Synthesis LM-260 Mid-woofer

[jobob42]

Hello all. I have a pair of the LM-260 speakers that I bough around 16 months ago. I thought all was well, but I just pressed one of the mid-woofers gently and it had no give. The other one moves freely. It plays, although I would guess that if I really crank it I would notice a difference right away. Might explain why the imaging didn't seem quite there...

I have attached a photo. Focal 8n-412

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I guess buying might be cheaper than repairing; I see one in Belgium for $98. Also Audax has one via Madisound for $163 but I would have to get 2 for them to pair well. Any thought are very much appreciated. Thank you.

[admin]

Zero chance that they still make those so I think you are looking for a replacement as the only option. If you go with replacement, definitely replace the one in the other speaker as they will not sound the same.

As a side note, I would also take a look at the crossover. If you have the speaker apart, maybe a good time to look for components in the crossover that may be showing their age.

[Truth71]

Bill at Millersound is great at rebuilding drivers

http://millersound.net/

[jobob42]

Yes. I sent Millersound an e-mail. If the price is right I may go that route. I'm actually already thinking that once repaired I will experience a whole new, uh, experience from my system. Positive thinking!

[jobob42]

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OK. Including shipping, the speaker from Belgium will be ~ $180. The vendor says it is new, but of course that's NOS. A repair from Millersound is $164 plus shipping from my end, so the cost is almost identical. But I feel that only one is guaranteed, so I will go with Bill at Millersound. The cost of the Audax from Madisound is, of course, $163 plus shipping. Amazing, but I would need to buy a pair and Dave Fokos designed the LM-260 around the Focal so... Thank you everybody for your feedback.

Admin suggested examining the crossover components. I have zero experience with this. The crossovers are well glued into the bottom of the cabinet, and if could loosen the adhesive that holds the wooden plate that they are attached to I could examine them. Indeed it looks like a previous owner may have done this. Any thoughts are appreciated.

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[admin]

Very nice. Looks like there is a viable repair solution here.

As for the crossover caps, I think the black ones are not original. They appear to by Solen. The white ones are original. I would just check them carefully, if there is any sign of bulging or dysfunction, now would be the best time to replace them as the speakers are already taken apart.

[jobob42]

Hello again. I haven't sent this off to Millersound yet, although I will. I came across this post on Audiocircle from 2017, from Australia. This person's speakers may have been a later build as the drivers are the same as mine and the crossover very close to mine (Photo attached). Interesting. I will just check for bulging as Admin suggests. A different (earlier?) build used a clear Focal 8P511 and had different crossover components.

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[admin]

Very common to see these kinds of modifications with speakers of this age. It's also a relatively simple crossover design which makes it easier to do component replacements. Again, I think it's a good time to inspect components and do replacements if you have the speaker disassembled already.