Slightly "creased" tweeter on B&W dm603 s2

G

gm267

Guest
Hi, need a little bit of advice.

I have somebody selling B&W dm603 s2 speakers for a great price, but upon inspection I see that one of the (aluminium?) tweeters are slightly 'creased' or crumpled. Imagine some smooth material, folding/crumpling it (within reason), and then unfolding back to the original shape - that's what the tweeter looks like. It doesn't seem like major damage, but I'm wondering how much this affects the sound, if at all? The speakers sound good as far as I can tell, but I'm no expect (this is for my first home cinema), and of course I haven't heard them before this happened so can't directly compare.

I'm pretty keen on buying them, but would like to make sure I'm not making a big mistake first. I suppose I could always invest in a new tweeter direct from B&W? Would this create an imbalance though, if not fitted "perfectly" as the other speaker, or if I changed only one of the two speakers' tweeters?

Thanks in advance,
Gregory
 
Shouldn't impair the sound if it's only minor.
You can try a hoover nozzel on the tweater, this sometimes helps dents and crumples.
(Found out the hard way way speakers with grills off are'nt a good idea with two year olds about!):suicide:
 
I had the tweeters on my tannoy's pushed in a few weeks back,i did the trick with the hoover and i did work.It might not be so easy with aluminium tweeters mine are soft and just poped back out.You could allways get him to knock at bit more off so you could replace the tweeter.
 
Originally posted by Stellavision

(Found out the hard way way speakers with grills off are'nt a good idea with two year olds about!):suicide:

Yeah i found that out twice he did one and went and did the other.
 
Thanks for the replies. Indeed, two year olds can be a problem, but actually I may have a worse (?) one to come: There are two cats in the 'family' (I do like cats, but if it were up to me, they probably wouldn't be here) and I'm afraid of the damage they are capable of.

Any other cat owners have any comments? Do I leave the grill on for protection and risk it being torn down to shreds, or protect the grill and expose the drivers? I'm pretty sure the cats would be interested in ripping up the cloth, but if I remove it, although the delicates are exposed, they might not find much interest in the solid insides. Anybody have any experiences to share? :)

Thanks once again,
Gregory
 
Originally posted by bob1
Yeah i found that out twice he did one and went and did the other.
At least you got speakers that matched:)

Can't really say much on the cat front. Aren't they supposed to leave your furniture alone so long as you give them a proper designated scratching post?
 
Originally posted by Stellavision
At least you got speakers that matched:)

Can't really say much on the cat front. Aren't they supposed to leave your furniture alone so long as you give them a proper designated scratching post?


I've tried a couple of scratching posts. They never used them beyond the first day. I think they like wreaking havoc on new unfamiliar items ;) (as well as expensive ones - the sofa is always a favourite)
 
Originally posted by gm267
Thanks for the replies. Indeed, two year olds can be a problem, but actually I may have a worse (?) one to come: There are two cats in the 'family' (I do like cats, but if it were up to me, they probably wouldn't be here) and I'm afraid of the damage they are capable of.

Any other cat owners have any comments? Do I leave the grill on for protection and risk it being torn down to shreds, or protect the grill and expose the drivers? I'm pretty sure the cats would be interested in ripping up the cloth, but if I remove it, although the delicates are exposed, they might not find much interest in the solid insides. Anybody have any experiences to share? :)

Just turn the volume up really loud if they go near them. They'll soon learn that wooden box = loud noise :D
 
Originally posted by tom_nieto
Just turn the volume up really loud if they go near them. They'll soon learn that wooden box = loud noise :D

Just what I was thinking ;)
 
Hi Gregory

Had to replace tweeter on my 603 S2's last year. Easy to do, remove mid driver, disconnect wires, push out tweeter and replace.

Prices direct from B&W

Tweeter ZZ11541 £14.47
Kevlar mid ZZ11436 £33.19
Bass ZZ11444 £31.49

+ P&P +VAT

Did hoover trick on a 600IFS centre years ago and sounds fine to this day.

Keep grills on until cats are used to speakers, they do sound better with them removed. (grills that is not the cats :)) Agree with the volume crank when they are near during first few days/weeks.

Gus
 
Thanks, 337GUS, very useful, I was about to email B&W to get that kind of information :) seems easy and cheap (compared to the price of the speaker)!

Will certainly do the scare-the-cat-to-death trick ;)
 
Makes you think about their total cost new doesn't it, £550 a pair if I remember?

I thought they would be a lot more - mind you a new mid/bass for my ProAc Studio's is £100 and they were the same price as the B&W's, but about 10 years previous.

Wouldn't bother changing both, but for the price I suppose it's not a lot of dosh and you would at least have a spare.

Hope you get it sorted out.

FWIW I think they are an absolutely great speaker, the best compromise for a mixed AV/HiFi system at their price point.

Sold mine to a really good mate and he is well chuffed, had 2 front and 2 back plus the LCR6 S2 for the centre.

Gus
 
Thanks, I went along and bought them :D not bad for my "starter" system I think. Now still need a centre and rears, and plan on going down the B&W route (600 series) to ensure a good match.

Would a CC6 do the job, or should I invest in something like an LCR6 (I don't think I can afford to as I want it relatively quick)? And would 601s suffice for rears, or should I shell out for 602s? These are less urgent and can wait a bit while I save up, as I can temporarily use some older wharfedales I have lying around.

Also, curiously, I came across a debate concerning 602 vs 603. Some people claimed the 602 was actually better in some respects due to the larger driver, and 603s sounded thin and uncoloured as a result, while others argued the extra bass made the 603 a far better choice. Comments anyone?

