Damaged speaker rubber on Focal Electra 1008 Be. Return or Keep?

Did you buy these online? Did the seller disclose these issues?
 

Sounds like you purchased real garbage great speakers with holes in them.Good luck!! 

@helomech I bought them online. Seller disclosed the holes. However, didn't mention anything of the woofer rubber deformation. I want to know how such a damage can happen without any exposure to heat, high pressure or water.

I will be returning them I guess. And will report the seller to the used sales platform I used (sort of like a local ebay).

By the way, one thing that might not be so clear in my first post is that. I was aware of the holes before purchasing. If holes don't penetrate trough the cabinet, it can easily be fixed in my opinion. With their price, it made sense to me. However, was not aware of the woofer rubber damage, at all.

Is there any way to loosen the speaker and reset the gasket.
The holes can be easily fixed woth wood filler and stained to match.
Have you talked to the seller, i would before reporting him

@johnto I could loosen it and see. Fully capable of all sorts of DIY fixes :D But what do you mean by resetting the gasket ? I assume it came to be how it is now because of something wet touching it, or some heat somehow. Maybe sunlight hitting only in that spot ?

No worries. The rubber won’t affect the sound. The holes won’t affect the sound if the cabinet is still air tight. If you are worried then simply plug the holes. Looks like the speaker was stored against something and the rubber will likely go back to normal with use.

I would not be happy with the driver situation.   The holes if purely cosmetic would not be as big of a deal than a damaged surround.  I would send them back ......  

@shadorne I guess so.. I mean that part of rubber still has the same consistency as other parts. I assume that some sunlight was the cause. Contacted the seller (I purchased it trough a hifi dealer not the original owner), waiting for a reply.

@oddiofyl Yeah, I mean, honestly, more than the affect on sound, I am afraid of that woofer damage visually disturbing me every day. Based on light's position, it can be quite visible.

You bought a used pair of speakers at a considerable discount and as such should expect and accept minor imperfections. If you want and expect 100% new condition, then buy new from a local dealer that can provide the service and product you desire, and pay the retail price.

Buying used used product on sites like this and others come with some “risk” involved. 

If your buying from a experienced  seller with good feedback you will usually get good service and product.  However you should not expect to get 100% new condition - some wear and tear should be expected.  

The slight indentation in the surround of the speaker you purchased will have ZERO affect on sound quality.

Good Listening 

Peter 

Unless you love their sound and doubt you could do better elsewhere, you should return them. The seller should have disclosed any imperfections. 

Finally connected speakers to the amp. First of all, they look gorgeous. And i feel like more I am using, more that woofer dent is disappearing. It is much harder to see right now, might be the lighting as well though. It might also be the sound pressure inside the cabinet pushing that area out.

I think I will be keeping these. However, I am in contact about the issue with the seller, I will try to get further discount on it. Not sure if it will be possible though.

I will probably fill the little holes on the back with wood filler and gently stain the holes. Besides that, they are in top shape visually. Not a single scratch on the side panels, or the top glass panel, same for the front surface. My GF loves them, i love them. And also, one of the speakers will be staying about 60cm away from my African Grey parrot's cage. I expect them to get way more dirty than they currently are pretty quickly :D Therefore, buying new didn't make sense for me. And therefore I bought these at a good price knowing that they had mounting holes.

As for their sound, well, i have them in my living room, as fronts for the 5.1 setup. I listen to music there as well. It is probably one of the worst possible room for acoustics. No carpets, no curtains. but one side is almost full glass. Every surface except a sofa in the middle of the living room is flat and glossy, therefore reflective. Any speaker I tried here sounds off, but they come to life when i use AVR's room correction. Same applies to these speakers as well. Anyway, it might be the amp as well, currently driving them with Denon x3400 avr's pre out connected to NAD 326bee amp. I will try to home demo Hegel 360 for the speakers this week. And maybe also take an Kef LS50 to compare. However, I don't think amplifier will make a day/night difference, since I really have big time echo in the room. If the hegel h360 won't make a big different when fed by a good DAC directly. Then probably i will just buy a power amp for the AVR, or buy an integrated with room correction built-in like the Anthem STR.

Some photos:
https://i.imgur.com/ypdhcqJ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/yAtKgbJ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/mhldJFt.jpg

Thank you all for help and guidance !!!

Did you notice anything unusual when unpacking the speakers? It looks as if something was resting against the rubber for an extended period, possibly during shipping. The rubber "took a set" and assumed the form of what was resting against it. If that is the case, it should return on its own to it's normal shape. It already looks as if some of the set has gone away. Give it some time. Also, PBN builds speakers, so he should know if this condition will affect the sound. If it doesn't go away, and the appearance bothers you, try to do a return.

As others have said the dent in the rubber surround will not affect the speakers at all. From your second set of pics the speakers look in great condition and sounds like you got a good deal. Enjoy and happy listening!

Any speaker re-foam or repair just contact Bill LeGall at Miller Sound in PA.  Send him the pics for his opinion.  Happy Listening.

I wouldn't worry about the foam surround it doesn't look like it is torn in anyway. I have the same speakers they are fantastic when driven with the proper electronics and can be a bit harsh when they are not. 

Chuck 

Thank you all very much for your help !!

I believe that speaker already fixed itself mostly. This is how it looks now under sunlight, it is becoming harder for me to see it even when looking at it with a flashlight. Under normal use, from distance, impossible to notice it.

https://i.imgur.com/pSiomtx.jpg

When it first arrived, it was visible regardless of how you looked at it. I feel like in couple of days that surround should be good as new.
I was thinking if it might be related to the cold weather here in Poland. It has been pretty cold lately, -8 celcius is the highest we see, -14 or less at night. Speakers were shipped during the weekend, probably stored during the weekend, subject to -14 degrees. I was thinking that somehow maybe the heat change caused that material to freeze and unfreeze non uniformly, causing it to bend.

Anyway, I will give them some more time. Have 14 days to return.

Alright, comparing the state when it first arrived yesterday, and this morning:

https://i.imgur.com/D42FuIi.jpg
(left is yesterday, right is today)

I would say that it is a major change. Quite happy with the purchase so far :D

I'm always dumbfounded by the things people do to audio gear especially considering the cost. Dents, scratches, dings.....I get that an accident can occasionally happen but when I buy a piece of gear I take it out of the box, place it in my rack and it sits there. I always handle everything with great care. How people beat up fine audio equipment is beyond me.

Fill the holes and run the darn things they most likely are fine the surround looks to be a non issue

@johnk Will do so ! Got Hegel H360 for home demo yesterday, Focals sound magical with that, super smooth yet enticing. So, Focals are definitely here to stay :D
I will be filling the holes soon. I think they are very shallow, so it will be more for cosmetic purposes.

Thanks  everyone ! :D