need advice about home stereo speakers

[Lobster11]

So this morning my wife and I put on our favorite mix-CD of cool Christmas music to decorate our tree, and we noticed that one of the speakers -- a Cerwin-Vega D3 -- sounded funny. I took off the face for the first time in I-don't-know-how-many years, and what evidently was once the foam surround for the woofer poured out onto the floor into a pile of orange dust and tiny pieces. A quick check of its partner yielded the same result. Now I've got to decide what to do, and thought you folks might have some advice.

I really don't know much about home-stereo systems, so I did a little research and quickly learned that this is typical for 10+ year-old speakers of this type, and that for about 10 bucks a pop you can buy a re-foaming kit and fix it as a DYI project. However, (a) I'm not much of a DYI guy, and (b) my wife would be happy to buy new speakers, as it would solve her vexing problem of trying to figure out what to get me for a Christmas gift. Also (c), I'm concerned that, given the state of the what-was-once-foam, I evidently have been using these speakers for a long time (often at pretty high volume) without the foam in place, so would hate to replace the foam only to find out that the speakers themselves had been damaged.

After a little Googling I decided that, if I were to just go buy new speakers, the current "tower" models would probably work best for me. I looked at some Klipsch stuff, among other brands, but am befuddled by the wide range of models and prices. My stereo receiver is a Denon DRA-275R-AV, which I believe puts out 40 watts/channel. (It isn't quite as old as the CV speakers, and as far as I know there isn't anything wrong with it.)

I should add that I use this system almost always for listening to music -- either CDs, DVDs, or Youtube concert videos -- and only occasionally for movie-watching. I'm not interested in a "home theater" setup or anything else beyond simple stereo, primarily for music.

So, what do y'all advise me to do? The cheapest solution is obviously to buy a couple of kits and re-foam the speakers, but "cheapest" isn't my primary criterion. I won't say that money is "no object," but I don't mind spending some dough if it's worth it do so.

 

[GIBrat51]

If that 40 watts is a real, RMS 40 watts/channel (@ 8 ohms?), and not "peak power", you'll want something in the "smallish and efficient" category, IMO. Because, honestly, 40w is not a lot of power... My home system uses Carver 350 w/channel power amps - 2 of them - to drive the big main speakers (and they are big). And, a bunch of other stuff, but that doesn't matter here... IMO, what you should be looking for, is a set of speakers efficient enough that their power demand won't pull the amp into "clipping" - which you'll hear as either nasty distortion - or, if it's really bad, a loud Bronx cheer... And, these days, that kind of speaker will most likely be "Bookshelf" style. It's really hard to recommend speakers, if you're honest about it. I've been an audiophile most of my life, and, trust me; there is NO piece of audio equipment more personal than your choice of speaker. What I think are the greatest speakers ever, might sound... not so great... to you. But, I will tell you that my audio system uses English Wharfdale speakers, including 4 Wharfdale "Diamond" bookshelf speakers. They're for the surround sound part of the system, and I drive them very easily, very cleanly, and very loudly, with a 40w/channel, 4 channel Yamaha power amp. Wharfdale is one of the English companies that invented speakers (along with Tannoy); they've been around roughly forever; and, to ME, they sound superb. And, Crutchfield happens to sell the Diamond 210's for $299/pair - with free shipping. A 40w/channel RMS stereo system would drive them easily, cleanly, and very loudly...

 

[JRA]

So, what do y'all advise me to do?

IME: replacing the surrounds via kits is fun...only if you like that sort of thing!

IMO: the second cheapest option is to replace the speakers = put new drivers in the boxes you already have.

i'd check with these guys for the modern equivalent:
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[BadJazz]

Premier Acoustic Speakers - PA-8F Tower Speakers Cherry | eBay

I've had a pair of the 6's for a decade and love them. Excellent for the price, or any price. They're the mains in my recording studio and everyone who has listened to them for play back digs them and they look really nice.

 

[hbarcat]

I'd just check out the Crutchfield site and see what fits your price range.

GIBrat51 has it right that you don't want big speakers when you have a modest 40w amp. And every speaker has its own unique sound that some people might like and others don't like. It's all about personal preference. I tend to like Infinity and JBL.

Your Denon amp is a quality unit and it's actually more powerful than its rated output would seem to indicate.
40 Watt/channel from 20 - 20,000 Hz -- Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) 0.05 %

Many other amps might have higher rated Wattage output but this is at the cost of frequency range and distortion.

