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How do I safely remove the woofer from my ads L-810 speakers?

eThink

eThink

Well-Known Member
I recently asked about the "spikes" at the bottom of my ads L-810 speakers.

http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=80835

I was able to contact the seller of these speakers who was able to confirm that the "spikes" (more like bolts") were added by the original owner as a budget form of spikes.

The seller confirmed that these "spikes" were installed by removing the lower woofer in the speaker cabinet, drilling (4) holes, and then securing the bolts with lock nuts.

The recommendation for removal was to remove the lower woofer by unscrewing for the philips screws, removing the fibreglass material and then unbolting the lock nuts. I was advised to wear gloves and a mask to avoid contact with the fibreglass.

The reassembly tip was to apply some silicon to the rubber speaker gasket between the woofer and the cabinet to ensure a good seal.

The only time I have ever removed a speaker woofer was when I needed to send my Large Advent speakers for refoaming. In all honesty, I am a concerned about messing up my ads L-810 speakers. :scratch2:

I would appreciate any advice and/or tips about this approach to remove the spikes from these speakers.
Thanks in advance for your help with this request for information. :thmbsp:

eThink
 
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Removing a driver is no big deal. Just take care not to slip and punch a hole in the cone, surround, etc.
 
And the next question is why do you want to remove the spikes??????
They will keep your speaker decoupled from what it's sitting on.[a good thing]
 
Why I want to remove the "spikes" from my ads L-810

Detailman said:
And the next question is why do you want to remove the spikes??????
They will keep your speaker decoupled from what it's sitting on.[a good thing]
Click to expand...

I would like to use the original ads L-810 speaker stands that raise the tweeters to ear level when sitting in a chair. :yes:
 
Getting the woofer out isn't hard. I pulled the woofer on one of my L810s when I got it thinking there was a problem. Turned out to be in the amp. Anyhow, lay it on it's back so the woofer doesn't fall out when you take out the screws. Be very careful not to slip and jam the screwdriver through the surround. The wires on mine are soldered to the woofer. I believe you will be able to leave it connected and just set it aside while you work on the spikes.

Take care,

Ed
 
[I would like to use the original ads L-810 speaker stands that raise the tweeters to ear level when sitting in a chair.


Gotcha now!! : :yes:
 
What is it about screwdrivers and speaker damage? Murphy's law or something like that. I've slipped and punched holes in two speakers in that way.

Now when I'm removing or replacing a driver, I always keep my finger firmly between the screwdriver and the vunerable edge of the speaker so no chance of slippage.

The L-810 is a well-made and great sounding speaker. I love cabinet design and the flush-fitting metal grills.
 
Don't use silicone to provide the gasket. Once it cures, that woofer is not coming back out without a fight. Go to Lowes or Home Depot and buy a roll of 1/2" Frost-King foam tape used for weatherstripping. It will work prefectly and be very close to what ADS originally used.

Second point, removing the woofer. Over time, the gaskets can really stick to the woofer frame and make them tough to remove. If you use a screwdriver you can gick up the cabinet if you aren't careful. Put something down on the face of the cabinet to protect it and lever against that rather than the wood.

The official method of removing truculent woofers was use a 1/4-20 self-tapping screw. Drive it into one of the woofer bolt holes until it is well engaged and then grab the bolt head with vise grips then firmly & slowly pull the woofer up & out. I have to tell you, many times I enjoyed doing that in front of an owner to their babies and watching them come close to soiling themselves.

:D

When you reinstall the woofer, the original mounting screw will cover any marks from the self-tapper.

Good luck, proceed with caution, support group stands ready to assist!
 
Here's a trick... if you must use silicone against advice.

Cabinet face up. Put a small bead of silicone.

Lay strips of plastic wrap (Saran Wrap, etc) over the silicone. Lay the speaker in place and gently press into position.

Let the silicone cure overnight. Remove the woofer, peel off the plastic wrap.

Now you have a perfectly formed gasket.
 
Success!

I was able to remove the "spikes" (actually carriage bolts) from the bottom of my ads L-810 speakers without any damage.

The lower woofer was held in place by (4) phillips-head screws. I used a putty knife to pry the woofer frames from the speaker box. This was the most difficult part.

I was then able to gain access to the bold heads and able to unscrew the bolts from the speaker cabinet.

I filled the holes with 3/8" x 1-1/2" fluted wooden dowel pins coated with wood glue.This resealed the speaker box.

After a (2) hour wait to allow the glue to dry, I carefully remounted the the lower woofer. I then remounted the metal grills and reconnected the cables.

I am now able to use the original ads methal speaker stands which raise the speakers about 9" higher. Yes, this does seem to improve the quality of the sound.

Thanks to all who advised how to address this problem.
 
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