Yay Pioneer S-X4g's ... boo Mold!
- Thread starter Johnny_Law
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I have a pair of those, Were used for surrounds, Now used on the PC system. Keepers, And kind of rare. Use some simple green, Gently. If the cosmetics are an issue, I've used this paint from Parts Express to coat the driver. It has an additive to straighten driver that have cob web cracks, But 2 light coats should fix you up. No, It did nothing to the sonics of the speakers I tried it on.
Thank you NFS, I appreciate those tips. I did try Lysol Mold & Mildew Blaster but it did nothing in terms of taking the discoloration out. They do sound great even with the mold, especially when paired with a larger speaker or subwoofer.
The cones are paper ...
The cones are paper ...
BillyBatts
ALOHA!
This what I did, and I am NOT recommending you do it. Just a disclaimer. Everyone that tries to kill mold and mildew takes the product's future condition into their own hands.
I used a soft clothes brush to brush off the mold, then vacuumed them with a soft vacuum brush attachment. Then, I lightly sprayed Lysol on them a few times a day repeatedly over the course of about a week. You don't want to SATURATE the drivers or domes. Just a very light spray a few times a day for about a week until you think the mold is gone or you can't smell mildew any longer. You MUST let TIME WORK FOR YOU. That's the key. Try and spray the living daylights out of the driver cones and they just may deteriorate or become brittle or permanently set the mold discoloration in the drivers or any number of bad things you can't recover from.
Bright Sunshine directly on them sure will not hurt. But don't let them BAKE in the hot Sun of Summer for hours. You'll do way more harm than good.
Ultraviolet lights will do the same thing, without the harmful effects of heat.
You have to go slow and easy and let time work for you. The mold and mildew went on and propagated slowly, so you have to remove it and kill it slowly.
Good luck with whatever you do or don't do.
I used a soft clothes brush to brush off the mold, then vacuumed them with a soft vacuum brush attachment. Then, I lightly sprayed Lysol on them a few times a day repeatedly over the course of about a week. You don't want to SATURATE the drivers or domes. Just a very light spray a few times a day for about a week until you think the mold is gone or you can't smell mildew any longer. You MUST let TIME WORK FOR YOU. That's the key. Try and spray the living daylights out of the driver cones and they just may deteriorate or become brittle or permanently set the mold discoloration in the drivers or any number of bad things you can't recover from.
Bright Sunshine directly on them sure will not hurt. But don't let them BAKE in the hot Sun of Summer for hours. You'll do way more harm than good.
Ultraviolet lights will do the same thing, without the harmful effects of heat.
You have to go slow and easy and let time work for you. The mold and mildew went on and propagated slowly, so you have to remove it and kill it slowly.
Good luck with whatever you do or don't do.
Excellent, will try and report back.
Copa1934
My ears are bleeding
Paper? That doesn't sound correct. Pretty sure those should have the composite cones, like the HPM-100/60/40. I could be wrong as not a lot known about them. According to one of the experts they were sold in Japan only. Figuring GI's brought them home after serving over seas.
Part number on the cone should be 16-735. Check one of yours for that number.
They are bloody rare, to be sure. Pop up now and then on the bay.
Funny, attenuator still available http://parts.pioneerelectronics.com/model.asp?modelNum=S-X4G
Yes, they are a fiber-based composite much more like paper than plastic -- maybe a false reduction to ask "paper or plastic". Good idea to pull and check.
Pulled them. They both have "16-735C-3" on the magnet.
[Edit: Pic disappeared for some reason?]
I'll be trying the spray-and-brush method for a little while and hope for the best.
Edit: The dust caps are total goners - ripped. Shame. Time to find replacements. The mold had eaten the paper, there was nothing left to the dust caps. Thin as a piece of hair.
[Edit: Pic disappeared for some reason?]
I'll be trying the spray-and-brush method for a little while and hope for the best.
Edit: The dust caps are total goners - ripped. Shame. Time to find replacements. The mold had eaten the paper, there was nothing left to the dust caps. Thin as a piece of hair.
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Copa1934
My ears are bleeding
What ever you do, don't toss them. Might be able to recone, either with paper or possibly a poly cone. Sure are nice a beefy magnets.Pulled them. They both have "16-735C-3" on the magnet.
I'll be trying the spray-and-brush method for a little while and hope for the best.
Edit: The dust caps are total goners - ripped. Shame. Time to find replacements. The mold had eaten the paper, there was nothing left to the dust caps. Thin as a piece of hair.
I might try bleaching then dying with black RIT dye. I'm thinking that any kind of a coating or paint will add mass to the cone and I don't want to mess with the harmonics. The bleach-and-dye might both kill the mold and make the whole thing one color without adding a significant amount of mass. Seems like a good weekend project.
gkimeng
Forum Mod, ClassicSpeakerPages.net
I vote for recone. There's almost nothing you can do to prevent regrowth of mold in a porous material, and bleach and Lysol both contain chemicals that will speed up the decay of the fibers and cause them to become brittle and crumble - the last thing you want in a surface that's going to be subjected to movement and vibration.
Copa1934
My ears are bleeding
Yeah but it so varies with the type of material. I guess without hard info on the makeup of the cone, siding conservative might be best. I agree with the re-cone, but it will change the characteristics. How much, of course, is difficult to say.
All's well that ends well. These cleaned up nicely. I killed the mold, bleached and dyed the cones, and replaced the dust caps. They're back in action and I'm actually pretty surprised at how good they sound with some power behind them. The bass response is absolutely satisfying in my small music room! These are great little speakers.
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Copa1934
My ears are bleeding
Little sound room? They look sweet. AR TT (I have the ARxa) and AR3 speakers? Very cool. All look really nice.All's well that ends well. These cleaned up nicely. I killed the mold, bleached and dyed the cones, and replaced the dust caps. They're back in action and I'm actually pretty surprised at how good they sound with some power behind them. The bass response is absolutely satisfying in my small music room! These are great little speakers.
So, what's the word on the stands? If the AR's are on the floor, then those X4g's must be just about ear level.
