please help - cones not centered vertically

[enochRoot]

hello all. i just purchased a pair of tad 1601s, and upon receiving them today, i noticed that the cones seem to not be centered vertically (when the drivers are sitting magnet side down on the counter). i would assume that they were reconed at some point, and the person was just sloppy about it. one of them has the cone too far forward (or upward) toward the front. the surround seems pulled up on this one. when looking at where the cone meets the spider, there is also 1/8" or so of straight side. ie: i would think the cone should be 1/8" downward from it's current position. when pushing down on the cone, there is plenty of travel. but when pushing up on the cone...there seems to be limited movement. the other speaker is better, but seems to bhe exact opposite. ie: the surround seems to be sloping downward toward the cone. this one has plenty of travel when pushing up on the cone, but not so much when pushing down. on this one, i also notice that the dust cap seems to be sitting 1/8" up from the cone. i have attached some photos, so hopefully you can see what is going on. am i crazy, or is something "off" with these? other than the mentioned issues, they look nice.

as i said, i just purchased them, and i do have a return possibility, but i got a good deal, and would rather hold onto them (if these issues are not serious). can they be used as-is, or will the performance likely suffer? they are for home use, so they would not be operated anywhere near their maximum ratings. and naturally i *hate* going through the process of shipping them back, and eating shipping 2 ways.

please help :blink:

[speakerdave]

Those drivers may have been stacked face-to-face for a long time and not flipped occasionally as is recommended. That would explain what you are seeing.

In this condition the voice coil is out of position, so that linear (that is, linear response) travel is less in one direction than the other. They really need to be reconed.

David

[edgewound]

They also look to have been stored in a very humid, moist, or downright wet environment.

There looks to be some corrosion/fungus frosting on the top-plate and frame...with a water stain on one of the cones in the pic. They look to be original OEM cone assy's....the dust dome looks fine to me.

You could try to warm up the spiders and surrounds with a heat gun or hi power blow dryer...gotta be careful with a heat gun or you'll burn 'em up.

What this does....is sort of activate the materials "memory" as it was originally formed. You'd want to do this while the drivers are vertical.
The spiders are impregnated with a resin and then formed into the concentric spring pattern. When heating it up, the resin somewhat softens and might pull back to it's original shape when it cools. Cycle the heating and cooling and it will pull back some.

Other than that...David's right. They should be reconed...not cheap for TAD's.

[enochRoot]

thanks guys. there is a bit of oxidation on that metal plate at the base of the magnet. since i can return them, i think i will. definitely not worth the price of a recone. what a shame. the flash makes these look otherwise worse than they are. but given the problems, and the recone recommendation, i think i'll opt to ship them back.

ugh. :banghead:

[enochRoot]

ok..i spoke too soon. my curiosity got the better of me (as well as the thought of loosing $$ for shipping), so i tried the drier trick. it seems to have REALLY helped on one of the speakers (haven't tried the other yet). now it is to the point that if i tried to return them, the guy would probably think i was crazy. to me though, i can still tell it's not 100% perfect (but really close).

is there any chance i'll be able to *hear* any difference? these are going to be paralleled and serving sub 150/200hz duty. i'd really like to make these work, but don't want to settle for sub-par performance. again, i will be using them at a fraction of their rated power too.

thanks again!

[edgewound]

Good to hear it worked. Rarely is anything you buy used, 100% perfect. Otherwise, you'd buy new ones or cores for a genuine TAD recone. Kinda like buying a good used engine to start a hot rod project car....and rebuild it or swap it out later for a rebuilt/new engine.

Sounds like they'll probably work just fine for you....provided they actually work.

Remember....you usually get what you pay for.

You can always try to sell them to someone else and try to cut your losses.

[John]

You can always try to sell them to someone else and try to cut your losses.

:(:(:(

[RKLee]

enochRoot: About how much did you pay for your pair of TADs?

[enochRoot]

:(:(:(

yeah...i'd never go that route. as i said, i could just return them.

[enochRoot]

enochRoot: About how much did you pay for your pair of TADs?

$675 for the pair. again, they are in great shape minus the problem mentioned.

[speakerdave]

yeah...i'd never go that route. as i said, i could just return them.

You're my nominee for a humanitarian award. Where did the idea come from that just because a person gets stung it's OK to become a hornet?

David

[hjames]

Remember....you usually get what you pay for.

You can always try to sell them to someone else and try to cut your losses.


:(:(:(

Hey, Edge's a good guy, I'm sure he meant sell them with a description of the off-center issue! :o:

[enochRoot]

You're my nominee for a humanitarian award. Where did the idea come from that just because a person gets stung it's OK to become a hornet?

David

dunno, but it seems all to prevalent these days. i've seen it many times. sometimes people will buy something knowing there is an issue on ebay, and then resell it and not mention the issue!

[enochRoot]

Besides, we already know it doesn't affect the sound.:blink:

so what...is this sarcasm? am i going to have issues with these? edge's method seemed to be working, but the last thing i want to do is be stuck w/ a pair of less than optimal drivers. sorry...just not sure how to read this.

[speakerdave]

Hey, Edge's a good guy, I'm sure he meant sell them with a description of the off-center issue!

Yeah, I think you're right; he's a straight shooter; he just should have been more specific. He was probably also refraining from giving ethical advice that would have presumed an inclination to the opposite behavior (unlike some of the rest of us). I was commenting on the idea itself that informed everyone's misreading of his statement.

The thing is, the selling price would be so low, that poster may have to reconsider getting them reconed himself. I still think the best route would be to negotiate a price reduction and use them as is or get them reconed, whichever the poster can be more comfortable with.

