Energy ESM3 refoam

bamaboy · Mar 19, 2011

OK, this is my 2nd go at refoaming speakers. I got these ESM3's for $10 and the foam was $25. The cabinets on these speakers is heavy and beautiful. I havent completed the job yet, but here is the process so far......

bamaboy · Mar 19, 2011

more of the ESM3's

outer foam gasket removed easily

time for the acetone

bamaboy · Mar 19, 2011

Paper gasket didnt come off so easy, but i learned on the first one, and the 2nd i cut under it with a utility knife more carefully and the gasket came off in one nice piece.

farr out · Mar 19, 2011

Bamaboy, I've got a pair of those and had to refoam a couple years ago. Well worth it, they're awesome sounding speakers in my opinion. Are you gonna remove the dust caps and shim? That was the method I used and mine came out perfect. It's almost foolproof (and I'm a fool). Let me know what is stamped on the back of your woofers, I'm trying to build my own version of these and can't get anywhere from what was on mine, maybe yours hold more clues. Take your time and all will go well. You'll be very happy with the sonic results, Scott :music:

Toka · Mar 19, 2011

I had my pair of these refoamed a few years ago...great speakers and well worth the effort! Nice work!

Sir.Byrd · Mar 19, 2011

Those look like they take the edgeless boston surrounds, it should make the job look much better and be easier on you if you get the right surrounds.

madtech · Mar 20, 2011

Refoamed 2 sets of ESM3s last year. I used GeoAliWil's surround kits from EBay.
Make sure you use shims. When you cut the dust cap leave a 1" flap. When you're done the dust cap will "drop" back in place and you're ready for glue to finish it up. Fantastic speakers for their size.

bamaboy · Mar 23, 2011

What shd I use for shims? I havent used shims in the past, I have just pushed back and forth on the cone until i found the sweet spot. That wont work on these?

michiganpat · Mar 23, 2011

use a 30hz test tone when gluing the surround to the basket....works way better IMHO

bamaboy · Mar 26, 2011

how do i go about doing that? hook the speaker up and play noise while refoaming????

mikeybc · Mar 26, 2011

Yeah, preferably a low frequency test tone, some people use a 1.5 volt battery (d or c or aa cell) to provide just enough current to keep the coil centered magnetically too

bamaboy · Mar 26, 2011

I got a 6v, will that work? Is this test tone on my mac garageband?

mikeybc · Mar 27, 2011

As long it doesn't have a lot of current, you don't want a lot of cone movement or generate heat in the voice coil. A half dead d or c cell should do. You can also easily download a 30 Hz test tone or get a free frequency generator app

lab · Mar 27, 2011

6 volt battery is way too high!

pete_mac · Mar 27, 2011

bamaboy said:
What shd I use for shims? I havent used shims in the past, I have just pushed back and forth on the cone until i found the sweet spot. That wont work on these?

If you already have a 'feel' for how to refoam without using shims, you'll be fine.

I refoamed my ESM2s without shims or tones and they performed flawlessly. I've since used a 1.5v battery or a 30hz test-tone on other refoam jobs just to be certain of no issues, but in each case there is been no problem with my hand-centering. The Energy woofers don't appear to have particularly tight tolerances.

moinau · Mar 27, 2011

On the topic of cutting the dust cap, what is the purpose of cutting it, and when cutting it, do you cut it right at the edge of the cone.

pete_mac · Mar 27, 2011

The dust cap must be cut if you wish to use shims. The dust caps conceals the voice coil gap, which is where you insert the shims.

madtech · Mar 27, 2011

bamaboy said:
What shd I use for shims? I havent used shims in the past, I have just pushed back and forth on the cone until i found the sweet spot. That wont work on these?

If you buy your foams online a few of the kits come with shims. EBay's GeoAliWil for example includes shims. Everyone has their own preference for re-foaming. The 30hz test tone is popular and takes less time. I prefer using shims because it takes all possibilities of error out of the process. Also you can position the cone above the metal basket which is convenient when gluing the outside surround edge. I'd say use the method that works for you. You can cut business cards into strips or use sheets of thicker clear plastic to make your own shims. Here's a link to a re-foam that I did last year to a set of JBL L110s. http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=305011 Good luck!

Metrobilly · Mar 27, 2011

I did a pair of these without shims or removing the dust cap. The spider keeps things pretty well centered and I simply pushed the cone a little one side to the other to make sure there was plenty of clearance for the voice coil.

Pretty nice speakers!

madtech · Mar 27, 2011

My two pair after the re-foam.

Energy ESM3 refoam

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