Gregory
 
Everyone's different, we all have preferences so at the end of the day the usual advice applies - go get a dem at a mates or dealer. Best of all is to get a home dem.

I listened to a number of similarly priced matched systems at the time I bought my 603's, the Ruark and AE packages impressed me but at the time the Kef and Mission did not. One of my mates swears by Mission, can't see past them, no-ones the same.

Personally I would never skimp on the centre, but it depends where your priorities lie. How much do you use it for HiFi and how much for AV, is SACD or DVD-A on the cards. What's the rest of your system?

I would always go for the 603's over the 602's. They don't sound thin imo, lots of drive and attack, great bass, the fault lie's with their metal dome tweeter which sounds a bit harsh with music but you don't really pick up on it watching a movie.

If you have to compromise then do it at the rear imho, get the best centre you can and make sure it's a tonal match. I was really pleased with the LCR6 and thought it excellent, a really great match for the 603's.

Gus
 
Cheers for that. Main use will be for watching movies, so centre would be important. I'll see what kind of offers I can get for a second hand LCR6, as I can't certainly afford a new one. Any idea what a good price is for a used LCR6 S2 today? Don't think I can spend more than £100 or so.
 
They were £350 new iirc, I sold mine for about £200 but it did have 3+ years warranty left - 7oaks gave me a 5 year warranty.

I would guess £150 for a good used one now the S3's are out.

There was a cheaper S2 version I think - LCR60 plus there are 2 LCR's in the S3 range, 60 £200 and 600 £350 I think.

Also the CC6 may be OK as you suggested about £120 ish used.

I would definately hold out for an LCR6 S2 as it would give you a great foundation to build on and was designed to match your 603 S2's.

Otherwise buy a CC6 centre cannily and move it on for a small/no loss when an LCR6 S2 comes up.

Gus
 
I think that is the first time i have ever seen anyone say that they sold their LCR6..........
I always wondered what happened to all them LCR6's.
They were a big hit, when they first came out........
i think i remember, it was on here, that i read of loads of people that brought them.
I could not afford one back then.........:(
I always wondered what ever happened to them all, as you never see them come up for sale................not on here anyway..???

As for the 602 sounding better than the 603.........i agree that its everyone to there own.....i have owned the 601 and 602 s2 and i much prefered the sound of the 601.
Never heard a 603.
 
Originally posted by gm267
Thanks for the replies. Indeed, two year olds can be a problem, but actually I may have a worse (?) one to come: There are two cats in the 'family' (I do like cats, but if it were up to me, they probably wouldn't be here) and I'm afraid of the damage they are capable of.

Any other cat owners have any comments? Do I leave the grill on for protection and risk it being torn down to shreds, or protect the grill and expose the drivers? I'm pretty sure the cats would be interested in ripping up the cloth, but if I remove it, although the delicates are exposed, they might not find much interest in the solid insides. Anybody have any experiences to share? :)

Thanks once again,
Gregory

Never had a problem with our brown Burmese clawing at my present or previous the speaker grills, but with them being PMC OB1's and Mission 775e's she couldn't really reach.

That said, she did manage to knock over one of the 775's - twice! She'd use it as a launch pad to leap across the room, at which point Newton's laws would "kick" in.

Have managed to get around that with the PMC's by investing in a few well placed cactii.

Originally posted by Stellavision
At least you got speakers that matched:)

Can't really say much on the cat front. Aren't they supposed to leave your furniture alone so long as you give them a proper designated scratching post?

Proper scratching post? We invested in a 6' tall "catarobic" centre and she still tears shreds out of the stairway carpet. Oh and be careful of toes dangling out from under the duvet.

Originally posted by tom_nieto
Just turn the volume up really loud if they go near them. They'll soon learn that wooden box = loud noise :D

Don't know about the cat, but the dogs always look at me in disgust when putting a CD on. They ususally beat a hasty retreat to their bed in the kitchen - or outside if the door's open.
 
Originally posted by chris
I always wondered what happened to all them LCR6's.
i think i remember, it was on here, that i read of loads of people that brought them. I could not afford one back then.........:(
I always wondered what ever happened to them all, as you never see them come up for sale................not on here anyway..???

Yeah I know! I've been on the lookout for centre speakers for roughly a month (though I'm new to these forums) and LCR6s never seem to appear, even on ebay. Dozens of CC6s though. I'd really like to get my hands on one for a decent price.
 
I'm sure there was about 20 odd people that brought one and said how much better it was over the CC6............maybe they never really did and just wished they did.......or maybe they were so good, no one's ever ganner change.
I wouldernt bother with the CC6....i had one with my 601/602's and it just did not match very well, i noticed the tonal difference when i had it with the 601's and i noticed it evern more when i changed to 602's......i ended up useing a 601 as the center, with the 602's.
The CC6 is OK if you get 3 of them and use them as the L,C and R or maybe if you can get one cheap enough them use it for a rear speaker in a 6.1 setup.
 
a little nephew of mine pushed in one of the tweeters on my 602's, just a litle bit. I just unscrewed the case and pushed it back out from the inside. This was about 2 years ago. Sounds great today...
 
Shouldn't impair the sound if it's only minor.
You can try a hoover nozzel on the tweater, this sometimes helps dents and crumples.
(Found out the hard way way speakers with grills off are'nt a good idea with two year olds about!):suicide:

DO NOT TRY THE VAC ON THESE TWEETERS, I DID IT ON ONE OF MY 602'S AND IT SUCKED THE TWEETER DOME OUT =, LUCKILY NOT AL LTHE WAY BUT IT HAS DOEN DAMAGE TO THE TWEETER AND WILL NEED REPLACING SOON, AT A COST OF £45 INC DELIVERY FROM b & w !
 

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