Cerwin-Vega Digital Series D-3 speakers- Foam deteriorating on woofers

D

DocMontana

Active Member
Some years back I bought a set of Cerwin-Vega digital series D-3 speakers..I used them for several years and they sounded great! But then the foam material around the edge of the woofers started to deteriorate. I asked a tech guy what might be done and he suggested I try repairing them with a silicone-based glue. I did, and they held together for a while longer but it eventually became obvious they were not going to last. So I put them away until I could fix them.

My question is- Can the speakers have new foam put on them? They WILL still play, or at least they would when I put them away a few years ago but the foam stuff is shot!

Which is why I stopped using them, I figured if they could be repaired without doing a full recone or whatever it would be best to stop using them till I could (hopefully) get them fixed. If I need to replace them I will do so, but I would rather not if there's no need to. The tweeters and midrange speakers seem to be fine.
 
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You were right to stop using them and to suspect they can be repaired. Do some searching for 'refoaming' or 'woofer foam surround repair'. If you are handy you can do it yourself otherwise you should be able to find a repairer to do it for you. Make sure the replacement surround is similar to the original.
 
Entering "cerwin vega d3 surround" on ebay brings up numerous surround kits with all the tools you need for repair. There are numerous tutorials on Utube to show you how.

Resurrect and repair those D3s and enjoy them again!

GeeDeeEmm
 
Refoaming woofers is pretty much "routine maintenance" for CV and Infinity speakers (and many others) once they hit a certain age. It is a fairly simple and inexpensive repair, and there are lots of suppliers of surrounds, glue, or even kits. No need to re-cone if the cone and spiders are not damaged.
 
D-3's were the first speakers I ever bought (I think I was seventeen). Lots of great college days memories from that pair of speakers. They're actually the reason I got into the audio hobby some twenty years after they were damaged beyond repair. Fond memories of that slammin' and thumpin' bass created an irresistible urge to relive that experience and a hunt for some CV's ensued. I found a pair, but they turned out to be the gateway to the fascinating world of vintage and hi-end audio. Get those woofers refoamed and send your D-3's back into battle!
 
Just did a refoam on my D3... it's been the easiest foam job since a refoam speakers.DSCN2581.JPG
 
Long time Cerwin Vega fan here. I have never bought a set of CV Speakers that didn't need new surrounds except for the first ones I bought new in 1976. The R12 Receiver savers. Today I got a set of D3s in the original boxes, Mint. Ordered the surrounds before I even got them out of the truck. Just realized I now have the D1s D3 D5 D7 & D9s. Don't know why no even numbers, maybe they didn't make as many? Then if I want to really piss off the neighbors I have my 15Ts or 215p Big Boys to plug in. Surrounds are Strait forward, as long as you have them centered. I just reconed my D9s and would not recommend a novice try that. I've been working on these Speakers for 40 years. Plus at $80 a piece for a replacement cone you don't want to mess up. Keep um rockin!!
 

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Had a pair of R-10s. The surrounds were still good, 30 yrs old. They could rock 2 floors of the house from the basement, with only 40W (Nad 3140). The receiver savers were nice.
 
I did my D9s refoaming, not hard at all. Took about an hour each, really important to make sure all the original adhesive is scraped out and not to damage the cone when removing the old stuff
 
Tip for CV woofers is to feel around on the back side of the cone below the dust cap and see if you feel any crease/wrinkle. The cones are known to collapse there. Reinforce by wetting with cyanoacrylate to stiffen the paper.

Hope this helps someone.
 
Still you have to be careful. I went to buy a set of D9s the owner refoamed himself and they were Mint. Only thing is one woofer didn't move at all. I glue on to the cone first and let it set, then do the outside seat and ring and start checking. A lot of people use 3 or 4 fingers to push the cone down to check for rubbing. I use one finger going all the way around. If there's no rubbing then, you have it. After 30 minutes your set. Good luck.
 
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