Cerwin Vega woofer foam is rotting
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New member Username: BreckriderMemphis, TN USA Post Number: 2 Registered: Feb-10 | I was getting some distorted sound from my rear cerwin vegas and took the front off to find the foam on the edge of the woofers rotting away. Are these worth repairing or should they be replaced? I've had them almost 30 years. Not sure the model but will look for a tag. |
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Silver Member Username: MagfanUSA Post Number: 935 Registered: Oct-07 | If you are a DIY sort, you can find the 'kit' for the repair. Do you like 'em? Would you want to change or can you budget for an upgrade? CV's don't get much respect here.....or elsewhere, for that matter, but YOU are the listener. Don't forget, that at 30 years, you are also pressing your luck on some other internal parts.....the Capacitors in the crossover are probably shot. In Memphis, you can probably find a place to listen to a replacement for your venerable CV's without breaking the bank. I'd suggest a 'real' stereo store, not a bigbox or other huge store. At this point, are you satisfied with the REST of the system as well? |
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Gold Member Username: JrbayLivonia [Detroit area], Michigan USA Post Number: 1177 Registered: Feb-08 | As Leo points out, if you are good at following directions: http://www.newfoam.com/ http://www.speakerworks.com/speaker_repair_kits_s/65.htm If your speakers are distorted they may sound better if you completely remove the old foam. The trade off will be a major loss in low frequency response but the cone won't distort every time it moves. |
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Gold Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 2647 Registered: Feb-04 | My wife has a pair of CVs about the same age. We still use them for background/parties. A couple of years ago, I noticed the same problem. A local shop replaced the foam surrounds for about $80. Give these guys a call. Speaker Services 549 South Cooper Street Memphis, TN 38104-5317 (901) 725-9620 |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 14626 Registered: May-04 | . In Memphis there should be no shortage of repair shops who can refoam your speakers. I would turn the job over to somone with experience working with foam surround kits. The contact cement provided with the refoam kits sticks almost instantly and, should you not have the cone of the driver exactly centered when the new surround touches, you'll have just as many problems as you started with. Any shop selling pro audio gear should be able to help you with the service required. You just want to find the shop doing the service and not pay a middle man fee to a shop that simply drops your speakers off and picks them up. However, after 30 years you might consider; https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/home-audio/612088.html Whoever buys them won't think so but, honestly, there are better speakers out there today than your 30 year old CV's. . |
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New member Username: BreckriderMemphis, TN USA Post Number: 3 Registered: Feb-10 | What would some of you recommend as new rear speakers for my surround? |
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Gold Member Username: JrbayLivonia [Detroit area], Michigan USA Post Number: 1217 Registered: Feb-08 | Hi Virginia, What kind of speakers are you using for the front array? Are they CV's as well? |
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Silver Member Username: EzntnGreeneville, TN Post Number: 171 Registered: Apr-09 | Acoustic matching would be key. Are your mains of the same vintage? A few details as to your listening preferences, and your system. Then audition .. audition .. audition ... In Memphis you should be able to manage an in home demo/trial to see whats ideal for your tastes Just don't do big box stores when you do audition |
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Silver Member Username: MagfanUSA Post Number: 958 Registered: Oct-07 | Surround speakers should match in the sense the sound should not change timbre as it moves around. So, the answer to your question would be 'whatever sounds like your current front speakers'. I'm not an HT guy, but an exact match is not needed. Usually speaker manufacturers (not Bose=cheap shot) try for similar sound across there line, though for many it changes over time. Do you have CV fronts? I suspect CV has changed character over the decades, but still sort of aims at the same......demographic. Time to go for a listen? |
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Platinum Member Username: GlasswolfColumbia, SC USA Post Number: 12534 Registered: Dec-03 | as far as re-surrounding speakers, I took a set of 4 8" woofers from my KEF 104/2 mains, and mind you each of these woofers had 2 surrounds. an inner and outer, to a speaker repair shop in grand rapids, MI. It gost me $25 each to have the surrounds replaced. Was it worth it for a set of $3600 speakers? You betcha |
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Silver Member Username: MagfanUSA Post Number: 960 Registered: Oct-07 | Problem is, Glass, that we are dealing with some CV's which are so old the manual was written in hieroglyphics. Or Linear A. The cost of refoam exceeds the value of the speakers and the next fix for old/dry caps won't be so cheap or easily found. The remote possiblity exists for damaging an amp when the near-inevitable glitch occurs. ZAP! If the CVs were worth even an order of magnitude less than your speakers, I'd agree with the refoam. They are worth far less. I originally suggested a DIY fix and If your reasonably handy, this'll work. I wouldn't spend any more than the price of a couple refoam kits on what amounts to a short term fix / experiment. |
