Best method to repair dome tweeter 'kemek'

 by kdnfz Today at 1:08 pm


 sorry cannot help it see that dome soft tweeter "kemek", get a vacuum cleaner and it will suck it back to nice round thing... i did that on three of my speaker, got small kid who like to poke it....


I wonder if there are other methods to repair 'kemek' tweeter. Tried with very
sticky tape but the result is not good. Apparently the tape is not sticky enough....

Using a vacuum cleaner could be rather risky.
If the suction is too powerful, the cone could get completely sucked into the vacuum cleaner and totally destroy the tweeter.

Maybe a small portable car vacuum cleaner would be better. Best to try with sticky tape or blu tack first before attempting with a vacuum cleaner

I've tried the vacuum cleaner method and would not recommend it.

Some other options?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o15ISAHOSkQ

Youtube has a few videos on how to do it.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but once dented, a tweeter will never perform the same. Replacing both tweeters is the best option.

Unfortunately, I cannot find replacement tweeters anymore. My speakers are Celestion A3

Hi JKK,
     This could be dangerous in term of damaging the tweeter permanently. But I think it is quite achievable. Use Dunlop rubber adhesive where u can find in hardware stall, sell by small or big can.

Use a blunt wooden tooth pick, dip the tip with this glue and rest it on the dent area of the tweeter, of course the speaker need to lie flat, where the tooth pick can rest on it. when the glue start curing, try to pull it.. Dont let the glue cure too long, I think 2 to 3 minutes will do.

Hi STC,
     Dent tweeter that cannot restore to full glory, could be those metal type? I dont see that could be a problem for fabric dome, as long as the dent is not very severe, where it could have dent the voice coil as well.

Hi JKKhoo, I guessed as much but only after posting. If it is a fabric dome, you could try with a really tiny sharp pin and inset between the fabric gaps to pull it out. I have done this to my old car tweeters.
 
Adrian,
The shape and the material used for the dome matters most for the way the tweeter disperse the sound.  A dent would change the shape and the rigidity of the affected surface. A fabric dome is rigid for a specific purpose.
 
Theoretically, that would affect its performance. How much depends on how sensitive you are. I have even erroneously put up for sale in this forum a pair of speakers with non working tweeters thinking the sound was dull due to lack running in after a long disuse. Maybe, not all very would able to hear slight distortion or even lack of the high frequencies.
 
So if vocal is your main diet (like myself) then the slight dent would not be noticeable but if you are into imaging and enjoy the decay of sounds from a triangle or similar high frequencies musical instruments then you may feel the effect.

it is possible to 'massage' a dented dome tweeter back into the right shape, but it has to be a cloth, soft dome. i have done it before. as for sound quality, you not notice any difference.

the video link posted above is about fixing a dent in a dust cap of a woofer. damage to the dust cap will not affect the sound. a tweeter is more delicate.
i would not recommend using the needle method as it will leave a hole in the dome tweeter. as for the super glue method, well....
the vacuum cleaner method may work as long as the suction is not too strong.

sflam wrote:i would not recommend using the needle method as it will leave a hole in the dome tweeter.

Too tiny to even notice. Just add a little bit of super glue at the tip of the pin to cover the hole. That's the last resort if the kemek is affecting the sound and no other means of bringing back it to shape.

Some say it is possible to dismantle the tweeter to replace or push out the dome. I have no idea how to it do with the Focal tweeter I had then and not sure if it will be possible with the Celestion tweeter.

Mr. JKKhoo,

If you can take good pictures of your dented tweeter front and back of the unit.  I may help you to repair the dented dome Free-of-Charge.  I must stress that do not send me the units first, send me pictures and I shall take a close look at those pictures before deciding the next move.
Using vacuum is a great choice but if you are not careful, a too powerful suction will eventually puncture its dome and I don't use needle and glue.
Understood from the Net, your tweeter is a titanium dome.
PM me once you have the pictures taken.

my worry is that since your tweeter has a titanium dome, the surface of the dome may not be smooth even if the dent is 'popped' back. 

nevertheless, check this thread: http://techtalk.parts-express.com/showthread.php?213826-Possible-to-fix-dented-titanium-dome-tweeter

You are right Mr. sflam, but you are getting the tweeter to work again. What if, the tweeter is not of current production or just too expensive to get another similar replacement.
It is still possible to get rid of the creases almost completely, if work under a 60x microscope.  Such method is a bit stressful and no doubt, time consuming.