Help! Dented Beryllium Dome Tweeter

[Steady339]

I posted earlier about a dented tweeter grill pushed in by a little kid's finger poke. I had been hoping that just the tweeter grill was dented, but in the process of pulling out the grill dent I saw to my dismay that the beryllium tweeter was dented too.

The tweeter still sounds O.K. Should I try to repair it, try to get a replacement from Paradigm (the S1 model has been discontinued), or just live with it?

What would be the best way to try to repair the damage? How fragile would a beryllium-foil tweeter likely to be anyway--I don't want the cure to be worse than the disease!

[audio bill]

Typically such tweeter diaphragms are similar to thin foil, and you are unlikely to be able to repair them. Soft domes can sometimes be repaired with a higher success rate. I would suggest replacement if you want it to be perfect and perform as designed, or if you think it sounds fine to leave it as is and try to forget about the damage.

[jdandy]

Roger.......If you are like me, leaving like it is would nag at me every time I listened. Contact Paradigm and ask about a replacement tweeter. They may surprise you and have one on the shelf ready to ship.

[Slimbo]

I had a dented tweeter on one of my Focal Diablos. Focal sent a new tweeter and replaced it for free. My speaker was gone for 2 weeks but came back good as new and with new packaging. Very impressive service I hope paradigm is as good for you. My dented tweeter didn't affect the performance but was in my head. I am glad I contacted Focal.

[audio bill]

I am not questioning Slimbo's experience with Focal, but most companies do not replace a physically damaged tweeter for free since it isn't due to a manufacturing defect. Most will charge for a replacement tweeter that is accidentally damaged.

[Slimbo]

Originally Posted by audio bill

I am not questioning Slimbo's experience with Focal, but most companies do not replace a physically damaged tweeter for free since it isn't due to a manufacturing defect. Most will charge for a replacement tweeter that is accidentally damaged.

I was surprised when they decided to cover the repair. My dealer told me that a new Utopia tweeter was $1100 and I was fully prepared to pay. It was a pleasant surprise when I was told they had decided to do it under warranty!

[audio bill]

Luckily for Roger a Paradigm tweeter is not as expensive as that!

[Still-One]

Originally Posted by Slimbo

I was surprised when they decided to cover the repair. My dealer told me that a new Utopia tweeter was $1100 and I was fully prepared to pay. It was a pleasant surprise when I was told they had decided to do it under warranty!

I wonder if Focal would have replaced the tweeter for free if it was not a product from their wonderful Utopia line.

[enatai252]

I think you have to be very careful with beryllium drivers. If the driver is damaged there is a chance that the metal can become distributed in the air and is dangerous. I believe Focal recommends sealing any damaged tweeter immediately and replacing

I had focal utopia Be no.7 in my car and has a tweeter puncture. It was replaced for free

[Steady339]

Thanks all for your input on my dented tweeter. I will phone Paradigm to see about replacement costs. Also, since the sound of the tweeter seems to be O.K., I may leave things as is until the great-grand kids get a little older.

This situation reminds me of dings on musical instruments--dings look bad but usually don't have much of an effect on the sound.