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Speaker Doping

sugarshack

sugarshack

my favorite beer is free
I was looking for clarification on why and exactly how would you dope your speaker surrounds with dope?
What types of doping is recommended?
Is it for the surrounds and or the cones themselves?
Im assuming it is for prolonging the speaker itself?
Is there a type of application for the woofers themselves for pro longevity?
Thx Sean
 
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Some speakers have "fabric" surrounds (Think old KLH's for example). They require dope to seal properly. That is the layman's version, someone will proabbly come along with a more detailed explanation, it is an audiophile site after all.
 
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I have had a couple pair of 15” Jbl woofers cones treated by the master at Millersound.
Specifically cones that become very soft and flexible from an overly humid climate.
The sound went from flubby to solid and impactful. Quite a dramatic improvement .
 
sugarshack said:
I was looking for clarification on why and exactly how would you dope your speaker surrounds with dope?
What types of doping is recommended?
Is it for the surrounds and or the cones themselves?
Im assuming it is for prolonging the speaker itself?
Is there a type of application for the woofers themselves for pro longevity?
Thx Sean[/QUO
It’s for the surrounds, and duct caps on KLHs, surrounds only on some other models. It’s a butyl rubber that remains sticky for many years. It very flexible and seals the surround for acoustic suspension speakers. It’s not for application on the cone itself.
Click to expand...
 
There are two very different things being talked about here.

First is the sealing of fabric surrounds found on some older speakers. These can become porous and stiff with age, allowing too much air to exchange and thereby reducing low frequency output. Proper treatment both seals and softens the fabric. The proper sealant is made with butyl and toluene.

The second is treating the cones with various coatings intended to address a range of issues, including age-related degradation.
 
sugarshack said:
I was looking for clarification on why and exactly how would you dope your speaker surrounds with dope?
What types of doping is recommended?
Is it for the surrounds and or the cones themselves?
Im assuming it is for prolonging the speaker itself?
Is there a type of application for the woofers themselves for pro longevity?
Thx Sean
Click to expand...
what speakers are you wanting to re-dope?
 
f0427ea said:
what speakers are you wanting to re-dope?
Click to expand...
none particularly. I collect Infinity / Mainly the RS series. I've refoamed them all and thought I would refoam a 61/2 in woofer and use it on them. See how it responds and wondered if refoaming then applying a doping agent,
for both sound and longevity use.dope.PNG
other sites recommend this brand.
anytime I can improve and sustain the foam surround, that would be awesome...
 
Well, if you are referring to the sealant for fabric surrounds, I absolutely agree.

There are, however, products that can be applied to foam surrounds which claim to extend their life by blocking UV and preventing degradation.

I have no idea as to their efficacy, nor any effects they may have on performance.
 
Corona Dope is an insulator that prevents electrical arcs in electronic components, it is NOT speaker sealant.

Do not use ANY solvent-based doping on foam surrounds. The solvents will dissolve the foam.

The "foam and cone edge" sealants you see are water-based white glue compounds intended to be used on the edges of surrounds and cones where the parts are cut to size after molding, NOT on their surfaces.
 
I have JBL l40’s, and lived in Illinois. My woofer surrounds got the rot.
I had the foam surrounds replaced. The shop that did the work recommended spraying the foam surrounds with white rain hair spray once a year to maintain the surrounds. I did this once, after covering the cones.
Then I moved to colorado, with low humidity, and the surrounds are still good.
Anyone else hear the hair spray advice ?
 
Looked at a pair of Altec Boleros on FB marketplace 3 of the 4 cloth woofer surrounds look to have been treated with some red fluid to the point it was dripping onto the mounting board. I had heard of people using automatic transmission fluid. But I also heard that it would wind up ruining the cloth surrounds. And to top it off the cabinets sucked and he's asking three times what they're worth. Even if the price would have been attractive, I wouldn't have considered them.
 
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