AR-3a: What is the importance of having an airtight seal on woofers?

[Lesterbest]

A lot of audiophiles in the authentic restoration (whatever the hell that is) refuse to use mortite which is as effective today as it was 40 yrs ago. Sooner or later some lunkhead will extol the virtue of toothpaste as a sealer.

 

[N8Nagel]

I'm pretty sure 3m strip caulk is either mortite already rolled into handy ropes for you or an indistinguishably close product.

 

[Chris Topher]

I'm thinking about restoring my 3a's myself, although I know nothing about restoring. I have a newer pair so the woofers aren't the alnico type. I need to refoam them as you can tell in pic. My concern is that gasket between metal and old foam. I've refoam some woofers before but none with this setup. Are there any tutorials for this? Also I've seen lots of choices for sealant. So a little confused on what is the best choice. Can someone direct me in the right direction?

 

[ra.ra]

Chris, am not sure which particular component you've mention is perplexing you - - - on your woofer, the foam surround should not touch any metal - - it should attach to cone on inner lip, and attach to masonite ring on outer lip. This will be a very satisfying DIY project for you, but before you attempt any work on your speakers, I'd suggest you read the AR-3a restoration document found at:
http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/

 

[Chris Topher]

Chris, am not sure which particular component you've mention is perplexing you - - - on your woofer, the foam surround should not touch any metal - - it should attach to cone on inner lip, and attach to masonite ring on outer lip. This will be a very satisfying DIY project for you, but before you attempt any work on your speakers, I'd suggest you read the AR-3a restoration document found at:
http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/

Ok thought it may be cork and it concerned me that it may crumble when attempting to remove old foam surround.

 

[ra.ra]

OK, yep, cork would be so soft it would be difficult to scrape clean. You better give it the poke test just to be sure.