JBL 4311with damaged woofer dust cap - does it also damage the woofer?

[Kreshna]

Well, it's a long story. My late dad had a pair of mint JBL 4311, but they were stolen in a burglary. Right now I'm searching for replacement.

I have found a pair of used JBL 4311 with reasonable price range. The cabinets are still pretty good (light scratches, nothing serious), but the woofer dust cap (the black dome in the middle) suffered quite significant dent. The seller said that something has hit the woofer's surface.

Cosmetically, I believe I merely need a re-cone kit (which is quite abundant on ebay), but what are the chances that the woofer is also damaged?

I have contacted the seller, she said that the sound is still perfect despite the dent. Also, she has tested the Presence and Brilliance knobs, and the sound changes properly. The knobs are also in perfect condition, ie no loose knobs.

I cannot test the speakers myself because they're in the UK, but the seller has a hundred percent positive feedback and appear to be trustable.

What are the chances that the woofer was actually damaged? Based on your experience, does an impact on the dust cap usually damage the woofer as well?

Many, many thanks

[Elac310]

If it's just a bump in the dustcap which has affected the shape (but without ripping off the paper), and provided it has not been there for too long, a vacuum cleaner can do miracles by sucking out the cap to its original shape. Worked for me on a couple of dust caps.

[Kreshna]

If it's just a bump in the dustcap which has affected the shape (but without ripping off the paper), and provided it has not been there for too long, a vacuum cleaner can do miracles by sucking out the cap to its original shape. Worked for me on a couple of dust caps.

I see, thanks.

(1) This is the picture of the left speakers. As you see, the dust cap has been dented, and there is also small tear on the woofer cone's seven o'clock position. Notice that the damage extends to the midrange driver.

(2) This is the picture of the right speakers. The dust cap has been dented. And while the damage does not extend to the woofer cone, the dent was noticeably deeper and larger.

The seller said that "something must have fallen" on the speakers.

Cosmetically, I believe I can fix the damage using re-cone kit. But based on the photos above, how possible that such impact has also damaged the woofer and/or other insides? I'm not experienced with this thing. B Do you think re-cone is sufficient, or would I need a new set of woofers?

Thanks again.

[BMWCCA]

If the L300s cost six-times what the 4311 costs, they're still worth it.

[Chris Brown]

I see, thanks.

(1) This is the picture of the left speakers. As you see, the dust cap has been dented, and there is also small tear on the woofer cone's seven o'clock position. Notice that the damage extends to the midrange driver.

(2) This is the picture of the right speakers. The dust cap has been dented. And while the damage does not extend to the woofer cone, the dent was noticeably deeper and larger.

The seller said that "something must have fallen" on the speakers.

Cosmetically, I believe I can fix the damage using re-cone kit. But based on the photos above, how possible that such impact has also damaged the woofer and/or other insides? I'm not experienced with this thing. B Do you think re-cone is sufficient, or would I need a new set of woofers?

Thanks again.

Ouch. The woofers actually look to be in pretty good condition compared to the midrange drivers and tweeters. One of those mids looks practically destroyed. The dents in both tweeters are such that I doubt they will ever work properly again. If you can get it cheap enough it might still be an interesting project speaker, but if you're talking international shipping... probably going to be a pretty expensive "project".

Any reason besides nostalgia that you are looking at the 4311 specifically? There are plenty of other JBLs out there, many of which are quite an improvement over the 4311. I don't personally care for the paper-cone tweeters in earlier JBLs like the 4311. You might keep an eye out for something like a 4412 or a late-model 4312, not to mention home models such as the L112, L120Ti, L100T, etc, all of which use better drivers (especially the tweeters). The 4310, early model 4312, L100, and a few others are all very similar to the 4311 if you want something similar.