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Vandersteen 2 - Fuzzy/blown driver

Denverdude

Denverdude

New Member
Vandersteen 2 - Ci: haven't pulled the cloth yet, but I've narrowed the damage to the front low end/midrange driver. It is operated from the lower set of terminals. Is this speaker repairable or is there an acceptable substitute available. I haven't done enough research to see if the original is still available. I did watch a you tube tutorial and I think Im up for the replacement challenge if I can find the right part. while I have the cloth off are there any other checks I should make? the crossover seems to be in pretty good shape and the left speaker sounds amazing. I currently have the upper terminals connected on the blown speaker and the highs are really something to write home about. I have it paired with a Kenwood Kr-9600 and an older Rega. Cant wait to get this repaired and begin to enjoy the full experience. Im a noob, so any help is appreciated. Does anyone have experience with replacing the cloth exteriors with a custom design. I think they would look great in red. Not sure if a pattern exists anywhere. thanks for any help!
 
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Call Vandersteen. They are good about telling you what your options are as regards driver repair/replacement.

Don't know of speaker repair in Denver. A local friend replaced the socks on his 2Ci's. His wife knows how to sew...she used one of the old ones as a template. You would use a polyester knit material, which will be stretchy, so perfection in not necessary, as you can pull one one side or the other as needed to get a clean fit. I would think you could take one of yours to a seamstress/tailor and they could easily and inexpensively duplicate it.

Getting them on and off is a bit of a chore. Vandersteen can provide instructions for removal and replacement. I think I've seen them online as well.

I believe the 2Ci uses rubber surrounds on both the woofer and the acoustic coupler at the rear, so your problem is probably not surrounds. Have you compared DC resistance measurements on the good and bad one (use the lower terminals, un-bridged)?

Good luck with them. I have a pair of 2Ce Signature II's that I like quite a bit, especially after I added a pair of 2W subs.
 
It appears that that the voice coil is rusted and barely moves, so I'm not sure if repair is possible. I live in a high rise, so the subs are off the table. Ive found listings for replacement speker, but they front seem very reputable. any suggestions?
 

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Call Vandersteen and see if they a suggestion for replacement driver. That one sure took some abuse!
 
It will be a drop-in fit, not sure if all specs/parameters are same as the original. Vandersteen can tell you if the original can be replaced, and what the recommended substitute is.
 
spark1 said:
It will be a drop-in fit, not sure if all specs/parameters are same as the original. Vandersteen can tell you if the original can be replaced, and what the recommended substitute is.
Click to expand...

Agreed on all counts. This is the only new replacement 8" woofer option for old Vandersteens. I replaced a damaged model 1B woofer with one of these and have been very pleased with the results. That said, it's certainly worth a call to Vandersteen to see if they can repair the original driver. If feasible, driver repair is preferable to replacement in these speakers, but it's also likely to be more expensive with shipping, etc. (perhaps ~$150).
They are worth the effort and a bit of expense. I love both my 1Bs and 2Cis, but the bigger Vandys are very nice and have cured my speaker upgrade-itis for several years now.
 
After doing a little research I believe the woofer I pointed you to will work but is not the same woofer as Vandersteen uses. There’s has a bigger 40oz magnet. Scale the dimensions of you driver and compare it to the scanspeak. I bet the magnet is different.
Jim
 
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