets of cardboard, until all of the room in the box is used up. You cannot have the speaker moving around in the box.
An alternate method that I have seen is to wrap the speaker with strong large bubble bubble wrap, at least two inches thick. Then cut four pieces of thin plywood to fit just inside the top and bottom of each of the boxes. Put a piece of plywood in the box, then the padded speaker, then the other piece of plywood on top. My JBL 240Ti were shipped to me that way, and they arrived in great condition. I normally use the styrofoam myself though.
If you want to economise, you can glue up some styrofoam corner blocks instead of lining the whole box. Make sure that there is at least two inches of styrofoem between the speaker and the box, and you will be OK.
One more tip, no matter what method you use, it is always a good idea to cut out a piece of cardboard the same size as the speaker baffle, and put it on the front before starting your packing. One extra layer of protection for the drivers.
 
One way I have had good luck packing speakers is I get those styrofoam grape crates from work or the flea market, cut them in 4 pieces each (total of 8 top and botom of box) wrap the speakers in a trashbag then place the grape crate pieces to each corner. Then I tape cardboard to the sides and put it into the dishbox. I know that some hate peanuts but on the outside of the speaker I feel it works fine to absorb some of the shock during transit and the harder styrofoam on the cabinet does not get the full impact. sent out quite a few pairs like this without a complaint.
 
Here is an example of how I packed a pair of speakers in their original cartons that didn't have the original packing material.

I first seal the cabinets in a plastic bag big enough to cover the entire piece. Next I used the pink foam sheets available from Lowes or Home Depot to fashion top and bottom end supports which I line with small size bubble wrap for extra cushioning. The end supports are glued together and then I use heavy duty packing tape as a extra measure. Once I make sure that everything fits snug I cut a piece of foam to cover the back. On these speakers there is a PR driver on the back side, so I used a thinner sheet of foam as to not have it pressing on the driver when in the carton.

Cont.
 
Next I place them in the cartons and cut the foam panels for the sides. Again, these are a little thinner than the end supports so that I can line the side facing the cabinet with small sized bubble wrap sheets providing a bit of a air cushion. Then I fit a lid over the entire front leaving a air gap between the lid and the grill cover.

Cont.
 
Finally, the cartons are sealed with heavy duty packing tape, making sure to tape the bottom, ends and top with extra taping on the corners and around the handles. Last step is to double check that nothing moves in the cartons, if it does you need to go back and correct that problem.

BTW, be sure to take step by step pictures just in case you need to file a claim. The shipping companies can't agrue with well documented packing.
 
Last edited:
Great stuff F1! One more question...where do you source your boxes for speakers that do not have the original carton?

j
 
TA, thanks bro. I've seen your packing jobs and you've got it down to a fine art.





J, I've not had to deal with that problem. I believe Wardsweb mentions a few ideas in the Packing 101 thread, but the first place I would look is a box making business.


BTW, sorry the pics are so large, won't happen again.
 
Back
Top Bottom