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New member Username: BreckriderMemphis, TN USA Post Number: 4 Registered: Feb-10 | I've got Klipsch Forte's for my front speakers which sound great. I like the idea of taking my CV's to a shop and let them take a look. I'd rather repair than just throw away. |
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Gold Member Username: John_sColumbus, Ohio US Post Number: 2652 Registered: Feb-04 | Yes, let's not forget these speakers are being used as rears. So enough with the CV bashing. In my case, I didn't think I could come up with as much sound by spending the repair cost ($80) on some other new/used speakers. |
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Platinum Member Username: NuckPost Number: 14749 Registered: Dec-04 | VL, do you have the same series Forte center channel? Matching at least the tweeters in all 5 pieces is a standard recommendation. |
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Silver Member Username: MagfanUSA Post Number: 967 Registered: Oct-07 | John, you talkin' to me? If so, please show me where I bashed CV? If you're NOT talkin' to me, forget I said anything. I don't respect them at 30 years of age, true, and was never tempted to buy any, even in my youth. And furthermore I would consider it a fact that they are worth not much more than than cost of the foam kits. At some point, IMO, when the cost of repair and the new lifetime equation exceeds value, it is time to throw in the towel. Years ago I spent about 175$ fixing some then old Magnepans. Money well spent as at that point they stayed in my system several more years and even had acceptable resale value. That being said, so beit with budget. VL may be well served by looking for some more Klipsch.....there are a number of ways to go about this from Craig's list (Watch it!) to more reputable sites and even some dealers handling pre-loved stuff. Fixing 30 yr old CV's would be near-bottom of my short list. Hope this works out. |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 14671 Registered: May-04 | . VL, do you have the same series Forte center channel?" I don't remember a Forte center speaker, Nuck. The Forte's were the first non-PWK Klipsch and were sold at a time before even Dolby Pro Logic (the second generation Dolby surround with a dedicated [though matrixed] center) was around. And the Forte's sounded not at all like the other Klipsch of the day. . |
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Platinum Member Username: NuckPost Number: 14753 Registered: Dec-04 | VL, how are you using the front speakers now? Do you have a different center channel speaker, or running A+B pairs? Quad? Thanks JV, I am unfamiliar with the line. |
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Platinum Member Username: GlasswolfColumbia, SC USA Post Number: 12551 Registered: Dec-03 | a friend of mine had a pair of CV floor standing speakers as his mains back around the late 80s. I recall them being one of the lowest distortion rated speakers around at the time. Lowest in their price bracket anyway. For a basic design, they were nice. That said, I have, to this day, a pair of 12" LE-12D CV subs that I used in a ported box in one of my IASCA cars, and those things just won't die. stamp on the mag structure reads 1989 on both. Those subs are terrific, and despite having put a screwdriver through a surround once in my youth, then repairing it with nail polish (acrylic is good for that) they still hit hard, and work well. treated paper cones, foam surrounds, dual 4 ohm coils. Not terrific throw, and only 125 watts RMS per coil, but I had them in a large box with an Orion amp driving 160 WPC to them, and in a Festiva, I was hitting over 140dB. That was circa 1990, so I can't complain about CV being a bad speaker. Anyway, what you choose to do with them is up to you. I just wanted to give you an idea of what it'd cost to repair them. If you pull the drivers and take them in for the job, you're looking at about $25-35 per driver for resurrounding. Take that for what you will. best of luck. |
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New member Username: BreckriderMemphis, TN USA Post Number: 5 Registered: Feb-10 | I have a separate center channel which is an Infinity. Don't remember the exact model at the moment. Everything on the front is fine. It's just my rear speakers. If I go with Klipsch on the rear, any suggestions on model? If the cost of repairing my CV's is more than the cost of replacing, I'll replace. |
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Platinum Member Username: GlasswolfColumbia, SC USA Post Number: 12567 Registered: Dec-03 | I'm not a big klipsch fan, so can't really suggest anything there. I am a fan of di-poles for surround speakers in a HT setup, though. I chose the Polk FXi3 for both my surround and rear effects speakers in my 7.1 setup. http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/products/recent/fxi3/ I love these things. |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 14673 Registered: May-04 | . You'll need to stay with a fairly sensitive (or "efficient") speaker to pair with your Klipsch Fortes. Look for specs that say the speaker puts out "X"dB @ 1 watt @ 1 meter and keep that "X" number as high as possible for the speakers you have to select from. The Klipsch are very high sensitivity designs with a "X" number around 101-104dB. That "3dB" difference (I'm fairly certain the Forte's are actually 104dB) is the equivalent of either doubling or halving your available wattage depending on whether you're increasing or decreasing the spec number. Buying a speaker with a spec 3dB