[TonyEngines]

Hey all ...

So I just received a pair of barely-used / almost new Song3 BeAT speakers.  They were shipped to me via FedEx (can you tell where this is going?) and as the subject says, one of the dust caps on a midrange was pushed in.  These caps are much stronger/sturdier than anything I've encountered before and neither the tape trick nor the vacuum method is working.  Of the two, I think the tape gives me more hope, but I need something stickier; masking and electrical tape aren't doing the job.  I suppose that I could try duct, but that feels like a disaster waiting to happen.

I'm reluctant to try the needle method but I suppose that's still an option.  Does anyone have some good advice or have you had a similar experience with this type of dust cap?  Any feedback is much appreciated!

[thorman]

 Go to Wall Mart and get Gorilla Tape. It sticks very well and a modest investment..Should work. Good luck

[Big Red Machine]

You could sneak up on it. Try narrow strips of tape and add in more until you get some movement. And you know the next worry that you hinted at is getting the tape removed! If you can do that you might be able to gently remove any adhesive residue with some mineral spirits on a paper towel. Test that the mineral spirits do not discolor the cap with a cotton swab first.

You mentioned shop vac? If you have a narrow tool where the pressure is boosted up due to smaller cross section that might do it.

[TonyEngines]

Go to Wall Mart and get Gorilla Tape. It sticks very well and a modest investment..Should work. Good luck

I think that the strength of Gorilla tapes is good, but I'm not sure about the potential residue that will (probably) remain on the cap.  I was doing some research earlier and I found a thread that mentioned gaffers tape, which is apparently strong, but easy to remove from surfaces.  I'll give that a try first.

You could sneak up on it. Try narrow strips of tape and add in more until you get some movement. And you know the next worry that you hinted at is getting the tape removed! If you can do that you might be able to gently remove any adhesive residue with some mineral spirits on a paper towel. Test that the mineral spirits do not discolor the cap with a cotton swab first.

You mentioned shop vac? If you have a narrow tool where the pressure is boosted up due to smaller cross section that might do it.

I've been looking for a shop vac attachment that might help me achieve this.  I also thought about stretching a thin piece of fabric across the hose opening to help control the strong suction. 

Ultimately, I'm being careful but I'm worried about doing permanent damage.  As of now, the dust cap is damaged, but at least it doesn't really affect the sound.

Thanks for the suggestions.  I'm open to anything, so keep the ideas coming!

[FireGuy]

Have you considered contacting Salk?  Given the "strength" of this dust cap and the force I'm sensing necessary for the fix... you may get it to pop but at what cost?  Don't forget the insurance claim too with the carrier that can help with a total replacement.

[Rusty Jefferson]

Personally, I wouldn't touch it. File the claim and have Salk send a new driver.

[Rusty Jefferson]

...because you will take a hit on them if you decide to sell them. Why would you do that?

[johzel]

I'd call Jim.  He's very good about helping with such things.  I had a similar situation once.  I'm not particularly handy but installing the new driver wasn't difficult. 

[Big Red Machine]

Yes, if you completely fubar it, then you can get a new driver. Nothing to lose right now. Or pull the driver and let one of us give it a whirl.

[Big Red Machine]

And can you post a photo of the undamaged driver in the other speaker?

[TonyEngines]

I was planning on contacting Jim.  Since the speaker technically works fine, I probably won't do anything too extreme until I get some advice from the professional.  If it does come down to needing a new driver, I'm fairly handy and I've done a decent amount of soldering in the past; I'm not super concerned about replacing it myself.

And here's a photo of the good driver ...

[TonyEngines]

Alright kids, a bit of good news ...

The gaffers tape (mostly) worked, as you can see from the pic.  There's some ever-so-slight concaving on a couple spots on the outsides, but it's really tough to discern in normal light.  I think the flash from my camera is highlighting them a bit more.  So yeah, it's not a 100% perfect dome, but it's darn close.  At the very least, it's good enough to not be annoying.

