Help!!!! My daughter pushed in my speaker :-(

SpeedyVV

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Sep 14, 2007
Messages
4,210
Hi folks:
I have a set of M-Audio BX5a reference speakers, that are not too expensive, but expensive enough for me.

It has a little round tweater at the top. It looked like this:

NormalMedium.jpg


I guess it just looks too good not to stick your finger there. So this is what it looks like now, after my girl pushed it in:

PushedMedium.jpg


So what can\should I do???

Sound still comes out of it, but maybe it is just me but it does not sound 100% right. My daughter says it sounds the same as the left speaker.

These speakers are used mainly for my guitar through the Synth or DAW.

Should I:
a) buy new speakers?
b) call M-Audio tech support?
c) get it fixed? (can it be?)
d) Use a suction cup to suck it out? (I feel like doing this)
e) leave it alone?

HELP!!!!

PS: Beating my girl is not an option ;-)
 
i'm no expert but from what i've read and what little similar experience i've had:

- it is not your imagnination, it will not sound the same, it can't sound the same.

- Even if you pull it out again it will never sound the same, the purist would consider it "ruined" (not 100% sure about this though)

- Don't buy a new speaker, perhaps call tech support to price out a replacement tweeter. Also doublecheck google in case someone else sells them cheaper.

Somebody may have to correct me on bullet point #2 though, hopefully someone with more knowledge can chime in.
 
Take some strong tape (duct tape). Press it LIGHTLY in the middle of the cone so as to not make it worse but strong enough to grip the material. LIGHTLY AND SLOWLY pull the tape and see if it can pop the cone back out.

I've had this happen with some pro stage monitors before while doing a gig with my friends band and it popped right back where it needed to be. Try this out, if it doesn't work call the company about replacements.
 
I've heard using suction either with your bare mouth or a straw usually is easier and works better than using tape.
 
Well, I'm relieved to read that you won't beat your daughter over something so trivial. Some people really have their priorities out of whack. Besides, a beating involves screaming, crying, broken wooden spoons... and let's not discount the inconvenience of a sudden visit by Child Protective Services after some nosy, high-minded teacher sees the deep bruises on her arms and notifies the local authorities. Just sell the kid to gypsies in Eastern Europe and tell the neighbors she's spending the summer with out-of-state relatives. Use the money to buy new speakers and everything will be right in your world once more.

Y'know, it really makes me feel good to help a fellow [H]'er solve a pesky problem.
 
Thanks for the help guys. really appreciate it.

I ended using the suction approach.

My guitar slide fit just perfectly over the whole tweater.

Here is what it looks like with it poped out.

popedMedium.jpg


I can still see a bit of wrinkled spots. I have a feeling this is going to annoy me, so I might just called M-Audio and see how much a replacement tweater cost.

But for now this makes me feel a lot better so thanks for the help.

If anything this makes my girl feel a lot better, so you guys done your good deed for the day. ;)
 
Nice repair, hopefully it sounds just as fresh.
I have the same guitar slide so I'll remember the vacuum trick if I fall foul to pointy fingers :)
 
Well if it's a soft dome tweeter I don't think it should make a real enough audible difference, really it was just the dust cap that was pushed in. If it were a metal tweeter, then yeah, deformation would be permanent damage.
 
maybe a vaccum hose?

This is what I used for the same problem..Tried everything else. Worked perfect..a little scary. I have Tannoy ref. speakers and took everything apart and no luck
put the hose on it sucked it right out:D
 
Well if it's a soft dome tweeter I don't think it should make a real enough audible difference, really it was just the dust cap that was pushed in. If it were a metal tweeter, then yeah, deformation would be permanent damage.

No, that's a dome tweeter, so the whole radiating surface was pushed in. The sound will be a little different now because the dome is a LOT less strong than it used to be, but it shouldn't be too different.
 
Check on replacement cost. Depending on the design, it might not be too much. I dented a tweeter on my B&W 601s and it was only about $30 total to get a replacement shipped out, since they just had to replace the dome itself, not the whole unit.
 
Sometimes it's outright shocking the cost of these components... we had a tweeter fail on one of our Floorstanders, and the part only cost 40 dollars. The speakers MSRP for 1500-2000.

I'm sure I don't want to know the cost of the speaker.
 
Check on replacement cost. Depending on the design, it might not be too much. I dented a tweeter on my B&W 601s and it was only about $30 total to get a replacement shipped out, since they just had to replace the dome itself, not the whole unit.

