Hi there

This is my first post, so please go easy on me !!

I've just bought a Beolit 600 and a 707 and both of them have got damaged speakers.

The voice coil is OK but the cone doesnt move - I guess the coil is stuck inside the magnet

The speaker is oval and made by "Seas"

1. Is it possible to free the coil up

2. Can I buy an identical speaker from anywhere / anyone

3. Does anyone know where I can get a different type of speaker that will fit in the available space

Many thanks Andy

Hi

You need to contact Tim Jarman at beocentral.org

This is a very common problem and tim in the past fixed my beolit 600 by reworking the original speaker.

Basically, you cant buy identical speakers and i dont think anyone has found a replacement yet either.

Agree completely. Tim has spent quite a bit of time on this project and seems to have a good success rate.

Whilst we're on the subject of the colour radio series, does anyone have a spare tone control slider they want to part with??

Andy - Welcome to Beoworld!

If you do use Tim he will almost certainly suggest correcting the design fault on the Beolit that causes the speakers to go kaput. 

Cheers

Nigel

Hi

I have the same issue. I bought a nice beolit 600 off ebay from a guy in Odense, Denmark. The speaker has the same problem- is the magnet appears stuck. As a result the radio sounds very tinny.

A year has gone by, with promises to send me a new speaker. A dozen or so emails later still nothing.

Be wary of ebay I'd say.

I might try beocentral as well to see if they can help.

Regards

David Coyne

Sydney, Australia

h1npw:

Andy - Welcome to Beoworld!

If you do use Tim he will almost certainly suggest correcting the design fault on the Beolit that causes the speakers to go kaput. 

Would anybody be so kind and reveal that particular fix here as well?

david coyne:

Hi

I have the same issue. I bought a nice beolit 600 off ebay from a guy in Odense, Denmark. The speaker has the same problem- is the magnet appears stuck. As a result the radio sounds very tinny.

A year has gone by, with promises to send me a new speaker. A dozen or so emails later still nothing.

Be wary of ebay I'd say.

I might try beocentral as well to see if they can help.

Regards

David Coyne

Sydney, Australia

It has nothing to do with eBay! If you had researched the subject properly you would know that many have the "stuck speaker " syndrome so you would indeed be lucky to buy one that perfomed as it should.

As I understand it, the cone surround hardens, making the whole thing less flexible and therefore unable to reproduce the low parts of the sound spectrum.

"I haven't used it for at least 5 years"  followed by "It's in immaculate condition"  should be your alarm signal!!

I have to admit that I fell for it with a Beolit 700 a couple of years ago. I sent it to Tim to get it fixed and still wasn't impressed with the radio. Every one I have heard of since has the same problem.

In fairness, Tim was still practising and he did make that very point which I accepted.

I was offered a red one last week which "didn't sound quite like it used to" and I was tempted until the seller told me that a previous wife had painted the panels PINK.

It is situated down in the UK West Country and if anybody wants it I can give you a contact.

If you want a Beolit for your collection then by all means go ahead, it's your money. If you want a decent radio there are loads on the market at your local Costco!!

Many thanks for your help folks

I'll try and get hold of Tim and see what he can suggest - I'll keep you posted

Thanks, Andy

Have spent some time trying to fix these Seas speakers from Beolits with some limited success. As other posts suggest the voice coils jam inwards maybe due to faulty 470uF coupling capacitor.  Inspired by Phil's post at (http://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=17620) I found they can be freed if you disconnect the speaker and apply 9-12v dc to heat the coil. It takes about 5 minutes to gently raise the internal temp enough. Check the dc polarity will move the cone outwards to help it return to correct position. I tried connecting a low frequency (50-70Hz) fed from a power amp via two 1000uF isolating capactors to help keep the coil moving when it frees up - but you don't need this to free it. Make sure the cap polarity is correct to avoid the dc affecting the power amp. You may need to apply gentle even presure to pull the cone forward when it's hot. After it's free switch off the dc but continue with the low frequency to help cool the coil and keep it round. Don't pull the cone forward too much or get it too hot otherwise the coil may separate from the cone. Phil's trick to push the cone forward also helps if you find there's still little movement backwards - just lower the voltage to 0.5v-1v after it's free. Good luck!

Rick

Excellent news!

So, the preventive measure that nobody cared to speak out loud is to replace the coupling cap? My three Beolits with still intact speakers would be very interested.

tournedos:

Excellent news!

So, the preventive measure that nobody cared to speak out loud is to replace the coupling cap? My three Beolits with still intact speakers would be very interested.

Yes, mika, probably worth it for peace of mind, I used 1000uF / 16v on six so far which I iike to imagine helps the bass a bit. You can easily fit much higher values for the same size with modern caps but I worry too higher capacitance could damage the frail germainium output transistors. It's the lower of the two orange or grey caps and it's easier if you remove the speaker first.

Rick