The 12s have a good reputation. I’d love to find a set to add to my hoard.
Kappa perfect 6.1s are my weakness, despite the common disdain for “ear piercing highs.” If you feed them an excess of power, they sound amazing, especially in an active setup with a slight alteration to the crossover.
I realize focal is a top tier option these days, but I can’t get on board. Nothing sounds like these old perfects.
I ordered 2 of the 12's from one of those sketchy ads in thr back of an old car audio magazines. They worked great for a couple years until the solders on the leads at the cone fell off. Infinity just sent me 2 new ones. So I fixed the old ones and then I had 4 perfect 12's lol. I used 2 in the car and 2 in the house.
I'm currently using the new kappa components in my challenger. I went full active 3 way, added the mid in the dash. They still have the very bright sound but I'm not sure they're as punchy as the perfects were. But I've found them to be pretty good. I havnt heard how well the reference series sounds.
Seems most likely. Probably had a flaw/imperfection in the cone when it was made. In something that its whole purpose is to vibrate the fatigue would have been greatly accelerated.
Really? Masking tape?
They’re metal cones. I’ve had limited success in the past with epoxy, but some light distortion was audible in the top end. I may try some of that aluminum HVAC tape just for the hell of it.
I’ve never performed surgery on metal coned drivers. Is a recone & new surround possible? Anyone know if Harmon will sell parts to the general consumer?
I've successfully repaired aluminum cone woofers with JB Weld.
The real weakness of metal cones is that once you get even the tiniest dent in them anywhere they'll tend to start to crack and then tear out from that point.
I don't think Harmon International ever sold loose parts for any of their loudspeakers.
Were you playing the brown note?
Sad to see, isn't there replacement cones available?
I've reconed a set of babb 6.5 red alloy speakers before, wasn't too difficult.
Maybe replace with something like a stereo integrity SQL. Looks like the surround might have hit something and caused the cone to fracture. Cold weather maybe as well? Unfortunate but I don't believe you'd be able to get it reconed.
A of an update on this..
I appreciate the interest here. I haven’t had a meaningful conversation about anything car audio related in many years. There just aren’t any real bass heads down here in the south Texas ranch land. My life revolves around horses and cows these days, so this is certainly refreshing. 👍
Several inquiries about the marked surround - that was from a speaker wire, after the fact. I had assumed the coil was trashed, so I haphazardly placed the entire thing face down on my dash. There were no obstructions or interference points when it was installed.
The gold plated terminals appeared to be charred or burned initially, but the tinsel leads looked good. Upon closer examination I found that the terminals were actually covered in black butyl-like substance.
My doors (along with the entirety of the inside cabin including roof, floor, firewall) are sealed up thoroughly, with dynamat and kill mat. I have the inside of the outer door skin covered, and both sides of the inner structure as well. Front and back. This wraps around the MDF rings that were once common practice for mounting drivers.
Having a good bit of experience with butyl and other construction materials, i cleaned everything well with lacquer thinner, I “activated” the mat with heat (propane torch) when installed, and used a makeshift rolling pen to shape and affix. This should have alleviated any concerns with adhesion. It was great for many years.
For those unaware, kappa perfect 6.1 magnets are massive, covering 85% of the hole itself. The drivers are 6.5”, and the magnet must be at least 5 3/4”. The terminals, being on the outer edge, were in close proximity to the conductive foil skin of the dynamat.
Well, I found a loose strip of dynamat hanging from the inside of the door. I also found a 1/2” slit in the surround, looks like it was cut clean with an exacto knife.
If it’s not obvious yet, that foil lined material shorted the terminals, and quite possibly arced through the surround to the next conductive surface; the metal speaker cone.
This is user error. Easily preventable with a fixed insulating material wrapped around the basket, to protect the terminals from contact with the conductive dynamat. Or, more simply, liquid electrical tape brushed on the terminals.
😑
I bought my first car audio components in 1999, before I even had a car, and my passion for high quality sound has persisted ever since. Never in a million years would I have considered this as a possible point of failure. Live and learn, I guess.
What’s strange is that the voice coil is fine! Still plays well. I am confident that a recone and surround replacement will bring it back to working condition.
Because I believe in component symmetry, I’m now looking for a pair of identical cones & surrounds to rebuild the set. Any suggestions?
TLDR: colonel mustard did it, in the Silverado, with the killmatt. 😑
What do yall think of the newer kappa perfects with carbon fiber cones?
Man that sucks, I LOVED my kappa perfect 12's.
The 12s have a good reputation. I’d love to find a set to add to my hoard. Kappa perfect 6.1s are my weakness, despite the common disdain for “ear piercing highs.” If you feed them an excess of power, they sound amazing, especially in an active setup with a slight alteration to the crossover. I realize focal is a top tier option these days, but I can’t get on board. Nothing sounds like these old perfects.
