what to do with bad speakers

[AxeAmpTN]

Since starting my repair shop a couple years ago, I've started to accumulate a small pile of dead speakers that have been replaced.  It occurred to me that I don't really have a plan for all this scrap.  Anyone else in this situation?  What do you do with yours?

[sluckey]

I've been collecting magnets ever since I was a kid.   

[Ed_Chambley]

Metal scrapyard provided you know junk from a 5.5 inch magnavox used in the Crosley Toumbstone in 1932. I just get the  numbers off them and if good but  need a  cone, I rebuild some. If they are old check on Radio Forums. I would, but I have sold down to 52 radios, but I did get another about a month ago. The one!


ZENITH 13 TUBE WITH THE LIGHTED WEIGHTED DIALS.

[AxeAmpTN]

Most of what I have are recent, speakers that simply stopped working and (in many cases), the manufacturer won't offer support.  For example, I have 3 obsolete Mackie powered PA speakers that have dead drivers.  I know I can part out the transformers, but the speakers are going to be of little-to-no value to anyone.  Another is a dead driver from a GK Blackline 115 cab.  Not really collectable, and all taking up way more space than they deserve!

[shooter]

could take them fishing, might pull up a early '60s Evinrude 

[jojokeo]

Old thread but whatever - I use old blown stock worthless inefficient speakers for dummy loads. Just cut away the baskets and surrounds leaving the spider/coil assembly along with the terminal strips all connected to the magnet. You will have a "working" dummy load to use for initial testing. When I inject a 1kHz signal upon fire-up I only need to hear the high pitched tone - work the vol, treb, bass, switching, etc and you can hear the pitch change along with the adjustments. I'll know it works and ready to hook up to a real speaker cab at that point. I'll also hook these up when I'm calculating Pdiss, making voltage checks and recordings, etc. - I have metal shelving near my workbench and they are stored onto these without mounting hardware, lol.


More things I'll do with them is remove the spider and epoxy the voice coil inside the magnet - but keep the terminal strips again. Now this can be used for placing a load on the OT but now be quiet for recording your amps. One more is to make a "headphone amp" for playing silently at night with your favorite tube amp not waking the neighbors and family. Lots of uses for old worthless speakers and speaker magnets...

[shooter]

I got a JBL 400W'r, works good dragging lake bottoms 

[Willabe]

I got a JBL 400W'r, works good dragging lake bottoms 

 

I used to use a a drum brake cover, worked great as an anchor.    

[AxeAmpTN]

Old thread but whatever - I use old blown stock worthless inefficient speakers for dummy loads. Just cut away the baskets and surrounds leaving the spider/coil assembly along with the terminal strips all connected to the magnet. You will have a "working" dummy load to use for initial testing. When I inject a 1kHz signal upon fire-up I only need to hear the high pitched tone - work the vol, treb, bass, switching, etc and you can hear the pitch change along with the adjustments. I'll know it works and ready to hook up to a real speaker cab at that point. I'll also hook these up when I'm calculating Pdiss, making voltage checks and recordings, etc. - I have metal shelving near my workbench and they are stored onto these without mounting hardware, lol.


More things I'll do with them is remove the spider and epoxy the voice coil inside the magnet - but keep the terminal strips again. Now this can be used for placing a load on the OT but now be quiet for recording your amps. One more is to make a "headphone amp" for playing silently at night with your favorite tube amp not waking the neighbors and family. Lots of uses for old worthless speakers and speaker magnets...

Thanks jojokeo.  Great ideas!