lower than the Forte's would be equivalent to taking, say, a 100 watt amplifier and turning it into a 50 watt amplifier. A speaker with a "X" spec 6dB lower would be the equivalent of a 25 watt amplifier. Even for surround speakers, that's probably not a good choice. You have some latitude in your level adjustments on the receiver but you still want to stay in the same ballpark as your main speakers. So, if you can, check the specs on the Forte's before you head out to shop. No small speaker will play that loud (101-104dB)with one watt input but try to keep the number up in that range. That almost limits you to either Klipsch or CV again as not many other speakers can compete on a shear volume output per watt with those two brands. By keeping this number as high as possible it will be much simpler to match the levels across the front, center and rear. If you're buying a speaker with a sensitivity spec in the 87dB range, you might have trouble matching levels. Make the salesperson aware of what you need and, if they look at you crosseyed when you say you want a speaker with high sensitivity, walk away and find another salesperson. . |
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Platinum Member Username: GlasswolfColumbia, SC USA Post Number: 12579 Registered: Dec-03 | something Jan forgot to mention was that when dealing with sensitivity (not to be confused with efficiency which is completely different) the decibel is not a linear scale. +3dB is approximately double the audible volume, but to achieve double the audible volume, it takes approximately ten times the power from an amplifier. Something to keep in mind. Another factor is how that sensitivity is measured. What frequency range was used? Full 20Hz-20KHz sustained? Burst bandpass to score a less honest but higher number? The Forte, by the way, has a 98dB sensitivity. 104dB is only attained by things like tweeters. Mind you, 98dB is still very efficienf. My KEF 104/2s are a 92dB sensitivity, and they are considered to be outstanding in their class. Anyway, you probably don't need to get too carried away with these numbers, since you can adjust output level for each speaker on any decent AV receiver to balance all of this out, anyway. Especially if you're using an Audissey calibration setup. |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 14676 Registered: May-04 | . "something Jan forgot to mention was that when dealing with sensitivity (not to be confused with efficiency which is completely different) the decibel is not a linear scale. +3dB is approximately double the audible volume, but to achieve double the audible volume, it takes approximately ten times the power from an amplifier. Something to keep in mind. Another factor is how that sensitivity is measured. What frequency range was used? Full 20Hz-20KHz sustained? Burst bandpass to score a less honest but higher number?" I'm betting that was not useful information for Virginia. VL, you need to keep that "X" number up as high as possible given the speakers you have to choose from. "The Forte, by the way, has a 98dB sensitivity. 104dB is only attained by things like tweeters." If that's a correct specification, thanks for the correction. VL, check your owner's maunal anyway. Regarding "104dB is only attained by things like tweeters"; not so, the original Klipsch line prior to the Forte - with the exception of the small Heresy - was spec'd at 104dB sensitivity. I'm not saying PWK didn't fudge his numbers as all sensitivity specs are fudged to some degree but those were the on paper specs. "Anyway, you probably don't need to get too carried away with these numbers, since you can adjust output level for each speaker on any decent AV receiver to balance all of this out, anyway. Especially if you're using an Audissey calibration setup." VL hasn't specified her receiver of choice but once again I'm betting that was not pertinent information for her system.  . |
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Platinum Member Username: GlasswolfColumbia, SC USA Post Number: 12584 Registered: Dec-03 | I pulled the sensitivity numbers for the Fortes directly from the spec sheet found via google for the speakers, on the Klipsch website. They should be the same numbers as her manual. Sensitivity is handy if you have a small amp and want the speakers to be louder for a given amount of power, but focusing on one number in a spec sheet for speakers is pointless. Like I said, you can adjust output level (volume) per speaker with nearly any modern AV receiver or pre-amp. This pretty much entirely negates the issue with sensitivity. What is important, is how the speakers sound to YOUR ears. Audio is subjective, and what one person likes, another may hate. Find speakers that make you happy, and get those. That's what matters in the end. |
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New member Username: BreckriderMemphis, TN USA Post Number: 6 Registered: Feb-10 | My receiver is the Yamaha V-R1105. I can set some output through the surround menu. |
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Platinum Member Username: NuckPost Number: 14784 Registered: Dec-04 | Yes you can VL, good work. You are more involved than some posters here. I would still suggest the klipch surrounds, but thats just me. After the center channel is matched to the mains. I wonder how your center channel matches up with the Fortes? Have you needed to offset the bias to the center channel? |
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New member Username: BreckriderMemphis, TN USA Post Number: 7 Registered: Feb-10 | No, not really in this room which is long and sort of narrow. The sound on the front is working really well. No complaints there. |
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