How to Fix a Torn Stereo Speaker
Many modern speakers are quite durable, but speaker cones can still tear. The driver moves up and down thousands of time every second, putting wear on the cone and sometimes tearing it. This is especially likely if you listen to your music at a very high volume. Fortunately, a tear isn't the end of the story. You can fix that annoying buzzing - at least well enough to last for a while.
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Things You'll Need
- Tissue paper White glue Water Bowl Q-tip Brush Speaker Equalizer Balance
Instructions
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1
Use the balance to find out which side the torn speaker is on. First, turn the balance all the way over to the left side and listen for buzzing. Then, adjust the balance all the way to the right side. Some equalizers do not turn a side all the way off, so you may hear buzzing all the time. However, the side which buzzes more strongly when the equalizer is adjusted to it is the side with the torn speaker.
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2
Use the equalizer to find out which speaker is torn. Many stereos have tweeters, woofers and subwoofers on both the left and the right. Turn all the bands all the way down on the equalizer. Then, turn up the highest band. If you hear a buzzing, the tweeter is torn. If not, turn down the high-band and turn up the next highest. Keep going down until you hear a buzzing. A buzzing on the high end of the range means the tweeter is probably the problem, a mid-range buzzing means the woofer, and a low-range one means the subwoofer. If you only have one speaker on each channel, you can skip this step.
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3
Turn off the stereo and take off the speaker grille by unscrewing the screws holding it in, Look closely at the speaker. You should see a small tear somewhere on the cone. If you don't, turn the sound way down and listen closely to the speaker. You should be able to hear where the buzz is coming from and then see it.
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4
Unplug the speaker from the stereo. Mix water and white glue in a proportion of one-to-one or slightly more watery. Use a Q-tip or a brush to dab it on the rip. Then, tear off a small piece of tissue paper, just big enough to cover the rip. Put it on the glue and smooth it down with your fingers.
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5
Wait for the patch to dry, then add a second layer of glue and a second piece of tissue paper. You can add a third and a fourth patch if you wish to make sure the patch is strong.
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