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Wilson Audio WAP 5 refoam?

lattiboy

lattiboy

Well-Known Member
Howdy,

Picked up a pair of these (and the matching WATTS) today. The surrounds are completely shot on all 4 of the woofers. The cones seem fine. I’ve done a fair bit of reforming and this seems like a simple 8” woofer. The surround replacements are pretty reasonably priced on eBay.

Given how valuable these things are, is it advisable to do myself? Is there some dark secret that a relative novice should avoid doing it myself? If not, can I use an independent shop? I usually use Paul at the Loudspeaker store for this stuff.

ny3KEkp.jpg
 
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Getting the correct surrounds might be the tricky bit. Re-foaming should be straightforward - woofers are woofers.
 
Maybe practice on some throwaways before trying on those (says the guy who did his first wristwatch re-lume on a decent watch - with disastrous results)?

Given the original retail on that setup...
 
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You'll be fine, the worst thing you could do that's not reversible is...well...I'm not even sure. Get the right surrounds and get em' glued. Good luck and those are sweet speakers.
 
Thanks all. I ended up contacting Paul and his price is quite reasonable. Apparently the voice coil on these is exceptionally difficult to center.

Also, when I resell I will be a lot more confident with saying "professionally refoamed by acclaimed speaker technician" rather than "shaved ape almost glued his whole hand to the speaker and I think they're okay"
 
lattiboy said:
Howdy,

Picked up a pair of these (and the matching WATTS) today. The surrounds are completely shot on all 4 of the woofers. The cones seem fine. I’ve done a fair bit of reforming and this seems like a simple 8” woofer. The surround replacements are pretty reasonably priced on eBay.

Given how valuable these things are, is it advisable to do myself? Is there some dark secret that a relative novice should avoid doing it myself? If not, can I use an independent shop? I usually use Paul at the Loudspeaker store for this stuff.

ny3KEkp.jpg
Click to expand...


Wow! what a score! I've heard refoaming is a simple job, but I've always farmed it out. I should probably learn.
Your last line in the last post describes me well. LOL
 
Eeeesh. This is.... not something I think I can get back correctly if I remove the woofers. What should I do here???? Goddamnit Wilson, of COURSE you had to use the biggest possible internal wiring and then make it non removable!!!

6GgvE01.jpg
 
What's on the other end? I t may be easier to unsolder or disconnect wire at the crossover, leaving the wire on the speaker. Picture and marking down connections is also useful. My 2 cents.
 
Well, I have to haul these bastards to Paul, but he said he would re solder them once repaired.

I seriously can’t recommend the Loudspeaker Store enough guys. Just the best.
 
My brain pictures you getting these for a couple hundred bucks, a`la some of the amazing finds in the Goodwill/garage sale/et al threads :-)
Gonna' let us know how they sound when done?
 
robgmn said:
My brain pictures you getting these for a couple hundred bucks, a`la some of the amazing finds in the Goodwill/garage sale/et al threads :)
Gonna' let us know how they sound when done?
Click to expand...


HIGH HUNDREDS!!!!! And yes, I’m going to hold onto them for a bit after repair as they’ll be one of the most expensive pieces of equipment (of any kind) I’ve ever owned.

Crazy part is, they were listed for over 24 hours before I got them. I had to take a ferry and it was about a 2.5 hour trip, but my lord was it worth it.

Also, apparently these are actually the 5.1 version. The cable connecting the units was a $1400 (!) upgrade known as the “puppy tail”. I will say, it is one goddamn impressive cable.
 
lattiboy said:
Eeeesh. This is.... not something I think I can get back correctly if I remove the woofers. What should I do here???? Goddamnit Wilson, of COURSE you had to use the biggest possible internal wiring and then make it non removable!!!

6GgvE01.jpg
Click to expand...
Hi is that an original woofer from the watt puppy 5? I just bought a pair but I think someone has mucked about and changed them . Are they 4 or 8 ohm woofers ? Dynaudio 21W54 or scanspeak 8555. Any help appreciated
 
Judging by the partially obscured label, it looks like those are SEAS woofers. So if you're doing it yourself, make sure you get the appropriate surrounds. Frankly, given the quality of the speakers, I might be inclined to have an expert tackle re-upholstering them.
 
I remember looking at the woofers in later models thinking that they
looked like scans, do you think they are correct?
 
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