Replacing tweeters/diaphragms in B&W 705 S1(!)

[AaronDr]

Hello there,

I have recently acquired a pair of B&W 705 S1 speakers which apear to have a broken tweeter on one side and a damaged one on the other side. This is my first set of real speakers and I am unsure how to proceed with repairing them. How do I find out to which extent I can and should repair them? A quick google search resulted me in finding this post: Broken Tweeters - B&W 705 S1, which indicates that they are very expensive to repair if I can even find the discontinued parts. If that is the case, is it possible to use a different modern set of tweeters?

Kind regards,
Aaron

 

[tazzo1]

If you use different tweeters, you will most likely have to apply changes to the crossovers too.

 

[Paul7777x]

You might try here.

Bowers & Wilkins B&W speaker repair | speaker exchange

Bowers & Wilkins B&W speaker repair or replace tweeters, diaphragms, tweeter, tweeter grills, midrange grills, grommets, rings, crossovers

reconingspeakers.com

It’s not a difficult job if you can find the diaphragms anywhere.

 

[AaronDr]

Thanks for the replies guys, will aplying changes to the crossover be possible for a newbie like me? Also the shape of the tweeters are a bit unconventional, how would I know if it could fit or sound good? The website Paul linked looks good but I do not live in the US and they do not apear to have my tweeter available (ZZ14137 I believe).

 

[Ugg10]

Have you tried emailing or calling B&W, even though the speakers are discontinued they do tend to hold stock parts for quite a while. Also may be worth a call to Wilmslow Audio to see if they have an alternative that fits.

Crossover changes are not easy as you will need measurement equipment and modelling software to get it right.

 

[dogfonos]

I have recently acquired a pair of B&W 705 S1 speakers which apear to have a broken tweeter on one side

Looks like more than a minor dink. Did you know how damaged the speakers were before you got them? Did you pay for these speakers? If possible, return them for a refund because that damage looks quite severe and I would question how the previous owner(s) treated them, so could other problems lurk beneath the surface?

My moto is: never touch equipment that appears to have been mistreated.

 

[AaronDr]

Looks like more than a minor dink. Did you know how damaged the speakers were before you got them? Did you pay for these speakers? If possible, return them for a refund because that damage looks quite severe and I would question how the previous owner(s) treated them, so could other problems lurk beneath the surface?

My moto is: never touch equipment that appears to have been mistreated.

I got them from the previous owner for free when I moved into this apartment. He said he didn't use them and didn't even have anything to power them with. He got them from a friend who used them during his time as a student, I am guessing a few wild parties took a toll on these nice speakers. Apart from the tweeters they do seem perfectly fine. The front covers stay on quite firmly and, judging from the amount of dust just beneath the rim after removing them, have been on there for most if not all of it's rough life. In contrast to that, the tweeter covers are resting on top very lightly and come off very easily.

I shall try calling B&W this afternoon, thanks for the tip Ugg10

 

[tazzo1]

The value of the crossover parts I'm sure depends on the TS parameters of the tweeter. Not advised for newbies.

As Ugg10 has also suggested, Wilmslow Audio maybe able to help, they helped me when I upgraded my tweeters with the correct resistor and inductor parts.

 

[Ugg10]

You could try these guys in Netherlands. They seem to have the tweeters but they are 129euro each!

https://speakerrepairshop.nl/en/tweeters/b-w/g-10000076

 

[ashenfie]

I would say the second one is not a repair. I would look at replacing as suggest above and with some luck B&W didn't change the crossover/tweeter part way though the products life.

 

[dogfonos]

My moto is: never touch equipment that appears to have been mistreated.

I got them from the previous owner for free

My (revised) moto is: never touch equipment that appears to have been mistreated - unless it's a freebie!