Kappa Polydome revisited

Robmag

Active Member
Just got my polydome that I bought on ebay. As you can see from pic I was not happy. As soon as I pressed on it, it separated with very little force. Ebay is always a crap shoot. Well do I send it to Michael Marks for repair or just buy a pair from Orange county.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/INFINITY-Ka...227?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3391923cc3
http://www.speakerrepair.com/page/product/02-239.html

Does anyone here have any feedback on the orange county drivers?
Is there any other people that repair these drivers?

Thanks,
Rob
 

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those are 8 ohm, need to put a fuse with them...i've read a couple threads where people liked them at first but them sent them back...better to get originals fixed....they will come back black and not clear...also Bill LeGall at Millersound can also fix them...good guy...
 
When they turn yellow like the one in your pic they're shot, try to buy them when they look cloudy white color as they are still soft, you can clean them up before you install them.
 
That midrange is $10 cheaper here (used to be less, they must have caught on), if you decide to go that route. Plus they're currently offering 5% off over $100.
 
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it looks the same just instead of it being see-through its black....some others have had this done and said they sound great....
 
I just worked up the nerve to clean mine up but not before sourcing spares in the event of a catastrophe.
My understanding is the stages of decay range from clear>cloudy>opaque white>yellow>dust.
Since all mine appeared to be in the middle stages thankfully, the risk to disassemble and treat was warranted.
I did the spares first and will take on the main drivers later. The whole process is not difficult, I just took my time and proceeded with extreme caution. Used Tupperware of appropriate diameter to aid in the assembly, disassembly and support of the diaphragm. Precision Q-Tips also came in handy in cleaning between the lead wires and surround.

The .1 model turned out like new but there is still a bit of cloud in the older dome but it`s much better than before.
Do subsequent treatments remove more cloud?
 

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I just worked up the nerve to clean mine up but not before sourcing spares in the event of a catastrophe.
My understanding is the stages of decay range from clear>cloudy>opaque white>yellow>dust.
Since all mine appeared to be in the middle stages thankfully, the risk to disassemble and treat was warranted.
I did the spares first and will take on the main drivers later. The whole process is not difficult, I just took my time and proceeded with extreme caution. Used Tupperware of appropriate diameter to aid in the assembly, disassembly and support of the diaphragm. Precision Q-Tips also came in handy in cleaning between the lead wires and surround.

The .1 model turned out like new but there is still a bit of cloud in the older dome but it`s much better than before.
Do subsequent treatments remove more cloud?

Have had mine done for couple years now. Mine are the .1 and were white colored. It took about 4 times over about a year period (so about every quarter of the year) to get them to where they would not turn back a little white in a couple months. Now they stay just as they were when new. So it might take a couple time over an extended period, but well worth it, and really not that difficult to do. I did not even take mine out of the cabinet back then.
I will still look at mine about every year, to keep them from drying out over the years etc... But certainly much much better than doing nothing and watching them turn to dust.

BTW, I would get the originals fixed rather than an 8 ohm driver. Worth more if you ever sell too.
 
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What are you using to clean them up? My Kappa 8.1s are still in good shape but I have four Kappa 8s that are opaque white.

As recommended. Some folks have had success with other brands like Autoglym if the Meguires is unavailable.
 

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Nice Going ! And a very interesting method . >>
(( Used Tupperware of appropriate diameter to aid in the assembly, disassembly and support of the diaphragm. )) :scratch2::scratch2::scratch2:
That was the problem I had in approaching it . I thought i could manage it without disconnecting leads ( before i decided to close up and avoid damage )Then I thought if I built some kind of support maybe I could manage it ( With the leads attached and the way the connections protrude you cant lay it face up to remove inner screws and dissasemble .
 
Nice Going ! And a very interesting method . >>
(( Used Tupperware of appropriate diameter to aid in the assembly, disassembly and support of the diaphragm. )) :scratch2::scratch2::scratch2:
That was the problem I had in approaching it . I thought i could manage it without disconnecting leads ( before i decided to close up and avoid damage )Then I thought if I built some kind of support maybe I could manage it ( With the leads attached and the way the connections protrude you cant lay it face up to remove inner screws and dissasemble .

I think that manoeuvering the diaphragm still attached to the lead in wires would pose more risk to damage than a soldering iron alone.
You can always snip the wire and unsolder the fast-on connectors with the driver out of the enclosure, that`ll give you so much more to work with. Then do the cleaning and install new fast on connectors to the wires when your done.
 
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