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Pioneer CS-88A tweeter re-foam

gary7

gary7

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
Picked up a nice pair of Pioneer CS-88A's with the normal tweeter surround rot. All the 3" foams sold for these I have seen have curved foam instead of flat as the originals. Will this affect the high end sound. Would I be better off finding a suitable flat foam sheet and making my own? Or, is it just best to go with the bought foams with the curved foam surrounds and worrying about nothing?
 
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I would just go with what is available and not worry too much. I bought the surrounds for my cs-88a's and re-foamed them myself. I couldn't tell any difference in the sound.
 
I bought a thin sheet of foam from Michael's craft store and made my own. Did this after reading a thread here on AK about going this repair route. Worked out great and speakers sound really good.
 
Ok. Last night when I posted I was home & speakers at work. It was my first attempt so you will notice the outside edges are
a bit rough. This is due to cutting them with a scissor instead of a razor knife. Kinda used what was right next to me. So I would suggest
having a sharp razor knife right next to you when you do it. Foam sealed well on both the cone and the frame. Works great and sounds as they should.
At Michael's the foam sheet was available in several different colors.
 

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gizzyman47 said:
I would just go with what is available and not worry too much. I bought the surrounds for my cs-88a's and re-foamed them myself. I couldn't tell any difference in the sound.
Click to expand...
Well, not knowing the the original specs of the foam it would be hard to get it exactly original anyway. :)
 
bandg69 said:
Ok. Last night when I posted I was home & speakers at work. It was my first attempt so you will notice the outside edges are
a bit rough. This is due to cutting them with a scissor instead of a razor knife. Kinda used what was right next to me. So I would suggest
having a sharp razor knife right next to you when you do it. Foam sealed well on both the cone and the frame. Works great and sounds as they should.
At Michael's the foam sheet was available in several different colors.
Click to expand...
How "thick" is the foam you got at Michael's. I looked at foam sheets at Walmart craft section just now. They were at least 1/16" thick, which seemed to be too thick.
 
The foam is probably close to that. I'll measure it tomorrow. The AK thread suggested that the surround was as much for stability as function. You can see for yourself by finger pressure that there is not much "throw".
( movement) in the tweeter. I don't think it changed the sound of mine at all and made the speakers usable again. I believe you will be pleased with the outcome.
Another tip is to cut out the center hole first.
 
I went to Michael's and picked up the foam sheet and a circle stencil. Pulled one tweeter, cleaned it and cut out one surround. I have not sealed it yet. I still think this foam is too thick.IMG_0138.JPG IMG_0139.JPG IMG_0140.JPG IMG_0141.JPG IMG_0143.JPG IMG_0144.JPG IMG_0145.JPG .
 
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I still was not happy with the foam I got from Michael's. I remembered I had some foam sheets I picked up for another speaker project, had an extra sheet. I like this foam although it is a little thicker but seemed more flexible. I tried it on one tweeter. Somewhat satisfied with it.

IMG_0146.JPG IMG_0147.JPG
 
Did a little better on #2. Managed to not damage the cone.

IMG_0148.JPGIMG_0149.JPG IMG_0151.JPG IMG_0150.JPG
 
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I never thought to use a stencil. Good thinking. In the pics that looks close to the original foam. Have you listened to it yet?
 
bandg69 said:
I never thought to use a stencil. Good thinking. In the pics that looks close to the original foam. Have you listened to it yet?
Click to expand...
That's what I was going for. They still poofed out a little as the foam was a little thicker than I wanted. I've only tested them with a speaker wire direct to the tweeter to make sure there is no rubbing. 2 more to go.
 
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You've inspired me to repair the tweets on a pair of 66Gs. Seems like
I've seen packing material that might fit the bill...

66G1.JPG


66G2.JPG
 
RxDx said:
You've inspired me to repair the tweets on a pair of 66Gs. Seems like
I've seen packing material that might fit the bill...

66G1.JPG


66G2.JPG
Click to expand...

Awesome. I thought about dish packing foam but could not find any in black. :)
 
Wandered a local drugstore and came home with a fabric shopping bag.
Just to be thoroughly CDO, I may coat it with cloth surround treatment (the material
leaks air). In spite of the fact the tweeter has a closed back :-)

66G_surround.jpg


66G_installed.jpg
 
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