Pushed-in tweeter domes

[theREALdotnet]

How often do you see used speaker ads that show pushed-in tweeter domes but hastily add that “they don’t affect the sound quality at all”…

In my mind, a none dome-shaped tweeter diaphragm will simply not be as rigid under pistonic motion and will likely undergo its own contortions, causing distortion. I also wonder whether the radiation characteristics of the tweeter would change.

After all, why would tweeter manufacturers go to the trouble of making domes when any shape would do just as well?

What I haven’t seen are actual comparative measurements of intact vs pushed-in tweeters. Is anybody aware of tests like that?

(I suppose one could include woofer dust caps in this discussion, but I think the issue is less severe there, if only for the dust cap’s small share of the surface area.)

 

[-Matt-]

That is a geat idea for one of @amirm's videos... First run Klippel with an as new speaker. Then show Amir pushing in the tweeter (possibly with extreme close-up slow-mo)! Then re-measure Klippel.

 

[Sokel]

There was a debate in diyAudio about this and I still remember the picture of a silk dome tweeter's voice coil badly disfigured after someone pushed the dome.
And it makes sense,pushing the fabric the fragile VC stresses to the point that the only thing prevents it from going completely oval is the gap.

 

[Trell]

Personally I avoid speakers/monitors where the tweeters are not protected.

 

[DVDdoug]

I'd expect a "big discount"...

Considering the wavelengths It probably doesn't affect the sound noticeably as long as the voice coil isn't pushed out-of-shape and rubbing.

After all, why would tweeter manufacturers go to the trouble of making domes when any shape would do just as well?

Probably a lot of reasons, not all audio related. It's easy to make a concave or convex dome and attach a voice coil of the same diameter. If you flip it around you'd have to make sure the dome doesn't hit the magnet.

You probably wouldn't want it flat because it's less stiff and more likely to resonate.

 

[fpitas]

And what if a certain shape of mashed dome actually performed better?

/Yeah I doubt that, too

 

[Trell]

And what if a certain shape of mashed dome actually performed better?

/Yeah I doubt that, too

It’s like a break-in of a speaker: It never gets worse.

 

[MRC01]

The frequencies affected by uneven dispersion would probably be those whose wavelengths are roughly the same dimensions as the dent in the tweeter. Or maybe half that? One inch is the wavelength for about 13 kHz, the half wavelength for 6.5 kHz.
If dispersion at 13 kHz was uneven, most people wouldn't notice. But at 6.5 kHz, they might notice.

 

[Hexspa]

I actually have two speakers, one with a mashed tweeter and one without; at least I think I do! B&W 601s3 or something. I actually didn’t hear a difference but maybe I didn’t listen close enough. Kind of irksome though.

 

[HarmonicTHD]

I wouldn’t buy, because one never knows what other (hidden) damage there might be.

 

[KxDx]

I wouldn’t buy, because one never knows what other (hidden) damage there might be.

The same kids who like to poke tweeters also like to hide Barbie doll heads and matchbox cars inside of tuned ports.

 

[Deleted member 48726]

Yeah, see those ads all the time. I avoid them. I buy them only if I know I can make money whilst replacing the tweeter and selling them again. But that's very rare to see people aknowledge that they have a damaged product and lower the price accordingly.

 

[McFly]

Last speakers I bought second hand were large JBL E90s just for garage duties. I opened them up to tweak the crossovers because the tweeters were hot. In one speaker I found half a point bag of meth (equivalent to US crack I suppose) and some weed. I’d have preferred a barbie doll head tbh.

 

[HarmonicTHD]

The same kids who like to poke tweeters also like to hide Barbie doll heads and matchbox cars inside of tuned ports.

Kids are a menace for high end audio gear. Better lock em up - the gear I mean

 

[dasdoing]

Last speakers I bought second hand were large JBL E90s just for garage duties. I opened them up to tweak the crossovers because the tweeters were hot. In one speaker I found half a point bag of meth (equivalent to US crack I suppose) and some weed. I’d have preferred a barbie doll head tbh.

and daddy thought it was about music when his son cried after finding out the speakers were gone

 

[KxDx]

Kids are a menace for high end audio gear. Better lock em up - the gear I mean

I wrapped one of these around each of my living room speakers (front ported, thankfully)..

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07JNBL9QL?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

 

[Elkerton]

I have often taken a pin, or a piece of fairy strong tape to pull the dome back out. It sometimes works well. At other times, the dome is a bit misshapen. It's worth a try.

 

[steve59]

^this^

 

[KxDx]

I have often taken a pin, or a piece of fairy strong tape to pull the dome back out. It sometimes works well. At other times, the dome is a bit misshapen. It's worth a try.

I had a pair of older Paradigms that used common Vifa tweeters which were easy to disassemble and cheap to outright replace. I took the tweeter apart and smoothed the dome out from the inside.

 

[holbob]

I have often taken a pin, or a piece of fairy strong tape to pull the dome back out. It sometimes works well. At other times, the dome is a bit misshapen. It's worth a try.

Vacuum Cleaner on the lowest pressure possible, starting from a fair way back gradually moving towards the tweeter until it comes out.