For future reference to anyone who may have the same issue, I chose the gaffers tape because it was stickier than masking tape, and though it's not as sticky as duct, it comes off very easily and won't leave a residue on the surface.  Having said all that, the real trick was to pull very quickly rather than a slow pull.  I had read that somewhere and was a skeptical, but sure enough, it was the key to success!

Thanks again for the advice ... and happy to be part of the Salk family!  I've spent a few hours listening to these, playing with positioning, etc etc. I can't make any real judgements yet, but I'm definitely enjoying these speakers and I expect to spend a lot more time with them in the coming weeks.

[Big Red Machine]

THat looks great. Actually looks new. Sound okay?

[SlushPuppy]

Congrats! Looks great to me!

[TonyEngines]

THat looks great. Actually looks new. Sound okay?

Sounds fine ... or at least I didn't notice any real discernible difference.  Of course, I never heard the speaker when it was new/un-dented, so I have no true frame of reference.  It seems like the general consensus around the interwebs is that a dented dust cap is more of an eyesore than something that negatively affects sound, but there are some who disagree.  I may still end up contacting Jim; maybe he can have the final word.  Again, I would think that this thread might be useful to current and future generations of Salk owners.

[TonyEngines]

Direct from Jim Salk ...

"As for the dust cap, I saw the photos and there is no problem.  This happens more often than you might guess.  And the solution (tape) is almost always the best solution.  Even with a dented dust cap, the speaker will perform about the same.  So you are good to go!"

There you have it.  Let this guide all the unwitting victims of the dreaded (and annoying) pushed-in dust cap.
 

[Jack the cat]

Inquiring mind(s) want to know - brand of gaffers tape & was it available at a big box store?

[TonyEngines]

Inquiring mind(s) want to know - brand of gaffers tape & was it available at a big box store?

It was just something random I found on Amazon.  It was called Pro Tapes Pocket Gaff Tape (1 inch). Good reviews and it was a smaller size - I didn't want to commit to a huge roll before knowing exactly what I was dealing with.

I get the feeling that you could go with just about any brand and it would work totally fine.

[Rusty Jefferson]

It's great if you want to roll this way, good on ya! But you said it was damaged in transit, not by you. Pushing in these plastic dust caps as shown in the picture is much harder than the more familiar paper caps. Somebody jambed that driver. It's possible the spider or suspension was stretched or the voice coil was pushed into the pole piece.

You also said it's an essentially new pair of speakers.
If it develops a voice coil rub in a year or three, and that driver is no longer available, (which is more and more common these days) you are going to wish you had gotten a replacement driver to keep the speakers "as new" and kept this driver as a spare.

For me, shipping damage to something I just bought is different. If someone scratches the bumper of my new car, I fix it. That's what the insurance is for. If they scratch my 17 year old daily driver, I just ask them to be more careful in the future.

[TonyEngines]

It's great if you want to roll this way, good on ya! But you said it was damaged in transit, not by you. Pushing in these plastic dust caps as shown in the picture is much harder than the more familiar paper caps. Somebody jambed that driver. It's possible the spider or suspension was stretched or the voice coil was pushed into the pole piece.

You also said it's an essentially new pair of speakers.
If it develops a voice coil rub in a year or three, and that driver is no longer available, (which is more and more common these days) you are going to wish you had gotten a replacement driver to keep the speakers "as new" and kept this driver as a spare.

For me, shipping damage to something I just bought is different. If someone scratches the bumper of my new car, I fix it. That's what the insurance is for. If they scratch my 17 year old daily driver, I just ask them to be more careful in the future.

I respect what you're saying, and in many cases I'd probably go the same route.  There's absolutely nothing wrong with preparing for the future. Also, there's a tiny bit of spite in my soul that really wants to make FedEx pay!

However, in this particular case I spoke to Jim directly - and I assume that he has seen this thread since he mentioned the pics I posted - and he said that the tape trick "is almost always the best solution."  I don't want to put any words in his mouth, but my guess is that if he was worried about voice coil damage or a similar future issue, he would have brought it up.

Anyway, I'm satisfied with the solution, and with Jim's blessing that the driver is good to go, I'm not going to lose any sleep over potential problems down the line.  That's just me though. Obviously you gotta do what makes you the most comfortable!