A speaker cone, also known as a speaker diaphragm, is the chief operating area of a loudspeaker. It produces sound waves by pushing the air back and forth after being activated by the coil. Speaker cones are the most fragile part of a speaker. If you already have a speaker, a question might pop up in your mind: How to clean a speaker cone
One important thing you should bear in mind is that cleaning a speaker cone is not an easy task. A slight mishandling may permanently damage your speaker. If you want to clean your speaker cone, you must have a clear idea about speaker cones. You will need some necessary information and preparation regarding how you should clean your speaker cone. Besides discussing it, I have added some important tips for cleaning a speaker cone.
What Are The Parts Of A Speaker?
There are three types of speakers available in the market. These are-
- The Tweeter speaker
- The Mid-Range speaker
- The Woofer
The speaker cone is usually located in the externally visible part of the speaker except on the tweeter speaker, where suspension is the most outer part.
Location Of Different Speaker Parts-
In the case of a tweeter speaker, the parts are as follows from outside to inside-
- Suspension
- Diaphragm or speaker cone
- Voicemail
- Magnet
In the case of a dynamic Mid-range speaker, the parts are as follows from outside to inside-
- The speaker cone or diaphragm
- Suspension
- Voicemail
- Cooler (Occasionally Present)
- Magnet
In the case of a woofer, the parts are like below from outside to inside-
- The speaker cone or diaphragm
- Suspension
- Voicemail
- Magnet
If you are going to clean your speaker, clean only the speaker cone, not the other parts (Magnet, Suspension, Cooler, Voicemail) because these are not meant to be cleaned.
When Do You Need To Clean Your Speaker Cone?
There are several reasons behind cleaning a speaker cone. These are as follows-
- If you buy an old vintage speaker.
- If the speaker is very dirty.
- If you did not use the speaker for a long time.
- If the speaker had a previous owner.
- If the sound is distorted and not satisfactory as it was before.
- Change of speakers performance.
How To Clean A Speaker Cone?
A speaker cone is typically fabricated with a dome or cone-shaped outline. A speaker cone is made from different varieties of materials. The most common speaker cone fabricating materials are paper, metal, and plastic.
Features Of An Ideal Cone Material-
- It should be rigid or stiff and be able to stop unrestricted cone movements.
- It should have a low mass to reduce the starting force needs and fix the energy storage problems.
- It should be well damped to reduce the continuous vibration in the absence of the signal.
Though these are the ideal requirement of a cone material, it is still impossible to implement all these criteria simultaneously. Hence, the speaker manufacturers use switching or trade-offs to design the drivers. We can take paper as an example. Paper is light and usually well-damped, but it does not have enough rigidity to use it as a speaker cone material.
Metal is light and rigid, but it does not have enough damping required for a speaker cone. Plastic is lightweight, but if it is made more rigid, the damping will keep decreasing. To solve these issues, composite materials are sometimes used to make speaker cones.
Sometimes speaker cones are made from cellulose paper mixed with carbon fiber, glass, bamboo, Kevlar, or hemp fibers and given a honeycomb appearance. Sometimes the material is made more rigid and more dampen by applying an additional coating.
Cleaning A Speaker Cone-
Cleaning the speaker cones is the most sensitive process to clean a speaker as the cones are made from very delicate materials. If you are going to clean your speaker cone or diaphragm, you need some essential preparations. These are-
- Clean your speaker cabinet
- Clean your speaker grille
- When you are done with the speaker cabinet and the grille, carefully remove the speaker grille from the cabinet.
- Do not make direct contact with the speaker cone.
- Do not use any cloth; use a very soft bristle brush to clean the cone.
- Do not use a vacuum cleaner to clean the dust; use a compressed air can.
- You must avoid using any cleaning liquid on the speaker diaphragm.
Steps To Clean A Speaker Cone-
Speaker cones (Tweeter speaker, Mid-Range speaker, and Woofers) are very weak and easily damaged. You will not need to give a lot of pressure to harm a speaker cone. It can get damaged by a slight thump. Metal, Kevlar, polymer, or wood speaker cones are firm, but the drivers behind the speaker cone can get damaged by little pressure.
Here is the step by step procedure to clean a speaker cone-
Step 1. Use a very soft bristle brush to dislodge the dust and dirt from the speaker cone. Do not use any cloth or hard wiping material to remove the specks of dust. I will recommend you to use one of these brushes-
- Makeup brush
- Paintbrush
- Fingerprint brush
- Camera lens cleaning brush
- A soft bristle dusting wand can also work, but the result may vary. You might end up jabbing the cone with the wand tip.
Step 2. Use a compressed air can or an air bulb duster to remove all the dislodged dust. Never use a vacuum cleaner or even cotton cloth to remove the cones dust.
Use a good grip on the brush handle while cleaning, do not poke on the speaker cone with the bristle, or you might damage the cone.
Step 3. Clean the gasket using a soft brush.
Step 4. Do not use any cleaning liquid on the speaker cone. After you are done with dust dislodgement, blow the compressed air from one side and a few inches away instead of blowing it directly towards the speaker cone. Remove the dust from the cone, do not blow the dust into it.
Step 5. Be very careful while you use a brush to clean a tweeter speaker because their cones are more delicate than a woofer or a mid-range speaker.
I suggest you not use a brush on your tweeter speaker at all. Just blow the dust away using the compressed air can.
Step 6. You must avoid using any liquid cleaners to clean your speaker cones. The cone will absorb the liquid and cause unintentional damage.
Step 7. If your speaker cone is very dirty and stained, contact your speaker manufacturer.
Conclusion
Generally, a speaker lasts more than twenty years if it gets proper maintenance. The most vital part of giving your speaker longevity is keeping the speaker cone clean. Keep the speaker in a dust-free area, and you can use a speaker cover for dust protection.
If your speaker cones are dirty, clean the speaker cones by following the above discussion. Do not damage the cone in the procedure of cleaning. I hope now you know how to clean a speaker cone.
FAQs-
Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions related to speaker cone cleaning-
1.How Long Do Speaker Cones Last?
Ans: If you keep your speaker in a good environment, the speaker will last more than twenty years. This period varies according to temperature, dust, and moist environment.
2.How do you get mold out of speaker grills?
Ans: You can get mold out of speaker grills with lemon juice and salt. Wet the mold with the salt and lemon juice mixture and then scrub it using a toothbrush. Rinse the speaker grille with clean water and let it dry.
3.Can You Fix Blown Out Speakers?
Ans: It is inappropriate to fix a blown-out speaker because the repair cost will be more than a new speaker. So, you better replace the blown-out speaker with a new one.
4.Are Paper Speakers Bad?
Ans: No, paper speakers are not bad. If a paper speaker is appropriately designed, it will give an outstanding performance