I need help. I have four Soundfield dbx speakers - models SF-50 (2) and SF-2500 (2). I have some small 6 1/2 mids that have foam damage and some tweeters that need to be replaced, and after taking them in I was told it would be cheaper to just replace them. I am ok with that, but I want to make sure I get the same sound or better out of them. Does anyone know where I can get a manual to these models so I can replace the mids and tweeters with matching specs?

p.s. After taking them in I was told that the tweeters were old Audax, which is out of business. The tweeters have part numbers on the back of them (6 of them are 23009500 and 4 of them are 23010100). There are two sets of mids according to the part numbers (2 x 23009300 & 2 x 23009800). The numbers on all of the speakers seem to be simular, which makes me think they are all Audax - is there a place I can reference these numbers against newer speakers and keep the same specs?

I know, I'm probably asking to many questions with way to many part numbers envolved.

Thanks

Now that´s a daunting task ahead of you. Audax was a French driver manufacturer which went out of business some time ago.

Regarding the 6 1/2" mid drivers you are definitely better off having them refoamed, whatever brand they are, unless they have cone damage of course.

Others here may be able to point you to some foam surrounds supplier.

As for the tweeters your best bet would be ebay.fr ( France) searching for Audax in the Hifi Audio category, and ebay.co.uk. searching for Audax in the Consumer Electronics category.

I just checked both sites and they both have some tweeters going.

If you find something that suits you and the seller wont ship abroad, we might ask our British and French members ( we have at least one of each ) for some help.

Good luck

Jorge

Yeah, I am wanting to replace the speakers, but with the same specs. I did take them to a repair shop near my home and they told me that replacing them would be cheaper. The repair shop looked them up and was able to get the specs on them, which is really what I want to be able to do so I can search for the best price online. I might even want to upgrade the brand. Is there a way to find out the specs for these speakers?

You might want to try these guys out for spare tweeters.

Check these guys out for manuals and/ or specifications.

I´ve read very good things about this fellow concerning full speaker repairs.

FRESH OFF THE PRESS

Well, not exactly, but Harman International, owner of the Audax Brand, has apparently sold their rights and manufacturing license to a french company, so the name Audax will carry on.

Check " Bases documentaire fiche techniques" for spec sheets on most Audax models ever made.

Hope this helps.

Jorge

I worked for dbx (or rather, BSR, who owned dbx at the time) when the Soundfield speakers in question were manufactured. None of the drivers in any dbx Soundfield speaker were particularly noteworthy, but all fell within the engineer's paramaters for the precise dispersion patterns to qualify for that special "Soundfield imaging" for which the speakers were known. There are far better replacement drivers that will improve the sound of the speakers, but none that will generated that special imaging quality.

This link, while certainly well intentioned, has only parts for the Soundfield V, which was manufactured exclusively for DAK industries, and has no bearing whatseover on any previous dbx speaker, nor deserves the "Soundfield" name, as its dispersion pattern was nothing like any of the previous speakers made by dbx (the "V" was made elsewhere).

DAK (Drew Alan Kaplan) was a huge BSR customer, who longed for dbx products, but due to his manner of selling, was considered anathema for the company and its retailers. Once the dbx brand (as well as the ADC brand) were sold to Carillon Technology Inc. (CTI), all bets were off, and the powers-that-be at CTI purposely put the dbx consumer lilne under, and readily (and greedily) offered a truly lousy product (the dbx "Soundfield V") to DAK.

The last link in the above-quoted post is probably the most useful, and definitely one worth looking into. dbx's Soundfield speaker line was never particularly successful, but at least they worked as promised: you had a perfect stereo image no matter where you sat - even directly in front of one of the two speakers. The so-called "Soundfield V" made for, and sold by DAK did nothing of the sort. Older dbx Soundfield speakers can be improved by replacing tweeters and midrange units with better ones, but the imaging qualities will be destroyed.

Have you considered refoaming the mids yourself? It is actually quite easy and inexpesive, many "kits" are availible complete with instructions.

Jim

Hifi Nut, thank you for the links. I did check for replacement speakers, but the first site is only offering dbx V's, which will not work for me. I sent an email to StereoManuals.com and am waiting for a response. The repair link you sent me will be a last resort. Again, Thank you for your help.

emaidel, thank you for your help as well. I did find out that the speakers in the SF-50's were not note worthy, even though they did sound great and projected sound to every corner in the room. That is why I was trying to find replacements. I didn't want to loose the ability to sit anywhere and get great sound. I was hoping to get a manual that would tell me each speakers specs so I could find replacement speakers, but you say I will still loose the imaging supplied by the original speakers - even if they meet the originals specs (i.e. ohm, impedence, watts, etc.)?

I really don't know much about speakers, other than to say I know what sounds good and what doesn't, but could you tell the most important thing I should stick to when looking for replacing these speakers? I don't know what an ohm is, or impedance, but I know the speakers should keep the same characteristics as the original speakers so they work well in my cabinets, right?

