Removing woofers from upright standing cabinets - can it be done?

[Amnes]

Removing 10" midrange drivers from my 4344 clone can be done safely from a standing cabinet by one person. Can this be duplicated with the 2235 woofers? I wouldn't like to find out on my own risking the woofer to fall out on my knee yet I believe such an operation should be fairly safe if the bottom MA-15's were loosened, top removed, speaker frame then based on the baffle ridge, grabbed by one hand, wires removed, grabed by both hands and definitely removed. After all I doubt anyone would be willing to move around such a speaker cabinet in studio when user misoperation occured. I managed to tweak the speaker placement in my room down to 0,5cm and would rather not shift them around any more. They are quite heavy and I'm frightened of scratching the floor with a sand particle caught up under a sliding foot.

Any insight on dealing with such a situation is welcome.

[hjames]

Removing 10" midrange drivers from my 4344 clone can be done safely from a standing cabinet by one person. Can this be duplicated with the 2235 woofers? I wouldn't like to find out on my own risking the woofer to fall out on my knee yet I believe such an operation should be fairly safe if the bottom MA-15's were loosened, top removed, speaker frame then based on the baffle ridge, grabbed by one hand, wires removed, grabed by both hands and definitely removed. After all I doubt anyone would be willing to move around such a speaker cabinet in studio when user misoperation occured. I managed to tweak the speaker placement in my room down to 0,5cm and would rather not shift them around any more. They are quite heavy and I'm frightened of scratching the floor with a sand particle caught up under a sliding foot.

Any insight on dealing with such a situation is welcome.

Why would you risk it? The 2235s are kind of heavy and you can put a thumb through it easily enough.
Just lay the speaker gently on its back, remove the screws, then lift the woofers out. No fuss, no muss, no risk.

[jerry_rig]

If you are taking them out, odds are something is wrong with them anyway. Getting them back in might be trickier. IF you could somehow fashion a small winch or support, perhaps from a strong board securely attached to the top of the cabinet, you could hold the driver in place by, say, a wire. Loosen the MA-15s and thread a wire through one of the top screw holes and tie it off.

But I'm with Heather: Use tape to mark their position and just lay them on their backs. I have done this several times and my cabinets weigh roughly twice as much as yours.

[Amnes]

Thanks I won't be trying in that case I guess. The risk of being lazy seems too high.

[1audiohack]

There's an animal in every crowd and I guess it's me.

I remove all but one lower clamp or screw, put my knee on the frame at the bottom, remove the last clamp or screw and let the bottom come out into both hands as allowed by my knee. Never damaged one yet.

I guess I really am a hack. :)

[Amnes]

Yeah, me too. I really didn't believe I wouldn't give it a try when I wrote the above post. My process was to:

1. Loosen all screws to brake loose the gasket from the baffle.
2. Further loosen the bottom clamps and remove the top ones.
3. Tilt the top part of the woofer away from the baffle, grab by the frame and place on the floor to disconnect wires.

Removing a woofer isn't as demanding as mounting one - untill three clamps are fastened lots of attention must be payed not to drop the woofer onto your feet/floor.

All in all I will not ever again think of laying the cabinets down on their bach to remove drivers. After all the speaker mounting solutions were designed for Professional use and removing a pair of 4350's from the wall to replace a woofer would be madness.

[speakerdave]

Perhaps, but for someone doing maintenance on a studio monitor a wrecked cone is an embarrassment but in the overall financial scheme less costly than the labor to reposition the speaker. For me at home it is a different trade off, a very expensive recone vs. a little time and effort on my part. When I lay a speaker on its back I put a book under the top edge so I can get my fingers under it for the lift.

[Eaulive]

There's an animal in every crowd and I guess it's me.

I remove all but one lower clamp or screw, put my knee on the frame at the bottom, remove the last clamp or screw and let the bottom come out into both hands as allowed by my knee. Never damaged one yet.

I guess I really am a hack. :)

I do that all the time when I remove the 2225s to carry my 4520s, I just rise my knee higher :D

[SEAWOLF97]

Why would you risk it? The 2235s are kind of heavy and you can put a thumb through it easily enough.
Just lay the speaker gently on its back, remove the screws, then lift the woofers out. No fuss, no muss, no risk.

+1

I had a pair of AR90 towers that needed both the side firing 10's refoamed ...they came out of the boxes OK, but the screw slots were shallow and when I tried to reinstall on standing speakers with a power driver ...bit slipped out and through the surround (twice) ...now I always lay them down ....on top of a book is a good idea.

[Mannermusic]

There's an animal in every crowd and I guess it's me.

I remove all but one lower clamp or screw, put my knee on the frame at the bottom, remove the last clamp or screw and let the bottom come out into both hands as allowed by my knee. Never damaged one yet.

I guess I really am a hack. :)

Nonsense, I've done it many, many, many times just as you describe. Four bolts and two wires. Give me a break. Mike (also a hack).

[Robh3606]

I have done it many times but that said if I can lay them down I will just to play it safe.

Rob:)

[subwoof]

Done it from the 4th extension of scaffolding overhead a dance floor.
Done it under a stage lying in broken glass and stale beer.
Done it standing on a 100K console in a studio.
Done it left handed when wearing a cast.
Done it entirely by feel during a blackout.

never poked a hole, ripped a surround or bent the paper.

Use a GOOD screwdriver and be methodical.

of course NOW i am jinxed and will do it this week when I re-assemble the rental 4350's.

sub

[hjames]

Done it from the 4th extension of scaffolding overhead a dance floor.
Done it under a stage lying in broken glass and stale beer.
Done it standing on a 100K console in a studio.
Done it left handed when wearing a cast.
Done it entirely by feel during a blackout.

never poked a hole, ripped a surround or bent the paper.

Use a GOOD screwdriver and be methodical.

of course NOW i am jinxed and will do it this week when I re-assemble the rental 4350's.

sub

Yeah, but you are The Man!
These other folks? ... meh.

[maxwedge]

There's an animal in every crowd and I guess it's me.

I remove all but one lower clamp or screw, put my knee on the frame at the bottom, remove the last clamp or screw and let the bottom come out into both hands as allowed by my knee. Never damaged one yet.

I guess I really am a hack. :)
Animal here too and to the best of my memory, I haven't poked a cone yet~:p
The 18's get tricky sometimes:dont-know:

[Amnes]

Done it from the 4th extension of scaffolding overhead a dance floor.
Done it under a stage lying in broken glass and stale beer.
Done it standing on a 100K console in a studio.
Done it left handed when wearing a cast.
Done it entirely by feel during a blackout.

never poked a hole, ripped a surround or bent the paper.

Use a GOOD screwdriver and be methodical.

of course NOW i am jinxed and will do it this week when I re-assemble the rental 4350's.

sub

The obvious question that comes into mind: Ever done it while "doing it"? ;)