Repair a Blown Speaker

It happens to anyone blaring their music at any respectable amount of decibels. Sooner or later you blow a speaker. The cone rips away from the ribbing and you think to yourself "Why the hell do I even spend money on this crap?"

Never fear, this instructable will show you how easy it is to repair a ripped cone. The great news is you won't even need any strange materials for this fix:

• Sewing thread, one (1) spool. Pick a color that closely matches your speaker material, unless you plan on being meticulous in the following steps. I used a cotton thread, but the type shouldn't be a major factor here.
• Sewing needle, one (1). Use as small a needle as you're comfortable working with. If this is your first time, don't fret too much, just don't use a needle that's so big it could tear the cone even more.
• Elmers General Purpose Glue or equivalent, one (1) bottle.
• Glue spreading apparatus, one (1). Finger, gloves, paper towel, pencil, credit card, use your imagination.
• n speaker(s) to repair.
• Just a little patience.

Once you have your materials together, begin by threading your needle. Use as much thread as you're comfortable with; you can always tie off your stitching and re-thread your needle. I found it easier to work in sections. Tie a big knot at the end of your thread if this is your first time sewing anything, otherwise use whatever fastening method you're comfortable with.

Push your needle through the cone, approximately 1/8" to 1/4" from the outer edge. You may start from the top of the cone or the underside, I found it easier to start from the underside going up. Pull your thread tight, and then push down through the ribbing, near the inside edge. Keep the stitch tight. Repeat this until you have gone all the way around your cone or have run out of thread (in which case, thread your needle again and start where you left off by just overlapping the last stitches). Tie off and cut the thread.

Repeat as necessary for each speaker.

Now that you have stitched the cone, it's time to add a second layer of structural integrity to your speakers. Run a semi-consistent bead over your stitched area. It doesn't have to be thick. Use your glue spreading apparatus to cover your thread evenly with the glue, taking care not to wipe too much glue off.

Allow to dry as per your glue's instructions.

You've stitched, you've glued, you've waited. Now that the glue has dried, install your speaker and give it a test, you should be all set!

Here's the thought process behind the work:

• You've used thread to pull the cone back to the ribbing. The thread should take the brunt of any punishing bass beats you throw at your speakers. Keeping the stitching tight means that your cones won't rattle against the ribbing on those low notes.
• You've glued the threading and cone edge to the ribbing. This has sealed the cone completely around the ripped area, preventing any serious loss in sound quality. It also helps alleviate the strain that would normally be applied to the points where the thread is stitched through the cone and ribbing by increasing the fastened surface area.

I did this when I bought a sub box set (shown in this step) with amp and speakers for $30. The cone on the left had been mostly blown, and I'm just too cheap to go out and buy a new one. It's been two years since I've repaired that cone, and I can safely say that it still hasn't ripped out after much bass punishment. The same cannot be said for the right side speaker, which did not get stitched and glued when I got the set. I will be repairing that when I get a roundtuit.