(You're getting lots of help here, Enoch.)

David

[hjames]

so what...is this sarcasm? am i going to have issues with these? edge's method seemed to be working, but the last thing i want to do is be stuck w/ a pair of less than optimal drivers. sorry...just not sure how to read this.

It was simply meant to be playful - no harm meant.

If you can't hear the difference there probably is no difference - if you keep them for your own use.

Besides, I thought you said you were going to return them to the seller, making the "resale" issue moot.


I re-editted my post to remove the playful part - sorry it came across wrong.

[edgewound]

Look at it this way...now that you've improved them....they're worth more.;)

I won't send you a bill...:D

[enochRoot]

It was simply meant to be playful - no harm meant.

If you can't hear the difference there probably is no difference - if you keep them for your own use.

Besides, I thought you said you were going to return them to the seller, making the "resale" issue moot.

Darn, need me a set of tags for my posts ...

thanks for clarifying :)

if i decide not to keep them, then yes i'll return them.

but since i'd eat shipping 2 ways, i'd rather do everything in my power to keep them. i tried edge's method, and it seemed to work quite well on one driver. i have not had time to try it on the other. so really, i'm thinking they should be fine for me to keep and use. but if, for some reason, i am unable to fix the second driver...i'll return them.

whew. quite the soap opera on something i thought would be a no-brainer (buying these). hehehe.

[enochRoot]

Look at it this way...now that you've improved them....they're worth more.;)

I won't send you a bill...:D

hehehe...thank god! the good deal would start turning into a not-so-good deal.

btw...i never knew hair dryers could get so hot! i can't believe women (and some men) point them at their own heads. OUCH! :eek:

[speakerdave]

btw...i never knew hair dryers could get so hot! i can't believe women (and some men) point them at their own heads. OUCH! :eek:

Yeah, that blow-dry look of the seventies was just another way of frying the brain.

[enochRoot]

Yeah, that blow-dry look of the seventies was just another way of frying the brain.

i prefer more conventional methods ;)

[speakerdave]

i prefer more conventional methods ;)

Then there were the unconventional unmethods.

[enochRoot]

Then there were the unconventional unmethods.

of course all methodological thought breaks down at this point...

[speakerdave]

of course all methodological thought breaks down at this point...

good point

[mech986]

good point

What was the point? Were we discussing something? :nutz:

[speakerdave]

What was the point? Were we discussing something?

Let's call Magnolia ThunderPussy for some sundaes.

[enochRoot]

Let's call Magnolia ThunderPussy for some sundaes.

also the name of a local record store! :applaud:

[speakerdave]

also the name of a local record store! :applaud:

She never trademarked it, I guess.

"Magnolia and Her Ice Cream Parlor"

"When the Drogstore closed in 1968 the building's most famous occupant moved in: Magnolia Thunderpussy. Magnolia Thunderpussy was a former dancer who was running a dessert business at the time. She moved her operation into the kitchen at 1398 Haight and began producing her well-known concoctions there and delivering them all around town. Two of the most popular choices, still talked about today, were Barney's Montana Banana (an unsplit banana between two scoops of ice cream covered with whipped cream and chocolate shavings) and the Pineapple Pussy (a hollowed pineapple filled with strawberry ice cream covered with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and a cherry). After a short time Magnolia reopened the front area and Magnolia Thunderpussy's became a popular ice cream parlor/cafe/hangout spot. She stayed open late and her place was often full of people into the wee hours of the morning. Many folks have fond memories of waiting in line at Magnolia Thunderpussy's or having her inimitable desserts delivered to their houses at 1 AM."

http://www.magnoliapub.com/pub/history.html

David

[opimax]

if the degree of OT was able to to be derived in some formula this thread might be up there with the best!!

Since this is an audio site I was thinking of the :barf:"Hi End" stores in BB
I am happily incorrect :applaud:

Mark

[enochRoot]

She never trademarked it, I guess.

"Magnolia and Her Ice Cream Parlor"

http://www.magnoliapub.com/pub/history.html

David

hehehe, i actually found that same site on a search, since i figured you weren't talking about my local record store. now it's great to know where they got the name!

[JBLRaiser]

She never trademarked it, I guess.

"Magnolia and Her Ice Cream Parlor"

"When the Drogstore closed in 1968 the building's most famous occupant moved in: Magnolia Thunderpussy. Magnolia Thunderpussy was a former dancer who was running a dessert business at the time. She moved her operation into the kitchen at 1398 Haight and began producing her well-known concoctions there and delivering them all around town. Two of the most popular choices, still talked about today, were Barney's Montana Banana (an unsplit banana between two scoops of ice cream covered with whipped cream and chocolate shavings) and the Pineapple Pussy (a hollowed pineapple filled with strawberry ice cream covered with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and a cherry). After a short time Magnolia reopened the front area and Magnolia Thunderpussy's became a popular ice cream parlor/cafe/hangout spot. She stayed open late and her place was often full of people into the wee hours of the morning. Many folks have fond memories of waiting in line at Magnolia Thunderpussy's or having her inimitable desserts delivered to their houses at 1 AM."

http://www.magnoliapub.com/pub/history.html

David

shaved?:hmm: I'll ponder that awhile.

[John]

yeah...i'd never go that route. as i said, i could just return them.


$675 for the pair. again, they are in great shape minus the problem mentioned.


Looks like they are back up on the bay!!!

[enochRoot]

yup. could never get them quite right, so i sent 'em back. sucks to lose shipping 2 ways, but that's the price you pay for buying on ebay.




Looks like they are back up on the bay!!!