I think these would fit your needs. I'm sure others will offer different ideas.
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[T_Bone_TL]

Yep - I agree with @JRA - let your christmas present be new drivers that match specs as closely as possible, and swap the driver, keeping your perfectly decent boxes. Speaker-box-build-quality is not something that's been generally improving in the stereo market for a number of years/decades. It peaked quite a while ago, and has gone to <expletive> in the age of earbuds.

 

[LeftyD]

If local CL is not your thing, buy some new tower speakers.

 

[Tom Bomb]

An old pair of Quadral bookshelf speakers suffered a similar fate so I had them fixed. I think $80 worth of refoaming later, I had them up and running again. Love these speakers. Just a couple of years down the track and one woofer, only one, had an unscheduled relapse. I don't even want to think about the HIFI shop's policies - they've done their dash. "No soup for them."

I believe it's not so hard to do but, I'll warrant, a trusty source for parts is critical. I'm just using two of my most minuscule PA monitors at the mo - a pair of Martin Link Removeds. No complaints whatsoever Taking my merry time regarding all the laborious alternatives - no hurry thankfully.

Good luck with the adventure. You're getting some good TB advice from up above - from @GIBrat51 etc.. Hope it all works out as painlessly as possible.

 

[GIBrat51]

I'd just check out the Crutchfield site and see what fits your price range.

GIBrat51 has it right that you don't want big speakers when you have a modest 40w amp. And every speaker has its own unique sound that some people might like and others don't like. It's all about personal preference. I tend to like Infinity and JBL.

Your Denon amp is a quality unit and it's actually more powerful than its rated output would seem to indicate.
40 Watt/channel from 20 - 20,000 Hz -- Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) 0.05 %

Many other amps might have higher rated Wattage output but this is at the cost of frequency range and distortion.

I think these would fit your needs. I'm sure others will offer different ideas.
Invalid Link Removed

Yeah,those are the 'audio standard' specs for power rating, and your Denon does, indeed, put out an honest, audio quality 40w/channel. With the right speakers, that's more than enough to make yourself deaf.. I also really like JBLs, too. I had a pair of their Decade studio monitors many years ago, as part of a really nice stereo system. Why I don't have them any more, is a sore subject... I've owned a lot of different speakers over the years - including a pair of big Cerwin-Vega 6-ways. Nice speakers, too; but a little too 'strident' for the Classical and Jazz music I was beginning to get into. Killer Rock 'N Roll speakers, though... They're what I replaced with the JBLs, in fact... What I have now, I bought in the big Stereo Club store at RAF Woodbridge, a long time ago. It was my 'Ultimate Stereo Before I Retire' system, and to be honest, I haven't paid much attention to audio equipment since. There really are some very nice speakers out there, but, as I said, speakers are very personal. If you can, you need to listen to as many as you can before you decide. Exactly like the 'Try Before You Buy' rule for basses, in fact...

 

[Stewie26]

Actually, your CV D-3' s are not bad speakers. They came out in 1985 and are rated at 5 watts and a maximum of 125 watts. Freq response is 30 to 20,000 Hz. They are a good match for your smaller 40 watt Denon. Unless you just don't like their look, I would have the woofers professional rebuilt with new foam surrounds. I have two sets of JBL Vintage speakers in my studio-jam room. (JBL 4410's and 4425's) Every five years or so I have to replace the foam surrounds on the 10" and 12" woofers. Here in SoCal we have an excellent company who can redo your speakers and they will be like new again. (see link below). I usually just UPS the speakers to them and get them back a week or so later. As mentioned before, the technology for passive speakers have not changed that much in the decades since your speakers were built. If you really want to improve the audio fidelity of your system, you may get the best bang for your buck by adding a modest self powered sub woofer and have existing woofers rebuilt. If you go with a sub, your Denon amp would need a either a sub output or a pre-amp output on the pack panel to connect to sub woofer.
Home

 

[tlc1976]

Yep - I agree with @JRA - let your christmas present be new drivers that match specs as closely as possible, and swap the driver, keeping your perfectly decent boxes. Speaker-box-build-quality is not something that's been generally improving in the stereo market for a number of years/decades. It peaked quite a while ago, and has gone to <expletive> in the age of earbuds.