Thanks is an advance for your help.

To add to the post above, the reason I am going through all this trouble is because these speakers, along with the stereo system were given to me by my grandfather about 5 years ago. So there is sentimental value. The stereo equipment I am using is all Bob Carver, purchased in '88-'90?. I have a CT-17 preamp tuner, TFM-25 Amp, TFM-15 Amp, 10 disc changer TLM-3600, Dual-Tape deck TDR-2400, and a Technics 1200 truntable. From what I have gathered here and there, he purchased everthing for roughly $12,000.

That's the whole story and I'm sticking to it...

Hi Jim,

I am sure it is easy, and I am mechanically inclined, but I still want to exhaust every effort before doing that.

Thanks.

That which dbx engineers placed as a critical factor in selecting the drivers used was their dispersion pattern. It is the overall dispersion of the entire speaker system that's ultimately responsible for the "Soundfield Imaging" that worked as well as it did. As you know, you can walk right up to one of the speakers, and as you do, the other one seems to get louder. That's because the side of that speaker facing you has the grea-*test*-('") dispersion pattern.

In selecting replacement drivers, you're best using a service dedicated to such a business. Aside from the driver's frequency response (which is limited by the crossover network within the speaker system) there is also the relative efficiency of that driver: using a midrange driver of greater efficiency than the original, for example, will result in that driver playing too loudly.

I think you've already received advice as to where to purchase replacement drivers, but there are numerous others around, and it's worth your time to check out as many as you can. Good luck!

I am hearing what your saying. There isn't another speaker out there that will match the dispersion pattern of the old speakers. I mean the crossover is still going to regulate each speaker and the shape and placement of the cabinet is still going to throw sound in a certain direction, right? I should be able to find simular, or even better sounding speakers and not loose to much of the room fill that I have now, yes?

Next, can you suggest a couple of brands of speakers I should be looking at.

I am under the impression that expensive loudspeakers really are using speakers that aren't really that special - it's more the design of the cabinet and crossover? I mean, these speakers I have were roughly 1500 dollars a piece brand new, but what I am finding out is that the actual speakers are your average run of the mill speakers. Is that the way it is with all these expensive loudspeakers?

With that said, I should be able to have really good sound with speakers that don't really cost a million.

I want you to know that I really appreciate your help and time.

There are two members here that can be a multitude of help as far as repairing yours if you don't want to do it yourself.

Reedger in in San Jose, Ca., and sells replacement surrounds as well as repairs them, and GordonW (Georgia) does similar work, as well as design speakers and sound systems. Not knowing where you are located, either of them might be worth a PM to keep the speakers "stock". I recently bought a complete woofer for my JBL L80T that had just been re-foamed, plus another surround for the other, for $50 from GordonW.

Can't beat that deal with a big stick!!!


Another thing - to some people, keeping a vintage speaker original is very important.

I truly can't recommend a source, as I just don't know one. You'll have to depend on help from other members of this site for that suggestion.

Insofar as all expensive speakers being made with cheap drivers, that's categorically not so. While my Dahlquist DQ-10's use relatively un-spectacular drivers, it's the magic in the crossover that makes them work together so well. In a dbx speaker, while the crossover does a good job of making mediocre drivers seem to perform well, and provide the Soundfield Imaging characteristics, no dbx speaker was every truly considered a "high-end" model - not your SF-50's at their $1,500 price per speaker, nor the most expensive model, the SF-1a.

If you examine many a high-end speaker system, you'll find expertly manufactured drivers with cast aluminum frames, butyl rubber surrounds and even some with fiberglass cones (all characteristics, by the way, of many a B&W speaker). On your SF-50, there are actually cast aluminum trim rings that were added to relatively inexpensive Pioneer woofers and midrange units, with plastic lenses covering the Audax tweeters. This was done in a totally unsuccessful attempt to make the drivers used appear more expensive, but it didn't fool anyone.

Repairing your existing speakers is the best way to keep them original, it really isn't difficult, it does take a little time and patience. As Larry mentioned there are a couple of members who can either do it for you or provide the required materials, Kits are also availible on the Net and that auction site.

Here is a link to a video on one method of changing surrounds, other methods will show you to remove the dust cap also, I don't unless it has damage, one thing I do different than in the video is that when I glue the out side after checking to be sure the voice coil is not rubbing is to use little spring clamps to hold the surround in place till the glue can dry. Others suggest removing the dust cap and shimming in place during the procedure, there is also a method of attaching a battery to properly align the voice coil prior to glueing. If you push in gently on the woofer you can feel when it is not aligned correctly, this also will give you a sense of the strenght of the voice coil.

http://www.speakerworks.net/repair_video.html

I have no affiliation with the source, it is just an informative video that I found on a quick search.

Jim