Re: Plastic coned speakers Quote:
Originally Posted by navin Most car speakers have rubber surrounds (foam does not last even half as long). These are usually butyl rubber. In cheap speakers these are often foam and the foam surrounds dont last more than 2-3 years.
Other than the foam surrounds, the part that is most suspetible is the rubber (butyl) surround and the glue that holds the rubber surround to the basket and cone. |
I agree with all your points Navin, but I'd like to bring one discussion to the table.
Foam was and still remains a preferred substance for surround due to its natural characteristics of low-weight/mass, strength and flexibility and thereby ability to contribute to quality audio without effectively "slowing down" movement.
However as you rightly pointed out, foam has shown a tendency to corrode with moisture/heat/uv and other characteristics that made butyl rubber a natural choice (due to its longetivity) until a little while ago.
I have seen foam make a swift return due to new chemical compositions and inventions that overcome the negative chracteristics of foam as you knew it. The rebirth of foam surrounds is on |