Busted subwoofer, anyone built or assembled subs before?

mattyfez · 2 Jul 2025 at 14:27

Hey all,

I noticed my sub had no volume other than a weak farting noise, on closer inspection through the port, the cone has seperated from the basket, so the driver is toast.

It's not had a bad innings, it's a Paradigm PDR-10, I've problaly had it 20 years to be fair so i guess the foam carrier thing just perished over time.

The thing is its a decent sub, (has a 100w mono amp built in) and the price of new active subs of the same/similar performance are.... 'how bloody much'?

So that got me thinking... can I simply source a suitable bass driver and swap the broken one out? that would be too easy!!

The thing is I might have to mangle the cabinate to remove it, the grille and baffle are not removable so I can't simply pull the driver out of the front, and it looks like the driver is screwed in from the rear -I don't think the hole on the back where the amp sits is gonna be big enough.

Any thoughts? the cab is just a basic rear ported design, would it be worthwhile to buy an empty cab, or build a new one copying the old one?

MrRockliffe · 2 Jul 2025 at 14:34

You can get some very decent subs in the £300-£400 range

Would that be outside of budget, factoring in the time to repair?

mattyfez · 2 Jul 2025 at 14:46

Thanks... yeah I dont really wanna spend 300-400 if i can just swap the driver out for a new one... after a bit more dismantling, I think I might actually be able to remove it through the hole where the amp sits...

...The hole is 11 and a half inches by 6 inches, and it's a 10" sub...

screwing a new diver in looks like it would be a challenge though to get a good tight fit..

mattyfez · 2 Jul 2025 at 16:50

So I got the woofer out pretty easily, so I'll proabably just buy a new one to put back in.

But I've seen this repair kit...anyone got experience using these? https://northspeakerparts.co.uk/products/paradigm-10-foam-repair-kit-od-247mm-id-177mm

agw_01 · 2 Jul 2025 at 17:14

Re-foaming/re-coning speakers is a very common method to give new life to old speakers. My Dad used a re-foam kit to repair his old Realistic Optimus 400s with 12" drivers with good results.

Definitely worth a go IMO.

I have many fond memories of the PDR10... and its big big brother... the Servo 15 :cool:

mattyfez · 2 Jul 2025 at 17:35

Thanks yeah for the sake of a tenner I may aswell have a bash at the repair kit..

hornetstinger · 3 Jul 2025 at 09:44

How hard was it driven? It could be damaged, but it could be worth repairing it anyway. About a tenner for replacement surround/glue. And even if it doesn't work, could be useful learning experience if you ever need to do it on a working driver.

New sub will be £300, BK XLS 200 probably similar quality.

mattyfez · 3 Jul 2025 at 15:55

hornetstinger said:
How hard was it driven? It could be damaged, but it could be worth repairing it anyway. About a tenner for replacement surround/glue. And even if it doesn't work, could be useful learning experience if you ever need to do it on a working driver.

New sub will be £300, BK XLS 200 probably similar quality.

Well the onboard amps never really been turned up more than 50% as its just too much bass lol!

But then I've been running it 20 years, so its certainly 'broken in' lol...

Yeah looking at new active subs, I'm not paying £250+ for a new equivelent, not a chance, lol!

I'd replace the woofer, but then that brings it's own headache of what brand/model 10" would be a good match for the onboard amp... meh...

I've orderd the repair kit... just got an email this morning so that should be with me in a few days.

I've already started prepping the woofer, and it seems mechanically sound, bounces nicely, no scraping noise from voice coil etc, it's just the foam surround is FUBAR, so to the best of my limited knowlege, its a good candidtad for a refurb.

The amp is designed and built in house too, it's not a generic ali express mono amp - the large caps are even 'Paradigm' branded, so theres clearly some thought been put into the amp dsesign...it would be a shame to write it off if I can fix it for a tenner!

Plus I've had it so long, it's like an old friend, lol

hornetstinger · 3 Jul 2025 at 16:01

Watch some videos about reconing, you have to do certain things.

foam surrounds do have finite lifespan, modern foam has treatement which prolong the life. Modern drivers have rubber surround which should last 25+ years.

mattyfez · 3 Jul 2025 at 16:11

hornetstinger said:
Watch some videos about reconing, you have to do certain things.

foam surrounds do have finite lifespan, modern foam has treatement which prolong the life. Modern drivers have rubber surround which should last 25+ years.

Yep already watched a few vids of people doing it.. I picked up one tip to get the surround centered with the voice coil without cutting the dust cap off and fitting shims...

Once the surround is glued to the cone and set...

... if you wire a standard 'square' 9v battery up to the speaker, the cone will go to full extension, allowing you to put the glue on the chassis, under the foam, then disconnect the battery so the cone and surround drops down perfectly straight onto the glue.

mattyfez · 5 Jul 2025 at 14:30

Sorted, good as new for the cost of a few pints of beer! Boom. (literally)

MrRockliffe · 5 Jul 2025 at 14:45

Fantastic effort that, well impressed. I wouldn’t have even attempted it I don’t think! Mainly because I’m lazy

hornetstinger · 5 Jul 2025 at 14:45

You could replace wiring whilst you're at it? (amp to driver)

mattyfez · 5 Jul 2025 at 14:52

hornetstinger said:
You could replace wiring whilst you're at it? (amp to driver)

Wiring and caps look fine (the skinny black wire in the pic is just a test wire I rigged up)

agw_01 · 5 Jul 2025 at 22:40

Nice work @mattyfez! Well done!

jaybee · 5 Jul 2025 at 23:15

Good job. Used to own a Paradigm. Forget which model. Was a great sub. Owned the servo 15 for a day until I got told to move the sub out or I move out!

mattyfez · 6 Jul 2025 at 06:09

I'm not sure I'd fancy doing a smaller speaker like a 6" though.. I imagine it would require a very steady hand. At least with a sub everything is jumbo size lol

Jamauk · 6 Jul 2025 at 10:41

Great effort there, it's not something I would have attempted, but this has given me ideas, should I ever have issues with my Yamaha YST-SW-305.

The cost of your repair certainly makes it worth attempting before going out for a full subwoofer replacement.

hornetstinger · 6 Jul 2025 at 10:52

Jamauk said:
Great effort there, it's not something I would have attempted, but this has given me ideas, should I ever have issues with my Yamaha YST-SW-305.

The cost of your repair certainly makes it worth attempting before going out for a full subwoofer replacement.

depends on your needs.

They're budget subs as was PDR-10. You might want to upgrade to two of these ;-)

SW-D6000 15" Ported Subwoofer - Subwoofers - ToneWinner UK | Audio Visual Product Reseller

NOW AVAILABLE TO ORDER. DELIVERY EXPECTED TO BE AROUND 2-4WEEKS.. 5 YEAR WARRANTY AND 30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE SW-D6000 is a 15 inches powered subwoofer bass speaker with 800W high power driving and characteristics of wide dynamic range, low dist

tonewinner-kalibrate.co.uk

mattyfez · 6 Jul 2025 at 11:07

Jamauk said:
Great effort there, it's not something I would have attempted, but this has given me ideas, should I ever have issues with my Yamaha YST-SW-305.

The cost of your repair certainly makes it worth attempting before going out for a full subwoofer replacement.

One thing I will say is the small tube of t-7000 glue is really pushing it to cover a 10"...so I'd probably invest in an extra tube (you can get a 2 pack for a fiver on Amazon).