How to Disassemble a Subwoofer

An example of a worn out speaker.

There are a variety of reasons to disassemble a subwoofer, including education and salvage, but most commonly repair. Subwoofers are no more then large speakers. These large speakers contain all the same parts as a regular speaker, and can be dismantled the in the same way as a regular speaker. Dismantling a subwoofer does not require professional skills, but you should excercise caution to prevent damage to additional parts, thus making it unrepairable.

Things You'll Need

• Various screwdrivers Utility knife Desoldering gun Industrial solvent (full disassembly only)

Instructions

1. Remove the speaker from its enclosure by removing all of the mounting screws.

2. Cut off the speaker's surround (foam or rubber ring attached to the cone and speaker frame) with the utility knife.

3. Pry the cone away from the voice coil with the utility knife. Desolder any wires attached to the cone.

4. Pry the voice coil out with the utility knife.

5. Unscrew the speaker frame from the top plate. Bathe the plates, magnet and bottom of the speaker frame in industrial solvent.

6. Remove the speaker frame from the plates once the bonding glue has been dissolved by the solvent. Pry apart the magnet-plate assembly. It may be necessary to bathe the assembly multiple times to fully dissolve the bonding glue.

Tips & Warnings

• Only use the solvent in well-ventilated areas.

References

• BobVila: Fixing an Audio Speaker