Scanspeak 10" driver replacement - blown woofer


Hi, I have to replace 2 10" drivers on a pair of Vandersteen 3a's. The drivers are 25w aluminum cone, and the voice coils are fried. Vandersteen will rebuild for 289 each.

Question: Is there a comparable replacement on the market that would be cheaper then the rebuild, and close in performance? I found a company, Madisound speaker components, which sells many 10" drivers from 37.00 - 355.00

I have hooked the speakers back up and have found the bass to be insane with the big 10" hole in the back, apparently in the design the 10" drivers act as acoustic couplers, part passive radiator and part driver. I placed a large book over the holes and the bass is instantly tighter, but not as deep as they used to be.

How important is the quality of these acoustic couplers?
Would a SEAS presitige aluminum woofer be as good at 165.00?
Would I hear the difference?

I know it's impossible for you guys to answer all these questions, I am just trying to paint a picture of where my head is at. Have any of you had to replace your woofers with aftermarket products? What brand did you choose? and how did it work out?

Thanks again,
Mike
hanaleimike

Showing 3 responses by shadorne

With cheaper drivers you should simply replace them with new drivers. Make sure you get the same model driver. Only high quality drivers ($500+ each) are usually worth re-coning.
As several others have correctly pointed out - if you can't easily (& cheaply) get the exact same model driver then it would be sensible to go with Vandersteen for repair in order to keep your speakers standard (better resale as nobody wants to buy a dogs breakfast of a speaker). Of course Vandersteen will be slightly more expensive than retail as they get the driver from Scan-speak and will probably carry a higher markup then a large retail outlet like Madisound (a clerk who just takes your order versus Vandersteen staff who are likely better paid).
Shadorne,
Have you ever dealt with Madisound? Of course they have clerks who take orders, but they also have an excellent technical staff, some who have been in the industry for a long time.

No I have not. I get stuff from Solen. You are probably correct and that they have great staff - sorry if what I said sounded negative - all I really meant was that it is NOT unreasonable for one to expect a boutique like Vandersteen to charge a lot more for a replacment part than a large outfit like Madisound.