This is a good point, the diaphragms are often replaceable for well designed units.
 
I just thought I'd throw this out there:
I did the exact same thing to my brothers subwoofer when I was like 5 or 6.

THOSE DAMN THINGS JUST LOOK SO INVITING!
 
I can't believe $400 speakers don't have some sort of cover or grill or ... something to protect them. I mean people have kids, pets, fall over stuff. You know, life happens!

I would definitely get in touch with m-audio, see if you can get a replacement part. And then put them up somewhere really high ;)
 
save the money for the new tweeter and get a desk lamp for future digital photography 0_o

lol, sorry about the quality of the pictures, but I only had my crappy phone cam and wanted to get help ASAP. But regardless photography and I just dont go together.

Ask her to push the other tweeter in, so they match acoustically. ;)

I am glad she did not see this post ;-)
 
I can't believe $400 speakers don't have some sort of cover or grill or ... something to protect them. I mean people have kids, pets, fall over stuff. You know, life happens!

I would definitely get in touch with m-audio, see if you can get a replacement part. And then put them up somewhere really high ;)

QFT!
 
M-audio is studio gear. Not meant to be around pets or kids.

Have you seen some of the artist lately? There are mostly kids :rolleyes:

Actually you are 100% correct. I went and checked the M-Audio site. The home version of these monitors actually have the protective grill over the tweeter and woofer.

imgview.php


But I liked the sound of the BX5as so much better :( I guess I'll do like Mr. Wolf said, and sell my kids to gypsies.

this made me laugh so i decided to post :D nice speakers by the way, how do you like them?

I really like the speakers for what they are designed to do. They dont add the thumping bass like some of the speakers I have heard.

So if you want lots of bass, then there are probably better options, but because I wanted these to be used for my guitar DAW setup they are great.

BTW, If you want bass I would add the BX10 subwoofer, but for my guitar playing there is not much need for the 20Hz-50Hz sound.

I love practicing guitar with these monitors. The highs are incredibly crisp and clean. Any mistakes and you hear it right away.

So my bends are much more precise. Using my amp, the Fender Deluxe Reverb, it is much more forgiving and sound a lot better. But when practising I would say the BX5a is better.

I tried playing above the 12th fret with my Logitech Z-2300. Bad idea. Those are great for games and listening to my mp3s on the computer, but 100% bad for guitar.

For the price these are amazing reference monitors.
 
Makes me really mad if I have friends over and if they sit down at the comp whats the first thing they try to do.. *reach for speaker* "DONT TOUCH!111" seriously even kids 16-17 have no respect for stuff :D

except once someone did give my tweeter a good push.. lucky for me it didn't stay in however and looked fine after.. :eek:
 
I always used double sided tape. not the white foam backing stuff but the 3m red ver. it's just stick enough to pull but not rip the dust cover off. I don't have kids but I'd be ticked if my cat punched in my krk's. I guess it's better than scratches. :)
 
I use a shop-vac... Might not be quite as good for tweeters though. I've only needed it for woofers (dust caps).
 
I always used double sided tape. not the white foam backing stuff but the 3m red ver. it's just stick enough to pull but not rip the dust cover off. I don't have kids but I'd be ticked if my cat punched in my krk's. I guess it's better than scratches. :)

lol yeah, one of my cats took a big shine to my loudspeaker grills, they make wonderful scratch poles - NOT.
A few very loud noises later and she now uses an (occupied) kitchen flooring box to keep herself sharp.
Shes holding me to ransom as its stopped me laying the new kitchen floor lol.
 
lol yeah, one of my cats took a big shine to my loudspeaker grills, they make wonderful scratch poles - NOT.
A few very loud noises later and she now uses an (occupied) kitchen flooring box to keep herself sharp.
Shes holding me to ransom as its stopped me laying the new kitchen floor lol.
LOL.
Luckaly my cat is good and only scratches this throw rug downstairs and some crappy chair in my moms room. If it took a swat at my x-ls i might have to give it the hose.
 
lol, I have not been to the Audio forum a lot, but there are some tough characters here for sure ;-)

I used to think the computer geeks were opiniated, but you audio guys are over the top!!!
 
i have a bass bottom that my twins when they were little pushed the cones in and their eighteens i dont think they make a straw that big and i dont have enough breath lol
 
Back
Top