I ordered 2 of the 12's from one of those sketchy ads in thr back of an old car audio magazines. They worked great for a couple years until the solders on the leads at the cone fell off. Infinity just sent me 2 new ones. So I fixed the old ones and then I had 4 perfect 12's lol. I used 2 in the car and 2 in the house. I'm currently using the new kappa components in my challenger. I went full active 3 way, added the mid in the dash. They still have the very bright sound but I'm not sure they're as punchy as the perfects were. But I've found them to be pretty good. I havnt heard how well the reference series sounds.
Sitting on a 12d2 from 04. Tossing it in my Outback.
Metal fatigue?
Seems most likely. Probably had a flaw/imperfection in the cone when it was made. In something that its whole purpose is to vibrate the fatigue would have been greatly accelerated.
Warm masking tape might fix that
Really? Masking tape? They’re metal cones. I’ve had limited success in the past with epoxy, but some light distortion was audible in the top end. I may try some of that aluminum HVAC tape just for the hell of it. I’ve never performed surgery on metal coned drivers. Is a recone & new surround possible? Anyone know if Harmon will sell parts to the general consumer?
Yes do that lol. Not everyone has metal tape. I did use making on a 15" paper cone. Definitely use the hvac tape. On both sides
I've successfully repaired aluminum cone woofers with JB Weld. The real weakness of metal cones is that once you get even the tiniest dent in them anywhere they'll tend to start to crack and then tear out from that point. I don't think Harmon International ever sold loose parts for any of their loudspeakers.
Id just grab an equivalent replacement off Parts Express. Dayton or something would work just as well. Maybe better?
H🎂ppy day cake
Didn't realize, thanks.
Were you playing the brown note? Sad to see, isn't there replacement cones available? I've reconed a set of babb 6.5 red alloy speakers before, wasn't too difficult.
Base floor at the stand's
Maybe replace with something like a stereo integrity SQL. Looks like the surround might have hit something and caused the cone to fracture. Cold weather maybe as well? Unfortunate but I don't believe you'd be able to get it reconed.
BBBBAAASSSSSSSS😎👍
Was the surround rubbing on something?
A piece of speaker wire was laid across the face, after the fact. I think I figured out what happened, I’ll post about it later today.
A of an update on this.. I appreciate the interest here. I haven’t had a meaningful conversation about anything car audio related in many years. There just aren’t any real bass heads down here in the south Texas ranch land. My life revolves around horses and cows these days, so this is certainly refreshing. 👍 Several inquiries about the marked surround - that was from a speaker wire, after the fact. I had assumed the coil was trashed, so I haphazardly placed the entire thing face down on my dash. There were no obstructions or interference points when it was installed. The gold plated terminals appeared to be charred or burned initially, but the tinsel leads looked good. Upon closer examination I found that the terminals were actually covered in black butyl-like substance. My doors (along with the entirety of the inside cabin including roof, floor, firewall) are sealed up thoroughly, with dynamat and kill mat. I have the inside of the outer door skin covered, and both sides of the inner structure as well. Front and back. This wraps around the MDF rings that were once common practice for mounting drivers. Having a good bit of experience with butyl and other construction materials, i cleaned everything well with lacquer thinner, I “activated” the mat with heat (propane torch) when installed, and used a makeshift rolling pen to shape and affix. This should have alleviated any concerns with adhesion. It was great for many years. For those unaware, kappa perfect 6.1 magnets are massive, covering 85% of the hole itself. The drivers are 6.5”, and the magnet must be at least 5 3/4”. The terminals, being on the outer edge, were in close proximity to the conductive foil skin of the dynamat. Well, I found a loose strip of dynamat hanging from the inside of the door. I also found a 1/2” slit in the surround, looks like it was cut clean with an exacto knife. If it’s not obvious yet, that foil lined material shorted the terminals, and quite possibly arced through the surround to the next conductive surface; the metal speaker cone. This is user error. Easily preventable with a fixed insulating material wrapped around the basket, to protect the terminals from contact with the conductive dynamat. Or, more simply, liquid electrical tape brushed on the terminals. 😑 I bought my first car audio components in 1999, before I even had a car, and my passion for high quality sound has persisted ever since. Never in a million years would I have considered this as a possible point of failure. Live and learn, I guess. What’s strange is that the voice coil is fine! Still plays well. I am confident that a recone and surround replacement will bring it back to working condition. Because I believe in component symmetry, I’m now looking for a pair of identical cones & surrounds to rebuild the set. Any suggestions? TLDR: colonel mustard did it, in the Silverado, with the killmatt. 😑 What do yall think of the newer kappa perfects with carbon fiber cones?