+1 That was my first thought. I'd be looking at equivalent drivers from Parts Express. They've got a huge selection in all different price points. I wouldn't bother with trying to refoam, but that's just me. Maybe just as a tinker project to see if I can do it well.

 

[TOOL460002]

Denon and Klipsch is my eventual dream setup. Just saying. Think your initial idea was the best one. Can't comment on model, but what has been said regarding the power of your receiver should really narrow it down in the Klipsch product range.

If you got the money do that. I also had some Energy bookshelves and woofer that lasted forever. The ones I had weren't the best, bit Energy does make higher end stuff last I checked. Which was a long time ago.

 

[MJ5150]

I seem to remember that fellow TB'er @Brad Johnson is quite knowledgeable in this area.
Perhaps he'll see that I mentioned him and stop by the thread.

-Mike

 

[Pilgrim]

I had the OP's exact experience on a Christmas AM with a pair of KLH 331 speakers that I bought in about 1976. Turned them on and they sounded fuzzy. I had re-foamed speakers before and identified the problem in about 60 seconds.

I ordered the foam kits for the woofers and it took about half an hour to really clean up the speaker frames and the paper cones. The foam used the same sticky glue in the bronze bottle that you buy in craft stores. I spent probably a half-hour each getting the foam glued in place, let it sit overnight and re-installed the speakers.

For $25 I had a like-new, well performing set of speakers. I've always liked those old 331s even though they're nothing fancy.

My vote is: fix them yourself and learn a skill. Anyone with a bit of patience and basic motor skills can re-foam those speakers. Changing out the speakers is NOT the way to make those speaker cabinets sound as they should. Replacing the foam keeps those speakers performing as they were designed to.

 

[Brad Johnson]

I seem to remember that fellow TB'er @Brad Johnson is quite knowledgeable in this area.
Perhaps he'll see that I mentioned him and stop by the thread.

-Mike

Thanks, Mike.

If the OP liked the speakers before the surround fail I'd spend the $10 or so and replace the foam. It requires very little skill and time and you'll be up and running after letting them set overnight. Last time I did it was with my kitchen sub on top of the cabinet over the refrigerator. I dug the way it matched up with the in-walls so had no reason to replace it. I think I bought two surrounds on ebay for around $8 and my kitchen AV system was up and cranking in no time.

If you know what you're looking for there are be some pretty ridiculous deals out there in the used market. Just don't buy anything out of a white van at a gas station

 

[Fishheadjoe]

Look at Paradigm if you are going to replace those speakers.... top notch stuff!
Fishheadjoe

 

[BasturdBlaster]

I still have a Denon integrated amp from 1986 and Klipsch LaScalas from 1990 and they still are going strong! Nowadays, my kids have taken them over but I still just can't get over how brilliant they both perform and sound, great great products! Heres a pic from years ago when I used them to "practice" with......

Now they get used with the TV, phones, game consoles, etc. daily. Heres a random pic of where one sits in the corner in the basement "kids" room along with unused PA garb,hehehe......

 

[Lobster11]

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone. It appears that every option I had originally considered -- re-foam the woofers, replace the woofers, or buy a pair of new speakers -- has been endorsed by at least one person. That's good, I guess -- maybe there just aren't any bad choices here -- but I feel like I'm back at square one not knowing which way to go.

So, please keep the suggestions coming. I need someone to talk me into something, or maybe just to say the right thing in the right way at the right time so it rings a bell!

 

[BasturdBlaster]

If I was in your situation, I'd try the refoam first. Its the least expensive, you know what to expect if it works, if it doesnt work, your not out much money and if it does, well the tunes will sound even better knowing that you had a hand in fixing it....

 

[JACink]

Greaat advice in this thread so far.

My 0.02...

If your wife would like to buy you speakers, either go out and demo some if possible, or order from somewhere with a decent return policy. You didn't mention budget, but there are plenty to choose from. There are some Warfdale Diamonds that are great value for money, other brands like Klipsch, Polk and many many others have lots of decent stuff in all price ranges. However, as said above, speakers are very personal things, just like your bass and amp/cab.

If you let your beloved buy you some nice new speakers, then you can also get the foam kit and repair the ones you have. You may find another great spot for a music system in your home and decide to relocate one of the sets. I moved into an apartment (from a country house) about 5 years ago and loud music became a no no. I now have a low volume setup in each room, of various makes, which lets me enjoy music anywhere without annoying anyone.